Page 25 - AUGUST BGG - FINAL 2018.indd

The Club Championship

aka “ The Ada Mackenzie Open”

Michèle Bussières
ARCHIVES COMMITTEE, CHAIR

If it’s August, it must be Club Championship time at Another Member with a remarkable five wins is Roma
Ladies! Watson (aka Roma Neundorf) who won the Club
Championship in 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1964.
Starting in 1926 (the year of our official opening)
and for every year since, we have held a Club Three time winners (and current Members) include Pat
Championship. While the Championship format and McClellan and Leslie Ferrari. Those whose names are
associated competitions have changed over the years, on twice include Carolyn Dushenski (nee Schroter),
the key elements remain intact… a fun filled three days Jean Boynton and Elizabeth Tong.
of competition at the end of which we crown a Club Starting in 2013, a Red Tee Low Net event was added
Champion. to the Club Championship and, in recent years, a
Stableford one or two day option has also been
Ada Mackenzie was a competitive golfer, but she
believed in the game of golf as a pastime for all. She added. These additions to the Club Championship
wrote in a brief article “There is a fascination about the program have served to provide golfers of varying
game of golf that none who have tried it can deny, and abilities a chance to participate in the Championship
whether a beginner, good, bad or indifferent it is still Weekend.
enjoyable”. This year’s Club Championship runs from Friday,
August 24 (Championship Flight) through August
The Club Champion Trophy records the names of all
of our champions over the years. The first name on 25 & 26 (Championship Flight, Red Tee Event and
the trophy is Miss Evelyn Mills who won the inaugural Stableford). So come on out and be part of a long
event in 1926. Somewhat surprisingly, our founder, Ada standing tradition! Even if you don’t play, come on out
Mackenzie, did not win her first Club Championship and cheer on the participants and join them for the
until 1932…and then waited another 25 years to win celebration of all of our winners on Sunday afternoon.
her second in 1957! During the 1930s Ada Mackenzie
was enjoying her most competitive period, winning Michele
multiple national and international events, and was
named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1933. It was
noted in an article from 1949 that Ada Mackenzie
actually dropped out of competition for three years in
the 1930s in order to “give others a chance.” She went
on to win the Club Championship a total of five times.
Many other notable names from our history also have
their names on the Club Championship trophy. Miss
Hazel Hudson, who now has an annual tournament
at Ladies’ named after her, and who was a charter
Member of Ladies’, has her name on the trophy eight
times. Marjorie McKenzie, whom we also have a
tournament event named after, was a four time winner,
claiming the trophy in 1946, and 1948-1950.
Speaking of multiple winners, we have a number of
current Members whose names appear on the trophy
more than once. Susan Wickware’s name is on the
trophy a remarkable twelve times…she must have
some remarkable stories to tell of her wins over the
years. Jane Kirkpatrick has her name up there five
times… and claims the honour of being the first to drop
the “Miss” or “Mrs.” designation.

AUGUST 2018 | 25