Staal Foundation Does Thunder Bay Tight
THUNDER BAY – “The Roar Starts Here”. That is the motto offered by PGA TOUR Canada. That roar was here in Thunder Bay Ontario this week where with the amazing efforts of the Staal Foundation, Tournament Board, and a “Blue Army” of volunteers raised the bar for how a world-class PGA TOUR Canada Event can be done.
While many might be content to call the Staal Foundation Open a golf tournament, it was far more than that, it was an amazing example of just how Thunder Bay can do up things right. It was a week long event that covered the city with fun and excitement.
The PGA TOUR Canada Staal Foundation Open is a demonstration of how the power of positive thinking can make things happen. Scott Smith, the Executive Director of the tournament picked up the idea from Scott Sumner just over a year ago.
Smith assembled a dedicated group of volunteers, and together with a large list of sponsors, supporters, and effort have put Thunder Bay front and centre on the world of golf in Canada and North America.
The PGA TOUR Canada event in Thunder Bay has, according to the players, become one of the best stops on the tour this summer.
PGA TOUR Canada Professional Kelvin Day shared “This is the best tournament we have played in all year”.
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The Whitewater Golf Course was in absolutely perfect condition. The efforts of the turf management team went well above and beyond the call.
The success of the inaugural Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel has come, according to PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday because of the hard work, dedication and attention to detail of the entire team from the Board Members to the volunteers.
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At the host hotel, the Valhalla Inn, there is a dedicated team of blue shirted volunteers who are there to make sure that all of the golf professionals are treated well. From the shuttle service, to the condition of the course to how they are treated, Thunder Bay has already, according to players become a favourite on the tour.
Whitewater Golf Club has been a big part of that. The course is a long track with a number of very long par five holes. The setting for golf is incredible, and the players are responding. There have been aces, very rare albatrosses (a two on a par five) and the cut for final round play was minus one.
What has been incredible has been how the entire event, and that is exactly what it really is, an event has pulled in the entire city.
From attending Thunder Bay Border Cats Baseball, to visiting the campers at Camp Quality to rocking out at Fan-Con at Fort William Historical Park, this first time tour stop has already taken its spot at centre stage in proving to be a very positive world-class event for Thunder Bay.
At the Sponsor’s Dinner on Wednesday evening, tribute was paid to the people behind the scenes who are putting on this event.
It is the volunteers, the sponsors, and the really incredible dedication backed by the Staal Foundation that has made this week in Thunder Bay one for the record books.
An amazing week of golf, fun, and enjoyment for Thunder Bay and the world of golf.
James Murray
