Lacombe played host to some of the best golfers in the province this week, as part of a professional golf event.
On July 21st and 22nd, Lacombe Golf and Country Club hosted a Professional Golf Association (PGA) of Alberta Players’ Tour event where club pros from across the province got together to test their skills against each other and Lacombe’s challenging golf course.
Kevin Broderson, head pro at Lacombe Golf and Country Club, said it’s a chance for club pros to prove that they are skilled players as well as knowledgeable about the sport. “Not only do we work and sell green fees and clubs and clothes and teach lessons, but we also play golf.”
The PGA of Alberta is the provincial association for professional golfers in Alberta. They organize a number of events and tournaments, like the Players’ Tour event held in Lacombe recently, throughout the year.
In order to be a golf pro, golfers must be certified members of the PGA of Alberta, said Broderson. He added that the PGA of Alberta is a subdivision of PGA of Canada.
Membership in the PGA of Alberta is mandatory to play in these Players’ Tour events. Broderson was one of 28 professionals to participate in the event.
Tye Friesen, assistant pro at Lacombe Golf and Country Club, also played in the competition.
Not only are events like the Players’ Tour chances for pros to showcase their skills, it also provides opportunities to showcase the quality of the host courses.
“This is the Lacombe Golf and Country Club’s chance to showcase how tough it can be, the golf course,” said Broderson.
He added that the hope is the golfers participating in the tour will be impressed enough to tell other golfers to play the Lacombe Golf and Country Club course.
However, as golf is a social game, there is always more to such an event than the game itself. Broderson said it is also a chance for pros from clubs across Alberta to get together, visit and catch up with each other. He also said it provides great networking opportunities.
“We’re golf pros, we’re friends, when it comes time to tee it up, we want to shoot the best score and beat our buddies,” said Broderson. “We’re all going to come in after the round and have a meal and maybe a drink or two and catch up and brag about the shots we hit and forget about the bad ones.”
In addition to the 28 professionals in the Players’ Tour, there were also 28 aspiring professional golfers who took their playing ability test as part of the event. Broderson said that, in order to be a professional, golfers must score a total of 157 or lower over the two days to pass the test and become certified.
The PGA of Alberta Players’ Tour held at Lacombe Golf and Country Club this week is one of four held in the province throughout the season. The next Players’ Tour will be held at the Goose Hummock Golf Resort in Edmonton Aug. 5-6th.
Broderson said it is getting more and more difficult for golf courses to host events like the PGA of Alberta Players’ Tour. He said it can take some effort to round up the support from club members as well as volunteers, but Lacombe Golf and Country Club has always stepped up to put on such events and at this most recent one had a great group of member volunteers helping run the event.
Broderson finished the tour with a total score of 147, earning a purse of $156.25. For full final results from the Players’ tour, visit www.pgaofalberta.com.