Message from the Executive Director: Hall of Fame and Centennial Celebration

PICTURED ABOVE: Liz Hoffman, President of the Golf Association of Ontario, Bob Else of Ping Canada (George Clifton’s grandson) and President of Canadian PGA, Lindon Garron

Canadian PGA President Lindon Garron and I recently had the honour and privilege of representing Canadian PGA members at the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Canadian PGA member George Clifton.

A consummate golf professional who was widely regarded by his peers as a leader, innovator and dedicated member of the Association, the late George Clifton contributed to the progress and development of the Association and profession in many different ways. George and his wife Bobbie were key builders as tour director and administrators in the early days of the Peter Jackson Tour which paved the way for the Canadian Tour. As a golf instructor, George was one of the first to incorporate video as a teaching tool, despite skepticism and doubt expressed by some of his colleagues. One could also make the case for George Clifton serving as a pioneer for today’s golf coaches as he helped guide the careers of LPGA tour professionals Nancy White and Becky Iverson.

George Clifton’s record of accomplishment and contribution to the Canadian PGA was significant, but when I was re-acquainted with George’s family at the Hall of Fame ceremony, I was reminded of the extent of the Clifton family’s involvement with the Canadian PGA and the golf industry. George’s wife Bobbie and his two daughters Sue and Judy all served the Association in administrative capacities. George Clifton’s grandson Bob Else (who spoke eloquently on behalf of George and the Clifton family at the Hall of Fame ceremony) holds a senior position with PING Canada. Bob’s wife Barb and George’s granddaughter Kelly also worked in the offices of the Canadian PGA and Ontario PGA. The entire Clifton family is owed a debt of gratitude by all Canadian PGA members for their valuable contributions to the Canadian PGA’s operations and development over many years.

The Clifton family’s contributions to the Association are noteworthy, and one of many “rallying points” in the Canadian PGA’s past that will be told over the next couple of years as we near the Association’s centennial in 2011. Centennial Committee Chair Ian Clarke and his committee have been working diligently in recent months to put programs and events in place to celebrate the Association’s first 100 years. The Canadian PGA has a very proud and colourful history to tell, I hope all Canadian PGA members will find a way to get involved as the Centennial story unfolds in months and years ahead.