Inducted Members

Born in Sherbrooke, André Maltais discovered golf at the age of 12. He started out as a caddy at the East Angus Golf Club. Two years later, he worked as a course maintenance employee under superintendent Gérard "Putter" Bernier. Bernier became his mentor, as he had been for many of the club's juniors. In 1959, André lost in the final of the Provincial Junior Boys’ Championship. As an amateur, he won more than 25 local and regional tournaments. At the age of 19, he succeeded "Putter" as course superintendent, a position he held for three years.

 

André began his professional career in 1965 as a teacher at the Waterville Golf Club (which he owned from 1987 to 2000). In 1966, Club Laval-sur-le-Lac pro Jules Huot hired him as his assistant. His services were rewarded, as he succeeded his legendary boss in 1971. Michel Millaire, René Noël, Serge Thivierge, Raymond Richer, and Guy Faucher are just some of his elite assistants. His first wife, Verna, and their sons, Eric and the late Patrick, eventually joined him as members of the PGA of Canada. His grandson, Karl, has recently joined the ranks of the association.

 

As a professional, he held a dozen individual titles, including the Québec Assistants' Championship (1967). He took part in the Canadian Open twice, in 1969 and 1971. André captained our representatives in the annual Québec-Ontario matches (1988-1992). In five matches, he recorded four victories. He finished 5th overall on the 1970 O'Keefe Tour and second on the 2003 and 2008 Senior Tours.

 

André was also committed to his association. From 1968 to 1970, he was a member of the Assistant Committee. He served on the Executive Board of the PGA of Québec (1973-1982) and on the National Board (1978-1981). At provincial level, he held the positions of Captain (1979) and President (1981-82).

 

He was a member of the Board of Directors of Boutiques Progolf (1980-84) and its President for four years (1991-1994). This company was founded by René Noël and Gilles Gareau with the aim of increasing the purchasing power of professionals who owned their own boutiques.

 

In 2021 and 2022, he chaired the Québec PGA's Meritas Sub-Committee, which presented Québec candidates for induction into the PGA Hall of Fame of Canada. He was pleased to see three Quebecers achieve this honour: Stanley Horne, Adrien Bigras, and Walter "Jack" Bissegger.

 

André has written three books on golf, including a biography of his former boss, entitled "JULES HUOT: Coup de départ du golf québécois". Over the course of his long career, he presented numerous written, radio, and television columns. As a rallying force, André co-organized several competitions for his senior colleagues. These included the Québec-Ottawa, Québec-Ottawa-Ontario, and Nord-Sud matches. He has also organized and chaired a few for-profit tournaments to raise funds for various causes.

 

André will never forget his Honorary Presidency of the 2001 Spring Open. On that occasion, he was granted the privilege of playing in the competition round with his two sons. By his own admission, he experienced emotions "out of the ordinary".

 

His engaging personality and unconditional love of golf have earned him numerous awards, including the Pierre-Nadon Prize (2021) awarded by Golf Québec and a group of golf columnists.

 

André Maltais joins the Québec Golf Hall of Fame in the builder category.