1.      Who are your favorite sports teams?

Toronto all the way. Leafs, Raptors, & Blue Jays. No bandwagoning either, I cheer for the 416 teams whether they are worst or first. I cut the NFL cold-turkey, but will watch the playoffs. I never played soccer as a kid, but we used to have the English Premiership on in the pro shop when I was an assistant, so sometimes I’ll have it on in the background

2.      When you’re not focused on VIGolf.ca what other outside interests are you into?

My wife and I are chasing around our very active 1yr old son Curtis. Being a parent keeps us plenty busy! We’ve got a membership to the Toronto Zoo to wheel him around or will head down to the boardwalk on Lake Ontario to get some fresh air. He’s still at the age where we have fun in spurts around naptime, so it’s tough to plan a day-long outing.

3.      Where are some of the places in the world you would like to visit (or live) and why?

I’ve been lucky in my travels with TaylorMade-adidas Golf to have visited just about every province, but I’ve not had a chance to get to PEI to play, and wouldn’t mind getting over to go hiking in Gros Morne, NFLD. On the Island, I’ve barely been over the Malahat, so am aiming to get up and play Crown Isle and Morningstar then get over to the coast and see Tofino. Overseas, I’ve not played any links golf in Scotland or Ireland, so need to check that off the list.

To live, we’ll be in the GTA for years to come – both for work and because it’s home. If I hit the lottery, I’d have to find a time-share deal in BC to flip between the Okanagan in the summer and the Island in the colder months. For sun spots I’ve always felt comfortable in Encinitas, California and Maui to relax. On the other side of the coin, if you have money to burn Monte-Carlo or really anywhere on the Mediterranean is tough to beat!

4.      What tunes are you rocking on your iPod?

My iPod rarely gets used. I have a 30 min commute so typically listen to Sports Radio and News in the AM, and channel surf on FM on the way home. If I’m working on my laptop, my tastes are pretty eclectic but for rock, I’ll listen to something online like 91x out of San Diego as it’s what I hear when in Carlsbad, or 102.1 out of Toronto. I must be turning into my Dad, as I’m mixing in healthy doses of CBC radio for good measure.

5.      What is your favorite movie(s)?

Usually whatever Air Canada has on the in-flight as it’s typically where I see anything remotely current.

When I’m home if one of those epic oldies come on I’ll tune in. Stuff like “Bridge over the River Kwai”, or “The Man who would be King” with Sean Connery & Michael Caine are a few. Eastwood, Bond, etc. I’ll mix in some retro 80’s like Ferris Bueller too.

6.      What’s in the bag?

Unfortunately nothing lasts for long in my bag as I’m typically testing out different heads/shafts as they arrive – or – I’ll peel something out of my bag to test with a staff player.

That said, I know what fits my game really well, and have dialled in roughly the same set-up for a few years now. Right now I have an M1 Driver playing at 11*, a 14* Mini-Driver which I hit well off both the tee and fairway, our M1 Rescue at 20*, a UDI 4iron and 5-PW in PSi. Wedges are our Tour Preferred EF in 50, 54, & 58 in our ATV Grind. The Putter is one of our Ghost Daytona 12 models which has been in the bag for nearly 2 years now, which is a long time for me – I may or may not be in counselling for a hoarding addiction when it comes to putters.

Ball is our Tour Preferred 4 layer model for a bit more iron spin. For apparel, I’ll typically wear Ashworth clothing and Cardiff footwear. If I’m working the range and will be on my feet, adidas BOOST footwear is mandatory.

7.      Dream Foursome?

If I’m smart I’d say: my Wife, Mom and Dad if we were playing tomorrow.

But if I could pick from any time/age I’d give anything for one game at Buttonville GCC with my Grandfather (who passed on a few years back), my Dad, and my Son, but all at the same age as I am now – just so we could play on equal footing!

8.      What is your favorite course golf course?

Toughest question you could ask me.

Typically I have a floating top 5 depending on the weather, and I’m as much about the service experience and clubhouse as I am the course rating or yardage. With that, Victoria G&CC is firmly entrenched in my top 3. In the GTA, Devil’s Paintbrush & Toronto Hunt are hard to beat. In the US, I’d have to loop in Muirfield Village for its superb conditioning, plus it’s a shrine to Nicklaus, and Oakmont for all of the history, plus it has the best Tomato Bisque on planet earth.

9.      Finish the sentence… “When I hit a bad shot I ____________”!

Would quote Butch Harmon – “You’re not good enough to get that mad…” – It took me a while to figure out that bad shots are part of the game and are going to happen no matter what. Now I’ll follow up a bad shot with a smart shot and go make birdie on the next hole. If I only knew that when I was a junior…

10.  If you were not doing what you’re doing now, what would you be doing?

I’ve been a PGA of Canada Member since 1997, so would be out there fixing somebody’s game up or making their day at the course better. I’ll hopefully end up like my teaching idol Jim Flick, who was on the range well past when he could see where the ball actually landed, but kept himself close to the game and made sure to give back.

11.  What is your most memorable round of golf?

Would have been my first date with my future wife. I was an assistant pro, and Kirsten worked the bistro at King’s Riding GC. I thought 3 shots a hole would make for a fair bet and play for dinner. She bogeyed the first hole to tie me straight up and then proceeded to school me with all those extra dots on the card. Nevertheless, I paid for dinner and the rest is history.

12.  What do you most enjoy about Vancouver Island?

For an easterner, seeing green grass 12 months for sure… But it’s more than that. If you’ve never been there before, it’s hard to describe as there’s really no place like it in the rest of the country. It’s all about getting outdoors and taking in all the senses. Smelling the Cedars or seeing Mount Baker, the best time I’ve spent on the island is outdoors. Even when it’s raining, it’s not like the east with the heavy thunder and lightning coming down in buckets, so it doesn’t kill your day if you’ve got good rainwear.

For golf, you could vacation for 2 weeks and play a different spot every day, but it’s also about the community and how well it supports the game. The members & staff at Uplands GCC and the team that puts on the Bayview Place Island Savings Open (or old TCO) not only do a great job putting on the event and draw nice galleries, but the hospitality they show the players is truly unmatched on Tour and is a great example of how healthy golf is on the island.