Newsletters

  Paul Busch - Significant progress in Canada

Over 20 years ago Paul Busch found himself with some free time while on a business trip to Vancouver. As a life-long resident of Ontario he decided to spend the day doing some sight-seeing. Little did he know that a bike ride through Stanley Park would lead one day to launching a new organization that would represent a little known format of golf (at least in North America) Pitch and Putt.

During that leisurely ride through Stanley Park Paul came across one of the oldest Pitch and Putt courses in the world. The Stanley Park course had opened in 1932 and was one of several such facilities managed by the City of Vancouver. He stopped in and talked to the course manager and immediately became impressed with the format and potential. After a casual conversation with some of the golfers waiting to tee-off he came away infected with their enthusiasm and observations about the benefits of playing the game. Paul did not get a chance to play that day but the discovery stayed with him for the next two decades.

A growing family and busy career did not allow Paul to do anything with his discovery of Pitch and Putt. Over the next 20 years he periodically looked up information on the game, something that became easier with the development of the internet. As his daughters neared completion of university and he began to think about his next career his thoughts of Pitch and Putt were always first and foremost. Throughout 2005 he started more in-depth study of existing Canadian facilities and started to think about founding an organization, like PPUI (Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland), that would help expand the game in Canada. The announcement of FIPPA (the Federation of International Pitch and Putt Associations) in 2006 prompted him to contact them regarding affiliation. In May of 2007 the Canadian Pitch and Putt Association (CPPA) was born with the launch of their website www.CanadaPPA.ca.

CPPA has been established to represent Pitch and Putt across Canada, a non-profit association that will market the game and build a schedule of regional, provincial and national tournaments. The objectives for CPPA are modest but important to establish the organization for long-term involvement with Pitch and Putt in Canada. Paul would like to see involvement from Pitch and Putt courses across the country, growing the membership to 10 courses by the end of 2008 and 20 by 2010. CPPA will also focus on creating awareness of Pitch and Putt, to market the game as a unique sport through communications, marketing, sponsorships and CPPA sanctioned tournaments. CPPA also has to form links with other Canadian golf organizations and become a significant partner and participant with FIPPA and affiliated members.

Building the CPPA will be a challenge because of the geographical size of Canada, a country that is over 4,500 kilometers from coast to coast. Facilities that match the international format of 1,200 metres are rare outside of the province of British Columbia. In initial contacts with potential Pitch and Putt courses the response has been varied, from genuine interest, to surprise that there are other courses in Canada - to some more humorous exchanges about outright suspicion about this “CPPA” thing, and “what is this going to cost me”. CPPA will have to be consistent and relentless in selling the value of an organization to our Canadian Pitch and Putt courses, helping the individual clubs improve their value to their customers and getting them to think and act as a group. Overnight success is not likely and CPPA will continue to set expectations that we have a few more years of work before we can be a significant partner with FIPPA and other international organizations.

CPPA has launched a communication plan to continually update Pitch and Putt facilities about our progress and keep them informed about international news. We are close to our goal of 10 clubs being added as members by the end of this year, all of which match or are close to the recommended format. The members come from 4 provinces, improving our chances of implementing regional competitions that can lead to a national tournament. Paul believes that participation from across Canada will be a critical factor in the success of CPPA, stating, “Our organization will only be as strong as our base of volunteers and their enthusiasm. We need to build membership, both in the number of clubs that will support tournaments and individuals that help us in our operations and committees”. Support from FIPPA and other international associations will be important in helping CPPA achieve their goals. Our ability to offer access to competitions around the world or participation in the possible successor to the World Interclub League allows Canadian clubs to expand their offerings to their customers.

To some it may appear that Paul is not a likely candidate to launch CPPA as he is not even remotely associated with the golf industry, having spent over 25 years in a variety of executive positions in the information technology market. Although an avid and average golfer, he carries a 20+ handicap, he did not play on a Pitch and Putt style course until 2005. But he believes that his enthusiasm for the game and his 12 years as an executive with other non-profit sports associations will contribute to development of CPPA. “I am not ready to retire from my regular career in the IT industry just yet” states Paul, “but I am willing to volunteer my time and effort to the CPPA and I hope that it leads me to a second career sometime in the years ahead. I would like to see Pitch and Putt established as a unique sport with its own identity, while working in cooperation with the traditional golf market to help encourage more people to play the game. Pitch and Putt stands on it's own but it can also serve as an introduction to youth, women and lower income players, breaking down barriers of time, difficulty and economics.”

To get more information on the newest member of the international Pitch and Putt associations visit www.CanadaPPA.ca. Paul Busch can be reached via email at executive@CanadaPPA.ca.