The Hollinger is pleased to welcome PGA of Canada Class A professional Chris Gardner for the 2023 season as the club’s head pro.
Born in Dryden, ON, Gardner has spent the previous 8 years as the Associate Professional at Whitewater Golf Club in Thunder Bay where he gained valuable skills and experiences that he will bring to the Hollinger. Chris arrives with both a Business Marketing and Professional Golf Management degree along with a wealth of experience with both the provincial and national governing bodies. His first experience with the Hollinger came when he attended the 2021 Golf Canada NextGen Championships and when asked what excites him the most about the Hollinger, he stated;
“When I visited in 2021, I was blown away by the Hollinger and Timmins community’s hospitality. You can certainly tell the Hollinger is a special place and to be joining such a great team that seems to continually want to push the envelope and be creative, it’s a great fit and I’m excited to get started.”
He also added;
”Any club that is thinking about junior golf and its future is a club that cares and a club that wins in my books. The initiative that Hollinger has taken over the past seasons has really attracted myself but also has created a buzz that has many eyes and ears on what Hollinger is doing and what they are up too.”
Gardner’s work experience has taken him nationwide with experience at Fort William Country Club, the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Resort, Muskoka Bay Golf Resort and Whitewater Golf Club but also brings an impressive resume as a player that includes;
- Won Junior and High School Golf Championships across Northwestern Ontario & Minnesota including indivdual wins in Kenora, Dryden, Fortune Bay Minnesota, and team wins at Giants Ridge Resort and across NWO.
- Team Manitoba 2005 (Junior Team)
- Niagara College Golf Team
- Have competed at many Provincial & National Events such as Manitoba Junior Championships, Ontario Amateur Championship, Canadian Junior Championship, Canadian Amatuer Championship, OCAA Championships, CCAA Championships
- Turned Professional and become a PGA of Canada Member immedialtely after the 2011 Ontario Amateur placing T18th with scores of 73-74-73-75 playing the final round with MacKenzie Hughes and Rob Cowan.
- Earned Sponsors Invitation to the 2017 PGA Tour Canada – MacKenzie Tour Staal Foundation Open
GM of Golf Operations Taylor Dupuis is excited to be adding an experienced asset to the Hollinger team;
“Chris is an attention to detail type of person. His experience is second to none and is a great fit with what we are trying to do at the Hollinger.”
Gardner will be responsible for day to day Pro Shop operations, providing unmatched customer service to our members and guests as well as work with management in furthering the development of our current programs and extend the possibilities of establishing new ones.
As the club gets set to look towards its next 100 years, the Hollinger continues to push the boundaries of Northern Ontario golf.
Welcome to the Hollinger, Chris!
