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The Greater Toronto Area Golf Association (GTAGA) is a non-profit organization created in 1998 by Founder and President Glenn Goodwin. Its aim is to conduct memorable showcase events. Since 2000, both the Men's and Women's Championships are considered to be the premier tournaments of their kind in North America and are conducted on an equal basis. The GTAGA Executive Director is Glenn Goodwin. The tournament staff includes persons experienced in tournament organization: Don Butcher, Director of Rules and Competitions and Gerry van der Valk, Director of Tournament Operations. The GTAGA Senior Advisory Board consists of four Hall of Fame members: · Marlene Streit O.C. (Canada's Female Amateur Golfer of the Century) · Sandra Post (Canada's greatest-ever women professional) · Gary Cowan (Canada's Male Amateur Golfer of the Century) · Warren Sye (World Amateur Champion) How your club can join the Greater Toronto Area Golf Association We are pleased to invite your club to join the "Greater Toronto Area Golf Association", a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to arrange and conduct the annual "Toronto Star Amateur and Women's Amateur Championships. Proceeds from all GTAGA events will benefit the "Greens & Dreams" charitable foundation in support of children's hospitals and junior golf. OUR SPONSORS AND PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS: In addition to the Toronto Star who is title sponsor, Nevada Bob’s Golf is the presenting sponsor in conjunction with the Buick Dealers of Ontario, TaylorMade, Maxfli, Adidas, and Last Minute Golfer. The champion will receive the Toronto Star Trophy, presented by the Toronto Star · Communications Department/Contacts For up-to-the date tournament information, media may contact: Glenn Goodwin, Executive Director 416-239-0708 or by e-mail: ggoodwin@greensanddreams.com All on-course Rules Officials are fully certified for GTAGA events, which include Canadian Tour Rules officials Don W. Butcher and Randy Korn and also rules officials from the RCGA, CLGA and the GAO. Because of the popularity of the Toronto Star Amateur Championship, the GTAGA has staged four qualifying events every year since 2000. There are no age restrictions for contestants entering either of the Toronto Star Amateur Championships. The number of member clubs in the GTAGA has grown from 48 in 1999 to over 150 in 2004. Richard H. (Dick) Grimm, Senior Consultant - A member of Canada's Golf Hall of Fame, Dick Grimm has contributed to Canadian golf for five decades. A past president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Honorary Life Governor, he has served as Host Club Chairman, RCGA Chairman (four times) and Tournament Director of the Canadian Open Golf Championship and is a member of the Captain's Club at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. He is affectionately known as "Mr. Canadian Open". Gary Cowan, Senior Advisor - A member of Canada's Golf Hall of Fame and recently voted Canada's Male Amateur Golfer of the century, Gary Cowan is a two-time winner of the United States Amateur championship, and has won the Canadian Amateur and Canadian Junior titles. He represented Canada 19 times in international competition, and was low amateur at The Masters and the World Amateur Team Championships. He also played on the Senior PGA Tour. Sandra Post, Senior Advisor - A member of Canada's Golf Hall of Fame, Sandra Post is Canada's most successful women professional, capturing eight titles on the LPGA Tour, including three majors and winning the LPGA Championship in her rookie season. She was named Canada's Athlete of the Year in 1979, after winning four times and finishing second on the money list. After winning three successive Canadian Junior titles, she turned professional at 18, becoming the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour. Marlene Streit, O.C., Senior Advisor – is the first Canadian to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida and is also a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Marlene is the only woman to have the Canadian, United States, British and Australian Amateur Championships along with four Canadian Senior and two United States Senior Women’s titles. She is an 11-time Canadian Amateur and 9-time Canadian Close Champion and was named as one of the top ten international women golfers in 1999 by Golf World. Marlene was also voted Canada’s Female Golfer of the Century. Glenn A. Goodwin, President and Founder, GTAGA - The concept of Amateur Championships for the Greater Toronto Area was created by Glenn Goodwin, a long-time employee of the Toronto Star and member of the Islington Golf Club. The Toronto Star Amateur and the Toronto Star Women's Amateur are the premier city championships in North America and the GTAGA proudly conducts both of these on an equal basis. A passionate purist and visionary, his love for the game started at age nine as a caddie in Union, Ontario and he ran his first tournament at age 12 in support of the United Way. In 1985 he created the "The Torwest", an annual inter-club event between the Islington, Lambton, St. George's and Weston golf clubs that today is regarded as one of the most successful inter-club tournaments of its kind. He credits the GTAGA that he founded in 1998 and its early successes to the members of these four clubs and to his employer , the Toronto Star. Don Butcher, Director of Rules and Competitions - Don Butcher has been a senior rules official on the Canadian Tour for the past 13 years, including Tournament Rules Supervisor for the past several years. Don has served as a Rules Official with the PGA Tour and the RCGA at the Bell Canadian Open, and also at the World Series of Golf in Akron, Ohio and the Azores Open in Portugal. Gerry van der Valk, Director of Tournament Operations - Gerry van der Valk brings his years of experience with the Royal Canadian Golf Association to the GTAGA. A former volunteer chairman on Canadian Open Committees, Gerry was Director of Amateur Competitions and Director of Team Development for the RCGA for nine years. Gerry served as coach of the Canadian Junior Team at the World Junior Teams Championships in Japan on three occasions and also as an Official at the World Amateur Teams Championships and the Bell Canadian Open. |
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