Golf Canada’s 2021 Annual Meeting culminated on Thursday, March 4th with the election of Thornhill, Ont. native Liz Hoffman as the 116th President of the National Sport Federation.
Hoffman, a past President of Golf Ontario who spent 39 years with the University of Toronto including 16 as Director of Athletics and High-Performance, succeeds Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que. who served consecutive terms as President in 2019-20.
“It is an honour to represent our member clubs, and golfers from coast to coast as the 119th President of Golf Canada,” said Hoffman. “To follow in the path of friends, mentors, and colleagues who have empowered my journey with this storied organization. We have a really special opportunity in this current environment to advance the sport of golf, and together with the Board of Directors, our CEO Laurence Applebaum, our talented staff and volunteers and so many partners across the golf and sport community, I look forward to being a part of it.”
Click here for a detailed bio on Golf Canada’s 116th President, Liz Hoffman.
Hoffman is joined by Vice-President Dale Jackson of Victoria, B.C. in leading the 13-member Board of Directors who will work closely with Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. Based on the report of Golf Canada’s Nominating Committee, Hoffman and Jackson will be joined on the 2021 Board of Directors by David McCarthy of Toronto, Ont., Susan MacKinnon of Calgary, Alta., Adam Daifallah of Montreal, Que., Jean Stone-Séguin of Ottawa, Ont., Patrick Kelly of Victoria, B.C., Shawn Evans of Kitchener, Ont., Rai Sahi of Mississauga, Ont. and Alison Chisholm of Rothesay, N.B. New additions to the Board included Peter Major of Calgary, Alta., along with Diane Drury-Clarke and Jean-Sebastien Monty, both of Montreal, Que.
Outgoing Golf Canada President Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que. was recognized for his leadership of the association as an Honorary Life Governor.
Liz Hoffman and Charlie Beaulieu at Golf Canada’s 2020 Annual Meeting
Golf Canada’s 2021 Annual Meeting was conducted virtually over two days, March 3-4 with volunteers, staff, member clubs, and key industry stakeholders participating.
Annual Report & Financial Statements:
Click here to read Golf Canada’s 2020 Annual Report, which includes a recap of the past season, as well as the organization’s 2020 Financial Statements, which were released during Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting.
Feature Presentations
In addition to the formal business of the Annual General Meeting, a number of feature presentations delivered on March 3 outlined key Golf Canada initiatives for 2021 including:
- Golf Canada’s 2021 Outlook – presented by Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum
- Golf Industry Advisory Council: National Golfer Retention Campaign – presented by Golf Canada Chief Marketing Officer Vanessa Morbi
- Keynote Presentation: Fireside Chat on Global Golf – hosted by Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum featuring R&A CEO Martin Slumbers and the USGA’s outgoing CEO Mike Davis
- Overview of Golf Canada’s Diversity and Inclusion Alliance – presented by Alliance Chair & Team Canada Sport Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood. The session also includes a panel discussion with Sandy Cross (Chief People Officer, PGA of America) as well as Teri Dennis-Davies (Senior Vice-President Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment).
- Sport Overview – presented by Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue
Tribute to Canadian Golf in 2020
To close its Annual Meeting, Golf Canada shared a video tribute to acknowledge the players, golf facilities and industry stakeholders across the Canadian golf community who supported the sport’s safe return and emergence in 2020 through the COVID-19 pandemic. The video acknowledges the entire Canadian Golf industry as the collective recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award.
Nancy Spineti Delle Donne selected as Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year
Nancy Spineti Delle Donne of Montreal was named the 2020 recipient of the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award. For more than 20 years, Nancy has been a major contributor to Golf Quebec and Golf Canada as an expert in Handicapping and Course Rating. In 2014, Nancy was named Chair of the Golf Canada Course Rating and Handicap Committee, a position she held proudly until the end of 2020. During this time, she played an integral role in the national launch of the new World Handicap System which was rolled globally in 2020.