IT was a banner day for the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation on Sept. 14.
The organization raised approximately $40,000 from its annual
fundraising golf tournament, held at The National Golf Club of Canada
in Woodbridge, which will be earmarked for turfgrass research.
Additionally, the OTRF was presented with a cheque for $46,500 from the Golf Association of Ontario and another $10,000 from The National Golf Club. 
The event marked the OTRF’s 30th anniversary and attracted 120 golfers. The National is perennially ranked the No. 1 golf course in Canada by ScoreGolf.
Turf Care Financial and The National Golf Club were each formally recognized as title sponsors of the event. Another 20 sponsors helped to make the fundraiser a success.
On hand to provide entertainment (and a free mulligan for any mis-hit shot) was the official mascot from the National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors.
Several additional contests were held throughout the day to add to the golfers’ enjoyment and competitive spirit, including a closest-to-the-pin shootout next to the clubhouse patio for Raptors and U2 concert tickets, a putting contest, and a chance to win a custom-tailored shirt for a tee shot on No. 2 which settled closest to the line.
Host superintendent and OTRF tournament chairman Chris Dew was congratulated for providing top-notch course conditions.
The National Golf Club, whose membership is exclusively male, achieved what is believed to be a first for the golf course during the tournament. An all-female foursome teed off together, marking the first time in the club’s history that a full group void of men played together. Members of the foursome were Marie Thorne of Syngenta Crop Protection Canada; Dorothy Hills, executive manager of the Ontario Golf Superintendents Association; Jennifer Pendrith, superintendent at the Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough; and Katerina Jordan of the University of Guelph.
Print this page
