Best Golf Get-Up

We liked Andrew Jensen’s brights at out Hunters Pointe event.  Andrew is sponsored by Adidas and is wearing Adidas Performance.

Rockway Glen Platinum Event

Zack Schnurr of Huntsville won the two-day platinum event at Rockway Glen, taking place May 2nd & 3rd. Ottawa’s Andrew Jensen led through the first 27 holes of the tournament until Schnurr came in with a strong finish shooting 4 under par. Andrew Jenson finished second at 3 under and Michael Gligic of Burlington, and Eric Hawerchuk of Barrie tied for third shooting 2 under.

It was the first event that the Great Lakes Tour held at this Vineland course and the pros had great things to say.  We will definitely be returning next year. For full event results, click here.

April 29th at the ‘The Bear”

The Great Lakes Tour managed to avoid the rain for the first time in the 2013 season! Event registration brought a strong field with Danny King, Zoltan Veress, Michael Gligic and Victor Ciesielski on the roster.  Ben Ferguson of Ancaster took the win shooting 67.  Michael Gligic, David Sheman and Ben Moser tie for second with scores of 69. Despite Ferguson’s win, we will call Moser player of the game as he drove back from Texas, arriving the morning of, to play the Great Lakes Tour event. 

Related articles

• Ben Ferguson on not treating Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as an “enemy combatant” (piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com)

Q & A with Victor Ciesielski

1. What are your goals for 2013?
My golf goals for 2013 remain the same as previous years; try to elevate game towards the Web.com and PGA Tour.  A couple personal goals this year are to drop 15 lbs in the gym and read at least one book every month.

2. How did you prepare over the winter?
Last fall I went to PGA Tour Qualifying School in Florida. After that I was in South Fort Myers. I’m lucky enough to play and practice at Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero. A good friend of mine Phil Anderson, gives me playing privileges there also, my coach Dave Smallwood spends his winters there. My accommodations are also taken care of thanks to Derek McGrath, Troy Dempsey and Matt Dahmer allowing me to stay at their condo. I’m pretty fortunate to have good friends that support my golf.

3. Where else are you going to compete this summer?
I have a very busy schedule this summer that I’m excited about. My main goal is to play as many Web.com and PGA Tour events as possible so I will be going to a few Monday qualifiers. Also, I will be playing a couple PGA Tour Canada events along with a full Great Lakes Tour schedule and a few other events in Ontario.

4. What’s your favorite part about playing at Whistlebear?
Whistlebear is such an amazing club it’s hard to pick just one thing. The golf course is always in perfect condition, we get spoiled with the fairways and greens every year as they’re always so perfectly manicured. The staff and amenities rival any other club I’ve played. I’d say my favourite would have to be the practice facility, an amazing range, wedge range, short game area and massive putting green. All in all a pretty awesome place to spend my days.

5. You’re a Titleist and Sligo staff player, how have they helped you over the years?
Titleist has been the best manufacture of golf clubs since I started playing. With that being said, I’ve always have had full confidence in my equipment and Titleist Canada has done everything in their power to make sure I have everything I need to succeed. I’ve been wearing Sligo clothing now since 2005. When I was at the University of Waterloo we wore their product and during my Canadian Open run in 2006, my clothing was one of the main talking points. I love wearing the clothing; it’s fashionable, comfortable, breathable, fitted, and they love and support Canadian golf. What’s not to love?

6. If you could play any course in the world tomorrow, where would it be?
Considering the Masters just ended it would be Augusta National by a long shot.

7. What advice do you have for our golfers who have just turned pro?
Everyone hits the ball well. Work on getting that egg in the hole. Wedges, pitching, chipping and endless hours on the putting green.

8. Who is your favorite player on tour?
Well he is the reason I started playing golf in 96, Tiger Woods. I also love Greg Norman, Freddy Couples and I support any Canadian that is out there trying make it big.

9. You’ve been playing with the Great Lakes Tour for 7 years now, how has it helped you? 
The Great Lakes Tour is a great stepping stone towards highly competitive golf on tour. Each week we are playing against previous PGA Tour, Web.com tour and current PGA Tour Canada players so it is an amazing way to test how your game stacks up against some of the best golfers in Canada.

10. Will we be seeing the famous flow again?
HAHA the flow comes and goes. The short hair makes me look professional but I don’t think I’m fooling anyone.

Hidden Lake Shootout Update

The April 16th Shootout was a success. Victor Ciesielski shot a bogey free 63 – a score that left the staff at Hidden Lake with their jaws on the floor.  The staff did an amazing job to get the course in playable conditions.  The week prior, the superintendent had snow on the ground, not to mention an ice storm over the weekend.  Victor’s 63 was followed by a 67 from Jacob Patte, finishing in 2nd alone.  Six members, Bruce Rogerson, Will Mitchell, Michael Gligic, Shawn LaFontaine, John Moon and Adrian Cord, tied for 3rd place with a popular score of 68.  Instead of heading into a 6-way playoff, the new ownership awarded the six competitors third place and entry into one regular series event.  It was a great start for the Great Lakes Tour and we’re looking forward to an exciting season.

Bruce Rogerson, Brantford

Eddie Maunder, Whitby

Spence Laurie, Whitby

Matt Kang, Toronto

Jonathan Kwant, Burlington

Michael Gligic, Burlington

Steve Wintersteen, Cassadaga

We’re Excited

That sums up our feelings just days before the commencement of the 2013 season. Despite the horrid weather that has been thrown at us the past couple months, we are going to welcome the double digit (celcius – we’re Canadian eh!) forecast with open arms.  Even if there is a little rain in there.

The staff at the Great Lakes Tour are also celebrating the new ownership of the tour! The Tour changed hands just recently in January 2013 from Denis Hendershot and Kara Kelly (the tours parents since 2001) to father/son team John and David Brisson. They are working with myself, Christine MacDonald, and we are collectively looking forward to getting out there and meeting all the members.  Some faces will be more than familiar to David who played in the tour in its starting years.

Our goal is to provide a forum where professional golfers can compete over the six-month, southern Ontario golf season.  We will work to create a friendly, competitive event that serves as a training ground for the PGA Tour, allowing members to make a significant amount of money while home. Basically, we want to see more Canadians on tour and hope that the Great Lakes Tour is where they get their start.

This blog will feature the Great Lakes Tour members – both professional and amateur – at their best, throughout the season.  We hope you enjoy!