LOCAL TEEN TAKES PART IN CENTRALIZED PROGRAM FOR GOLF CANADA’S NEXT GENERATION OF CANADIAN CHAMPIONS

March 8, 2018

(Victoria, BC – March 8, 2018) Members of Golf Canada’s National Development Squad are living and breathing golf full-time at Bear Mountain as they take part in the inaugural Centralized Program to better support emerging talents as part of Golf Canada’s next generation strategy.

Team Canada’s national training centre since 2015, Bear Mountain is the ideal venue for the focused centre of excellence program, where athletes are surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.

“We are excited to launch this initiative to have our Development Squad athletes in an environment of excellence at Bear Mountain and supporting them with world-class coaching,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson. “On a daily basis, our athletes are surrounded by the best players in the country in a world-class training environment which has allowed us to quadruple the number of contact days with athletes and coaches.”

“In just a short time period over four weeks, we’re finding the athletes are extremely engaged with a tremendous effort level,” said Robert Ratcliffe, Men’s Development Squad Head Coach. “Together with the athletes, coaches and sport science experts, we are making tremendous strides in technical, physical, mental and on course training.

We’re executing performance strategies and tactics and developing important learnings about the centralized program every day.”

The program has a total of 10 Development Squad athletes (five men and five women), including 17 year Gold local Nolan Thoroughgood.

Thoroughgood punched his ticket to the Development Squad after recording a T7 finish at the Glencoe Invitational before going on to post fourth place finishes at both the B.C. and Canadian Junior Championships. The 2016 B.C. Men’s Amateur champion, Thoroughgood is one of four rookies added to this year’s Development Squad.

“Having access to receive ongoing coaching support from coach Rob [Ratcliffe] and the sport science team will help take my game to the next level,” said Thoroughgood. “The team is very motivated by the opportunity and the amazing facilities here at Bear Mountain—I’m looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”

Designed to provide a centralized training environment over four and a half months, the number of days the Development Squad athletes will spend in the world class training environment will increase from approximately 30 in 2017 to 120 in the new program at Bear Mountain.

“Bear Mountain is proud of its partnerships with national sporting organizations like Golf Canada and Cycling Canada, and the opportunity to provide Canada’s top athletes with a venue and facilities to hone their skills and abilities,” said Dan Matthews, CEO of Ecoasis and owner of Bear Mountain. “The concept of Golf Canada’s Centralized program resonated with our team as another way to support the development of these inspiring young athletes.”

In addition to the amenities at Bear Mountain, the athletes are also using the facilities of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE), one of the best training centres in the country. Men’s Development Squad players are billeted with local families, with the exception of Nolan Thoroughgood who is able to live at home, and members of the Women’s Development Squad are living in shared accommodation accompanied by Next Gen and Team Canada Assistant SaraGMaude Juneau.

Athletes are enrolled at Belmont Secondary School in Langford, B.C., where they are attending classes in the morning, followed by training in the afternoon. Team members are also working with the West Shore Distributed Learning Centre, where they are taking online courses in order to receive advanced credits for their sports training.

Academic commitment remains an important component of the Team Canada program with Golf Canada coaches and support team working closely with the teaching staff to ensure success in and outside of the classroom.

Background

Golf Canada’s 2018 Development Squad

Women’s Development Squad

  • Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île Perrot, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (16)
  • Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont., Summit Golf & Country Club (16)
  • Ellie Szeryk, Allen, Tex., Ontario Public Player (16)
  • Alyssa DiMarcantonio, Maple, Ont., Station Creek Golf Club (14)
  • Euna Han, Coquitlam, B.C., Morgan Creek Golf Course (15)

 

Men’s Development Squad

  • Christopher Vandette, Beaconsfield, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (16)
  • Johnny Travale, Stoney Creek, Ont., Hamilton Golf & Country Club (16)
  • Nolan Thoroughgood, Victoria, B.C., Royal Colwood Golf Club (17)
  • Peyton Callens, Langton, Ont., Delhi Golf & Country Club (17)
  • Thomas Critch, Cedar Park, Tex., Ontario Public Player (17)

 

Team Canada Coaches:

  • Robert Ratcliffe, Men’s Development Squad Head Coach
  • Matt Wilson, Next Generation Performance Director & Women’s Development Squad Head Coach
  • Sara Maude Juneau, Assistant, Next Generation Performance & Team Canada

 

About Bear Mountain Resort

Bear Mountain Resort has served as Golf Canada’s national team training centre since 2015. In addition to world class amenities and accommodations, the resort features a 36 hole Nicklaus Design golf course located on over 800 acres with spectacular mountain vistas and views of British Columbia’s seaside capital city.

 

About Golf Canada

Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing 319,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our goal is to be relevant to and respected by all Canadian golf enthusiasts from coast to coast. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.

 

About Canada’s National Team Program

Canada’s National Amateur Team program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world class competition. Golf Canada allocates

over $1.5 million of its resources annually to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development. Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National Developmental Squads represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this comprehensive program is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming amateur players in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world.

Team Canada, the pinnacle of Golf Canada’s High Performance Program, provides access to world-class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities. The program builds on the support team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations.

Golf Canada’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific, adidas Golf, Titleist, FootJoy, ClubLink, Heritage Canada, Bear Mountain Resort and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

For more information about Team Canada, please visit www.golfcanada.ca/team-canada.