Golf Canada Honors Exceptional Contributions at Annual Meeting
At Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting, held on March 7, 2024, it was announced that Cheryl Lee and Carolyn Naylor of Vancouver B.C. have been named the co-recipients of the 2023 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year award. Additionally, it was announced that Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver, B.C. has been named an Honorary Life Governor of Golf Canada in recognition of his longstanding contributions to the association and the sport.
Lee and Naylor receive Golf Canada’s 2023 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award
At Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting, held on March 7, 2024, it was announced that Cheryl Lee and Carolyn Naylor of Vancouver B.C. have been named the co-recipients of the 2023 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year award.
Now in its 18th year, candidates for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award are put forth to Golf Canada for consideration by the respective provincial golf associations in acknowledgment of significant contributions to the game of golf in their community.
Lee and Naylor served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Player Services Committee for the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club and played an instrumental role in the success of the championship.
The duo was responsible for pairing 74 LPGA players and seven caddies with billet families in the host community. They were successful in recruiting 54 billet families to fulfill the requests during tournament week.
The lengthy process included canvassing the club for interest, reviewing every application, and eventually connecting the billet families with the player or caddie.
A significant amount of time was required to ensure that the billet families met and completed all necessary screening requirements, and a considerable amount of time and effort went into communication with the players and families.
“Golf Canada could not operate its tournaments, events, or initiatives without volunteers, and we are very proud to recognize both Cheryl Lee and Carolyn Naylor for their contributions to the success of the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open,” said Golf Canada President David McCarthy. “Cheryl and Carolyn were instrumental in overseeing the Player Services Committee at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club and went above and beyond to ensure the players felt welcome, comfortable and were treated to an exceptional experience in Vancouver.”
Carol and Cheryl were also responsible for recruitment and oversaw a strong group of volunteers during the tournament.
During their recruitment they made a concerted inclusive effort to have volunteers on their committee that spoke different languages such as Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese. This was a very considerate and thoughtful touch that made the players feel welcome and comfortable.
The duo kept the care and comfort of the players top of mind. Gestures like ensuring players had access to snacks in the locker room, having extra stashes of bug spray and sunscreen, managing all requests for items to be signed, and ensuring that extra ticket requests were actioned quickly were just some of the things that ensured a positive impact for those competing in Vancouver.
Cheryl and Carolyn were outstanding volunteers who represented Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Golf Canada, and the Vancouver community exceptionally well.
About the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award
The Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award is named in recognition of Toronto native Bruce Mitchell who, in 2017-18, was the first Canadian to serve as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). Born in Victoria and raised in Edmonton, the former President of the Toronto Golf Club and R&A member since 1988 was just the ninth internationally appointed captain of the R&A, one of the most prestigious volunteer positions in the world of golf. Duties as captain included representing the R&A as a global ambassador and aiding in the R&A’s effort to develop golf around the world.
PNGA Hall of Famer Roxburgh named Honorary Life Governor of Golf Canada
As a player, Roxburgh has set a standard in the Northwest’s amateur golf world that will most likely not be matched. He won the BC Junior Amateur in 1969 and 1970, and the Canadian Junior Amateur in 1970. He won the BC Amateur in 1969, which was the first of his record 13 victories in this championship. He attended the University of Oregon on a golf scholarship but transferred to complete his degree at Simon Fraser University (in Burnaby, BC).
He lost a playoff for the Canadian Amateur Championship in 1971, and then won the first of his four Canadian Amateur titles in 1972, repeating in 1974, 1982 and 1988.
Roxburgh is a seven-time member of the Canadian World Amateur Team, and a 19-time member of the British Columbia Willingdon Cup Team.
A longtime booster of junior golf, he served as the Director of High Performance for Golf Canada (the Royal Canadian Golf Association), as an advisor on elite player development.
Roxburgh was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1990, the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, the Golf Hall of Fame of BC in 2003, and the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Visit golfcanada.ca for more information.
