Gender reunification in 2005

After 92 years of separation at the national level, the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) which oversees men's amateur golf and the Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association (CLGA) return under the same roof in 2005.

2004-05 Amalgamation Committee Members: Diane Dunlop-Hébert, Bob Dion, André Fournier, Marie-Thérèse Torti, Suzanne Beauregard, André Burgoyne, Earl S. Cohen

In the same vein, in Québec, a merger committee met many times between November 2004 and February 2005. On March 4, 2005, the members of the Québec Golf Association (QGA) were asked to vote on the proposed amalgamation and on March 7, 2005, the members of the CLGA - Québec Branch did the same. Both votes were unanimously in favour of the creation of a new joint association that would take on the legal name of the Québec Golf Association while being known to the general public as Golf Québec, thereby simplifying bilingual communications.

To confirm this new alliance, the new association had, for the only time in its history, a double presidency with Mrs. Thérèse Dumontet (Summerlea) and Mr. André Burgoyne (BeauChâteau).

At the same time, a contest was launched in a graphic design school to create a new, more modern and stylized logo with a touch of colour representing the greens of our courses. This new corporate image remained in effect until 2010.

 

In April 2010, the RCGA adopted a new national branding and a new name: Golf Canada. Surveys conducted among clubs and golfers showed that the sense of belonging and pride of being a member of Golf Québec/Golf Canada had increased and this trend was at its strongest in Québec and New Brunswick!

The second stage of this national standardization process was implemented in the fall of 2010 when the majority of the 10 provincial amateur golf associations also adopted a new local version of this image to demonstrate that "Together we are shaping golf’s future". This is how the current Golf Québec logo was created.

 

A sport federation for golf in Québec

The 1990s were prolific for golf. It was a time when courses sprouted up and tee times were full at most facilities. With this renewed enthusiasm for our sport, the idea was launched to introduce a new Golf-études initiative that would be offered in Québec high schools affiliated to the Sport-études program. However, at that time, in order to obtain the sport federation recognition required by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur (MEES) to join the Sport-études program, the Québec Golf Association (QGA) needed to represent all categories of participants, men and women, amateurs and professionals. This was not the case.

Thus, the first Fédération québécoise de golf (FQG) was founded in 1999, under the presidency of Mr. Jean Trudeau who was the Executive Director of the Association des golfeurs professionnels du Québec and whose teaching professional members had the necessary certifications to work in the recognized Golf-études structures. In order to meet its status requirements as a Federation, the new organization was governed by a board composed of representatives of the AGP du Québec, QGA, and CLGA - Québec Branch.

In its Strategic Plan for the 2008-2011 cycle, Golf Québec's mission was to increase the efficiency of its structures and restore harmonious relations with clubs and other industry players. It was within the framework of this objective that, on Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the members of Golf Québec met to vote on the proposed merger between the Québec Golf Association (QGA) and the Fédération québécoise de golf (FQG). The Assembly voted unanimously in favour of this project. As of December 1, 2011, the legal name of Golf Québec became the Québec Golf Federation, as we now know it.

For the first time, it became possible for key players of the golf industry to work together within the same organization. The presence of two representatives from both the Association des terrains de golf du Québec (ATGQ) and the PGA of Québec on the board of directors of the new Québec Golf Federation (Golf Québec) was an undeniable advantage for all. This historic alliance, a first in the country, allowed us to look forward to the remainder of the decade with optimism.

To this day, Golf Québec is proud of its history and takes its role as protector of the game's traditions and integrity very seriously.

Marcel Paul Raymond
Guylaine Sirois