TORONTO | The fine line between exuberant and over the top: That’s what Golf Canada is achieving with “The Rink,” the RBC Canadian Open’s version of the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open, with a decidedly Canadian twist.
Imagine a par 3 – in this case, the 16th hole at St. George’s Golf and Country Club – with the tee surrounded by faux hockey boards littered with logos, the type you’d find at any local arena. Then add thousands of spectators, many well-lubricated, and volunteers dressed in striped referee jerseys trying to find the point where fun becomes distracting to the players trying to post a score.
It is 11 a.m. on Sunday, and the skies are still overcast. Potential issues with weather weren’t slowing down Dan, a casual fan sitting in the first row alongside the boards, just inches from the tee box.
“Hey, ref,” he yells at a spectator, “is this going to be a tight game or are you going to let the boys play.”
The volunteer laughs, and Dan swigs down a beer, not his first of the morning, he’ll later add.
“Who is Adam Hadwin?” he asks his buddies as the Canadian approaches the tee, the first group through on a morning when split tees have been used because of weather. “When he comes up, we’re all going to cheer.”
“It is the first place that we sold out of corporate hospitality this year. Since the tournament moves around, The Rink has become our signature hole.”
Bryan Crawford, tournament director
Hadwin reaches the tee deck, but the group isn’t sure of his identity and doesn’t roar until it is clear that the Canadian golfer is putting his tee in the ground. Hadwin hits it to 8 feet and the crowd erupts, then goes crazy when the putt drops for birdie. Never mind Hadwin isn’t contending this week; that hardly matters to the fans. And it is that level of engagement that makes The Rink a massive success, generating more attention each year.
“Sixteen. I haven't had a roar like that in years, just coming up to the tee box,” Canadian Adam Svensson said after his third round. “It’s a great feeling. And you’re nervous on that tee as well. I hit a great shot and made birdie. But, yeah, it's just awesome.”
While some non-Canadian players seemed a little befuddled by the concept, others appeared to embrace the idea. Corey Conners, the top-ranked Canadian, donned a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey while playing the hole, drawing the obvious comparison to TPC Scottsdale’s legendary 16th in Phoenix, where players regularly slip into a college jersey.
The concept of The Rink has grown since it was introduced in 2017 when the tournament was at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario. There, the par-3 seventh hole was dressed up with the boards, and players were given hockey sticks as a stunt, trying to whack the ball across the slight pond that protected the green.
Dan Dominico has marshaled the hole since the very beginning and witnessed the progression first-hand. The Toronto resident said it started sedately but has grown as spectator interest blossomed. In 2019, the last time the RBC Canadian Open was held, Mackenzie Hughes made par wearing a Kawhi Leonard jersey as the Toronto Raptors made a run for the NBA championship.
The hole uses 30 volunteers – all in referee uniforms – to manage the throng of fans coming to get up close and personal with the pros, and bang on the boards as a means of showing encouragement. Like the Phoenix Open, practically every shot is cheered by the crowd, even though most sitting in The Rink can’t see how close the result is some 190 yards away. On Saturday, between the fans at The Rink and the corporate boxes that surround the green, there were an estimated 4,000 spectators on the hole, said one volunteer.
“It is like a Junior A hockey game,” said Bryan Crawford, tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open. Crawford says despite its current success – the idea also will be used at this year’s CP Women’s Open in Ottawa, and will return at next year’s RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club – the future of The Rink wasn’t assured in 2018. But when Crawford took over as tournament director, he argued that the concept should be made bigger.
“It is the first place that we sold out of corporate hospitality this year,” he said. “Since the tournament moves around, The Rink has become our signature hole.”
Robert Thompson