Golf

CAF SPORTS SUPPORT STAFF

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  Major-General C.J. Zimmer

  PATRON View Bio
  

  2021 - Present

  Major-General C.J. Zimmer

  PATRON

  “I had the privilege of being born into a very active golf family. I learned to swing a club at a very early age and I quite literally lived at the golf course through most of my summers. I have played a great many sports in my day but golf sits apart from the rest for a whole variety of reasons. As anyone who has a love of the game will know, there are few finer moments in sport than to hear the crack of a solid first drive down a long par 4 fairway during an early morning sunrise on a lush and dew drenched first hole! And there is no equal to the feeling of striking a ball clean and watching it soar towards the green with a nervous anticipation that you gave it just the right amount of swing to land in right to that hole. But make no mistake about it, golf may be a highly technical sport, sure, but like a game of chess it is ball placement strategy and mental fortitude that reigns supreme in terms of separating the good from the great.” How many technically proficient golfers have you seen who come entirely unhinged at the first sign of a double bogey. However, the feature I love most about golf and the one that opens it up to some amount criticism and scorn, is the fact that it is largely a social sport that permits its competitors to square off against one another on a scorecard but still walk down the fairway talking and laughing together as friends. Few other sports permit for such a refined level of sportsmanship and skill. For all of these reasons, is truly an honour and a privilege to be able to represent our CAF golf members who share in this same passion. As your golf patron, I look forward to the opportunity to support the advancement of our sport inside of the CAF.”

  PREVIOUS PATRONS
  2019 - 2020	Major-General D.W. Lowthian
  2018	Rear-Admiral H. Edmundson
  2017	Brigadier-General M.A.J. Carignan
  2016	Brigadier-General K.D. Meloche
  2013 - 2015	Colonel K.L. Goheen
  2011 - 2012	Major-General P.J. Forgues
  2009 - 2011	Major-General J.P.Y.D. Gosselin

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  Mr. Rick McKie

  CHIEF OFFICIAL View Bio
  

  2023 - Present

  Mr. Rick McKie

  CHIEF OFFICIAL

  Rick McKie is a graduate of Laurentian University’s Physical and Health Education program.  He has dedicated his life to Fitness and Sports (over 2 decades with PSP), and is the current Fitness, Sports & Recreation Manager in Garrison Petawawa, as well as the Ontario Regional Sports Manager.  
   
  Additionally, Rick has coached the Petawawa Women’s Slo-pitch team for a total of 10 years, being part of the 9 Ontario Region gold medal teams, 4 National silver medals, and 1 national gold medal.  Rick was also the recipient of the 3M Coaching Award recognizing outstanding contributions to the Canadian Forces Sport Coaching Program. 
  
  Having been swinging a golf club since he could walk, and an avid golfer his entire life, Rick wanted to get more involved with the sport of golf in the capacity of officiating.  
  
  “I am exceptionally grateful and humbled to be selected as the CAF Golf Chief Official.  Although I played multiple sports most of my life, golf has always been my sport of choice.  To me golf is a perfect game.  It’s a lifetime sport, yet every day you play it presents different adversity.  It can be played recreationally or ramped up to a competitive sport.  It can be played socially, or in solitude.  One of the most influential figures in the history of golf, Bobby Jones, said that ‘Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots–but you have to play the ball where it lies’.”
  
   

  PREVIOUS CHIEF OFFICIALS
  2021-2023	Mr. J. Mackenzie
  2019 - 2021	Mr. R. Larson
  2014 - 2017	Mr. J. Ingham
  2011 - 2012	Mr. R. Larson

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  Major C. Lowdon

  PRESIDENT OF CISM GOLF SPORTS COUNCIL View Bio
  

  2024 - 2028

  Major C. Lowdon

  PRESIDENT OF CISM GOLF SPORTS COUNCIL

  Major Lowdon is currently posted to CANELEMNORAD at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. He has been a key member of the CAF CISM Golf program since 1994. He says, “the great thing about golf is that it’s a sport that lends itself to longevity and can be played competitively at an advanced age”. Maj Lowdon’s last event as a CISM athlete was in 2016 where he rolled into the Technical Committee for CISM golf shortly thereafter. He looks forward to continuing to being involved in the organization of CISM world events and now, the opportunity to shape World Military Golf. After being a long-time player he says this will absolutely be a career highlight! 
  
  Maj Lowdon encourages those interested in CAF golf to get involved locally at base play downs, civilian tournaments, CAF Regionals, CAF Nationals and eventually this could lead you to being named to a CISM team.
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  MAJOR W. O'DONNELL

  CISM TEAM MANAGER View Bio
  

  2019 - Present

  MAJOR W. O'DONNELL

  CISM TEAM MANAGER

  Over the course of his first assignment at 14 Wing Greenwood, Maj O’Donnell established himself as a key contributor to the CISM Golf program. For 13 years and ten consecutive World Military Golf Championships, Maj O’Donnell was a cornerstone of Canada’s CISM Team. A National Championship in 2013 followed by a Silver Medal finish in 2015 are among the highlights of his CAF Golf career. Major O’Donnell had the honor of being the first CAF player to participate in the Forces and Families Open, a Canadian PGA Tour event hosted in Ottawa in 2014.
  
  Major O’Donnell concluded his playing career and assumed the duties of CAF CISM Golf Team Manager in the spring of 2019. His first challenge as Manager was to select and lead the CAF Golf contingent to the 7th World Military Games in Wuhan, China. He particularly enjoys the chance to find and mentor the next generation of elite players and help them discover the value of “Friendship Through Sport”.
  
  If you’re interested in the CISM Golf program feel free to reach out to Major Wayne O’Donnell.