After 19 years with the organization, Jeff Thompson will be stepping down from his role as Golf Canada’s chief sport officer.
Thompson had a significant focus towards high performance, long-term player development women’s programing; and safe sport.
He joined Golf Canada in 2005 as executive director of the former Canadian Ladies Golf Association. He played a key role in the CLGA’s amalgamation with Golf Canada and the eventual recognition of Golf Canada by the federal government as the National Sport Federation.
He spearheaded the Team Canada initiative, worked collaboratively with the PGA of Canada in developing Canada’s Long-Term Player Development Guide as well as the National Coach Certification Program.
Thompson was also an advcate for female participation activities such as Golf Fore the Cure and the World Junior Girls Championship.
In recent years, his role expanded to include broader golf services. His determination to develop and build a systematic approach to growing golf at the grassroots and high-performance level, including Olympic Games, are just some of the legacies he helped create for Golf Canada.
In the interim, Golf Canada will be reassigning leadership responsibilities within its respective Golf Services and Sport teams and Jeff will be available to assist with the transition. A comprehensive search for a new chief sport officer has already begun.
“Jeff Thompson has played a vital role in helping to lead the direction of Golf Canada over the past two decades. His contributions to advance the sport of golf during his tenure have been extremely impactful, especially in the areas of high performance, junior, women’s, coaching, safe sport and long-term player development,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.
“Jeff has contributed to many of the organization’s successes and as we continue to drive our sport activities, we are extremely appreciative of his contributions, professionalism, mentorship, and commitment to so many facets of our business,” he added.C
Golf Canada has done more for player development over the past decade than at any time in its history and Jeff Thompson deserves a lot of credit, Among other things, he helped bridge a critical gap for elite amateurs turning professional through the Young Pro Squad that will help ensure a pipeline of world-class players for generations to come.