Innisfail hosts the 2023 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship
Written by Kevin Smith
Alberta Golfer Magazine article:
Innisfail Hosts the 2023 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship
The Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship returns to central Alberta in 2023 after being held the past two years at the Calgary Golf and Country Club in 2021 and The Ranch Golf and Country Club in Edmonton last summer. In early July, the Innisfail Golf Club will host the top male amateurs in Alberta for the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. Head Professional Mat MacDonald says the entire community is excited to be hosting such an elite golf tournament on their course.
“Everybody is excited about it,” MacDonald beamed. “From the moment it was announced that we were hosting this year, I received an astronomical amount of text messages from members saying they wanted to volunteer at the tournament. Over 40 volunteers responded right away and wanted to be part of this great event in any way they could.”
MacDonald is starting his third year as the head professional at Innisfail Golf Club. It was a home-coming of sorts for him, as he started in the golf industry at the age of 14, working in the back shop at the nearby Olds Central Highlands Golf Club, before moving up to work in the pro shop at Innisfail in 2009. MacDonald worked at several other courses in central Alberta, then spent five years at Henderson Lake Golf Club in Lethbridge before completing the circle back to Innisfail.
“To be honest it really felt like home for me, coming back to my start,” MacDonald admitted. “I’ve always felt this property and this golf course is a very special place, mostly because of the people that are here, but the golf course as we know is also fantastic.”
Innisfail is the home for the yearly Parent/Junior event on the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour as well as having recently hosted the 2016 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship, won by Evan Holmes. MacDonald says the course really hasn’t changed much in the past seven years.
“A lot of people say the course is difficult because of our tree-lined fairways; you just don’t have a ton of room to miss the golf ball,” MacDonald said. “If you hit it too far left or right you can find yourself in a great deal of trouble in a hurry so the players are going to be forced to make smart decisions and hit accurate tee shots. On top of that, the greens are very undulating and have subtle slopes, so the player who wins this event is going to have to have his short game dialed in.”
Brady McKinlay’s game was indeed dialed in last year at The Ranch Golf and Country Club in Edmonton
where he won the 2022 Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship by five strokes. McKinlay was also in contention at the Sundre Golf Club before the final round of the Alberta Open was cancelled due to bad weather. McKinlay grew up in Lacombe, about forty-five minutes north of Innisfail, and is looking forward to defending his title close to home.
“I’m super excited for the Men’s Amateur being held at Innisfail,” McKinlay admitted. “It’s not exactly
a home game for me, but playing in central Alberta is always great because those are the courses where I grew up playing junior events. Innisfail is always in great shape and will be a tough test. I think there are some similarities to The Ranch, some demanding tee shots, but also some very scorable par-5s. I can’t wait to defend there this summer.”
McKinlay may have played the course a lot growing up, but MacDonald is also excited to welcome those in the province who might be seeing the course for the very first time.
“It’s a huge point of pride to host this Championship,” MacDonald boasted. “It is a hidden gem out here and just the fact that so many people are going to be exposed to the golf course that may have never seen it before. I believe it’s a true test of golf. We’re not overly long from the tips, so it will allow players of all ages and styles, not just the bombers, to compete and be in contention for a provincial title.”
