The Innisfail Golf Club took a big leap on the national stage last week, welcoming a star-studded cast of players and senior hockey officials for the prestigious 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup Golf Tournament.
The private event on May 26 featured 180 golfers, including Canadian Hockey League and Western Hockey League staff and sponsors, as well as Red Deer Rebels alumni and current professionals and NHL stars.
The stars included Brandon Sutter, who now plays for the Vancouver Canucks; Paul Postma, a defenceman for the Winnipeg Jets; Turner Elson, a forward with the Calgary Flames; Colin Fraser, a former NHLer now playing in Europe; and Alex Petrovic, a defenceman for the Florida Panthers.
As well, retired NHLers Lance Ward and Colby Armstrong, the latter now a hockey analyst with Sportsnet, were out on the links. Former Rebels Cam Ondrik and Greg Schmidt were also on hand, as well as Peter Anholt, the original Rebels coach when the team was born in 1992.
“We've never had something I don't think that actually has this kind of national exposure,” said Jim Boomer, the club's head professional. “I think it is one of the few times we would get people from all across Canada just happening to see our golf course. “Obviously it is a bit of a reach to say we are part of the Memorial Cup tournament, but we are hosting the corporate golf tournament for the Memorial Cup so that is people from all over Canada just happening to come here.”
The Memorial Cup corporate golf tournament is always held every year by the host city. For it to be held at the Innisfail Golf Club was considered a real coup for the local officials, especially because construction of the long- awaited new $1.9-million clubhouse was completed in time.
“The fact that we got to host it (Memorial Cup) right now and show this many people a finished project here, a real finished look was really special,” said Boomer of the new 5,500-square-foot facility that seats 120 and offers spectacular views of the course. “They might have been able to come and see how good the golf course is, but we have the whole package now with that clubhouse.”
The invited guests played a 27-hole shotgun Texas scramble format game, with every golfer playing 18 holes on a course that was in “fantastic shape”, said Boomer.
“It is still May and they (grounds crew) always seem to have this place in fantastic shape,” he said, adding the course held up well before the rains finally came during the early dry spring weeks. “Our irrigation team was obviously hoping for rain but they still got it done. It was great to see because that was a lot of stress.”
But there was no stress on May 26. The excellent shape of the course, as well as the good weather conditions, offered an excellent opportunity for club officials to show everyone how important tourneys are properly organized and presented.
Boomer noted the tourney attracted senior officials from Windsor, Ont. where next year's Memorial Cup tourney will be played.
“They are here scouting, seeing what they want to do and what they don't want to do,” said Boomer. “Hopefully we have shown them some things that they want to do.”
Jim Boomer, head golf professional
"We've never had something I don't think that actually has this kind of national exposure. "I think it is one of the few times we would get people from all across Canada just happening to see our golf course."
