As many of you know, I am off to the Ontario Regional Golf Championship. The practice round is on Monday, with the 54-hole competition starts at 0800 hrs on Tuesday. This is my 23rd time I have attended this leg of the competition in 25 years and I feel that more confident than I have in years.

The Ontario Golf Regionals, played at the Petawawa, Ontario, is a three-day stroke-play event with several competitions in one.  First, there is the overall team competition.  Each day, the lowest 4 scores of the seven players are counted to determine the total score for the Wing on that day.  (For those who think that the female scores do not count, think again; they are usually used a couple of times during the tournament)  After three days of competition, your total team score from the three days will be calculated and the lowest team score wins the event and crowned Ontario Regional Team Champions.  They receive a pennant which is proudly displayed at their home Unit.

Another event inside of the team competition is the singles competition.  The person with the lowest gross score after three days is crowned the Ontario Region individual champion (men and women).  Additionally, the lowest five male and two female gross scores make up the Ontario Regional team that represents their region at the Canadian Forces National Golf Competition.

The National Competition, played at Shilo, Manitoba, is the same format as the Regional Competition except the players are significantly better.  It is an exciting time of military golfers and believe me, bragging rights are as important as the hardware.

With new clubs in hand, I am playing the most consistent golf all year. With 5 consecutive rounds in the 70s, things look very promising. However, I will say that at least one-third of the field in Petawawa play at the same level or better as I do; so competition will be fierce. Winning this exact tournament in 2009, in Petawawa, I know how to win….I just need to execute when required, use proper course management and stay positive for 4 days!

More updates to come! I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!