PGA Of Canada Professional: There Is No Substitute

Reed On The Greens, by Jeffrey Reed
July 15, 2026
PGA Of Canada Golf Professional: There Is No Substitute

Without a doubt, if not for long-time Fanshawe Golf Club head golf professional Mike Olizarevitch, I would not have enjoyed a career in golf journalism which has already spanned parts of five decades. It certainly warmed my heart when LondonOntarioGolf.com presented Olizarevitch with the first-annual Heart Award in 2011 – you can read his biography here.

Oli, as he is affectionately known, was on staff at Fanshawe GC for 49 years – including 39 years as head pro beginning in 1970. As a junior member at the City-run course, just outside the northeast city limits during my teen years in the ‘70s, I saw in Oli as mentor, a father figure, a man passionate about the game of golf and a patient instructor. He had to be patient, because during that decade of Baby Boomer golfers, hundreds of kids, including yours truly, would spend the entire day at the club from sunrise to sunset. It’s fair to say Olizarevitch was sometimes a babysitter and truant officer.

Mike Olizarevitch, winner, 2011 LondonOntarioGolf.com Heart Award

In fact, a golf club professional – one of the game’s unsung heroes, along with golf course superintendents – does wear many hats on a daily basis. They’re much more than the men and women behind the pro shop counter, or at the practice range. A club pro also takes on the roles of land steward, environmentalist, equipment expert, motivator, friend, ambassador and community supporter. They’re often the face of the club, but most times taken for granted.

The PGA World Alliance, the global body representing the world’s professional golf organizations – including PGA of Canada – has established Thank a PGA Pro Day, which will take place for the first time on July 31. There have been previous Thank a Pro days including in Canada, but the new Thank a PGA Pro Day will be a dedicated global day of recognition in celebration of PGA professionals who make a significant difference to the golf community every single day.

PGA World Alliance estimates there are 60,000 PGA professionals working around the globe – in Canada, there are about 4,000 PGA of Canada members. The National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) says the industry supports a total of 239,000 jobs, including employment for 45,000 students each year. NAGA says golf serves as a key pillar of the Canadian economy, generating more than $23 billion in total economic impact and $4.7 billion in tax revenues.

As a coalition of Canada’s five major golf associations – PGA of Canada, Golf Canada, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) Canada, the Club Management Association of Canada (CMAC) and the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) – NAGA advocates for the industry with a single, unified voice. Through sustainable turf management practices across 2,100 golf courses in Canada – 90 per cent of which are publicly accessible – the industry acts as stewards for almost 250,000 acres of greenspace, playing a leading role in wildlife conservation and carbon sequestration.

(L-R) RiverBend GC super Kevin Collier and head pro Tyler Vaillant. Photo: LondonOntarioGolf.com.

Using social media with tag, #ThankAPGAProDay, is a formal and global way of thanking our PGA of Canada professionals on July 31. What goes further is a 365-day thank you to the men and women who play a vital role in the game – and lifestyle – that we love.

Gavin Kirkman, PGA World Alliance chair and CEO of the PGA of Australia, said the Thank A PGA Pro Day initiative offers an opportunity for all golfers to pay tribute to the men and women “who hold critical roles across all aspects of the sport, either as the first point of contact for budding players, local administrators, junior coaches or as a friendly face ready to offer advice to millions of recreational players globally.”

Kirkman said the inaugural Thank A Pro Day will recognize pros’ “continued passion, dedication and contribution to golf. We are proud to recognize your tireless work, expertise and impact you have on a daily basis as you continue to serve as some of the greatest ambassadors of the sport that we love.”

As a junior golfer who often played 36 holes each day during the summer months at Fanshawe GC, Olizarevitch helped instill in me a passion for the game which continues today – and I thank him for that. This year, LondonOntarioGolf.com presented RiverBend Golf Community with the Best of London Golf Award for outstanding customer service and golf amenities. RiverBend GC golf course superintendent Kevin Collier and head golf professional Tyler Vaillant are two of the biggest reasons why the private gated golf community is a template for bettering and growing the game, anywhere in Canada.

File photo: Patty Howard. Photo: Jeffrey Reed/LondonOntarioGolf.com

Since its launch in 2011, the Heart Award has honoured six PGA of Canada pros for giving back to golf while growing the game. They include Olizarevitch; Fred Kern; Patty Howard; Mike Silver; Steve Bennett; and Jason Wyatt.

In 2025 during the #ThankAPro Day movement, PGA of Canada said its professionals make an impact on the lives of their club members and guests, and on their clubs. “Every day, golf professionals across Canada are working tirelessly to make their facilities better. They create fun, welcoming environments for golfers, while also helping people improve at the sport. In addition to us thanking our pros, it is truly up to amateur golfers across the country to thank a professional that has impacted them, and for our professionals to thank their peers.”

Whether it’s a warm smile and greeting, or next level through golf instruction and encouragement on the links, there’s no substitute for a PGA of Canada golf pro when it comes to growing the game of golf.

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Award-winning writer and broadcaster Jeffrey Reed has written and talked about the game of golf since 1980. He’s author of, The Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association, Celebrating 100 Years of Golf in Canada (2018). Contact him at jeff@londonontariogolf.com.