About the Georgian Bay Golf Superintendents Association
GBGSA Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Georgian Bay Golf Superintendents Association to serve its membership by activities that will advance and promote their profession, provide opportunities for education and networking and enrich the quality of golf and its environment in the Georgian Bay Area.
Our History
The Georgian Bay Golf Superintendents Association started in 1981 as a Home and Home between Brooklea GC and Circle Pine GC. Neil Acton and Alex Labelle were the respective superintendents and they were accompanied by the pros, managers/owners and greens chairman from their club.
From 1982 till 1985 the group was expanded to include other courses such as: Barrie CC (Ed Doda), Royal Downs GC (Stu Pickens), Horseshoe Valley GC (John Hughes) followed in short order by Deerhurst Resort (Ed Farnsworth), Blue Mountain GC (Kim Hanley), Midland GC (Alex Labelle with Ray Richards now at Circle Pine), Muskoka Lakes GC (Dave Smith), and Monterra GC (Ron Heeson).
Neil Acton served as the GBGSA President from 1981 till 1985 when Alex Labelle took over.
The events originally featured 18 holes of golf followed by a presentation by many of the game’s top Superintendents. Paul Dermott, Bob Brewster, Bob Heron, Hugh Kirkpatrick and Barry Britton were among the noted speakers. Three course meals followed with each course trying to outdo each other for $20 or less per event. Over the years the pros dropped out but most of the other categories still participate.
Today our membership spans from Lake Huron in the west to Haliburton in the east and from Toronto in the south to Parry Sound in the north. Over the years we have been privileged to play at most of the courses in the region. We have played at the timeless classics and the new kids on the block. Our venues range from family owned clubs, which formed the backbone of our industry for many years, to the high end public and private golf clubs which dot our region today.