No time for tee
Golf often overlooked at MRU
Bobby Jones
Staff Writer
Exams are looming and spring is in the air. This means that once again the pens are about to be ditched in favour of the pitching wedge.
With all the other school Canadian Intercolegiate Sport (CIS) sports in the books, the tendency may be to for- get about summer sports like golf — which is a non-Canada West sport at Mount Royal University.
MRU’s golf team is one of those squads that plays out- side of the academic calender. It is also the only mixed-gender team at MRU.
To understand how good the green-walkers of MRU have been, you only have to look up to the ceiling of the Kenyon Court and see the multiple hanging banners — proof of years of ACAC dominance.
Indeed, the golf program — which has been around since the late ‘60s — has been successful and should not be overlooked. The team has even been an ongoing platform for athletes to obtain scholarships, considering that the generally high grade point average of the team assists in boosting the average of the entire athletics program.
This year’s Cougars golf squad have already qualified for nationals and are looking to place high this season in various local tournaments as well.
Head Coach Brock Balog, a 24-year CPGA pro, is a solid athletic mentor with loads of experience.
Balog said the golf program is often overlooked because it is a varsity sport as opposed to being recognized by the CIS. This means that there is a significant lack of funding and the responsibility of securing venues such as Rivergreen, Wintergreen, Heritage and Cottonwood falls on the coach rather than a league schedule.
This year’s squad features seven men and four women. Hopefully these club-wielders can help bring some exposure to a program that is dying for some exposure in a busy athletics system.
