Golf convenor fits the Bill
With the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association’s girls golf festival in jeopardy, in stepped Bill Lipsett to make the tournament a reality.
“I did the OFSAA boys championships in 2009 and 2012 and I didn’t plan on doing it when the convenor backed out,” said Lipsett, who has served as the golf convenor for the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association and the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association since 2007. “The kids have dealt with enough during the last 18 months of the pandemic and they have had several doors shut in their faces. If there was something I could do to keep that door open I wanted to do it.”
That door has now been swung wide open and the Sir Winston Churchill teacher and golf coach will convene the event Wednesday and Thursday at Sawmill with the assistance of Golf Ontario’s Alexandra Taylor, who will serve as OFSAA co-convenor.
Serving as the convenor for OFSAA is a fitting way for the 54-year-old Newmarket native to end his 30-year coaching career at Sir Winston Churchill and his long run as SOSSA convenor. He will be retiring this spring and while he will continue as NRHSAA golf convenor, he won’t carry on as SOSSA convenor because that role has to be filled by an active teacher.
Under his leadership, Lipsett has taken high school golf and its administration to a higher level.
“When I started, my parents didn’t play and I really didn’t know anything about the game or the rules,” said the South Lincoln alumnus, who grew up in Smithville. “I wanted to pass on how to run a true tournament.”
That meant putting the onus on the players.
“The player had the responsibility not only to follow the rules of golf but to report accurate scores. They have to protect the field.”
To achieve that goal, he felt the competitors needed a baseline knowledge of the rules.
“What I did was create a rules and etiquette package and I gave it to the coaches to administer,” he said. “When the kids stepped on the first tee, they at least knew how to proceed for the most part.
“I don’t believe that all 75 players who compete will walk away from here and say they want to play tournament golf, but at least they are exposed to it. If they decide that it is stressful and recreational golf is fine with them, then that is great.”
His convenorship has taught some kids a few difficult lessons along the way.
“I suppose when you follow the rules of golf by the letter of the law and some kids and coaches maybe aren’t prepared for that, there has been a life lesson built in there,” he said. “I took great pride in administering the rules as they were meant to be but I have empathy for the kids who made honest mistakes.”
Lipsett loves chatting with the players at the scorer’s table when their rounds are finished.
“I like listening to their stories both good and bad because I can relate to both good and bad on the golf course,” he said. “It is a mental test out there and it is a very humbling game. When they are humbled, I tell them not to worry because I have been there.”
In his time as convenor, Lipsett has seen the level of play among Niagara’s elite golfers improve year after year.
“I might be a little biased but I think John White has been instrumental in that growth,” Lipsett said. “He has run the junior tour forever and he is extremely passionate about coaching the kids. You can go downhill in a hurry and he just keep the game simple, especially for junior and I would highly recommend him.”
Lipsett has also enjoyed coaching at Churchill.
“I have never been that concerned about the wins and losses. I push myself a little bit but for the kids to me a win is providing them with opportunities,” he said. “I coached volleyball, I did ski team and I coached and convened tennis but obviously the one where I thought I had the most to offer was golf. “
Lipsett started golfing when he was 15 and hit his stride after working hard during the winter between when he was 17 and 18.
“When I was 18, everything kind of came together,” he said.
That summer, he finished 12th at the Ontario junior, was 18th at the Canadian junior and won the junior club championship at Twenty Valley and the Niagara Champion of Champions as well.
“It happened fast and then I went on some recruiting trips in the spring of Grade 13 and I narrowed it down to the University of Charleston and Central Florida.”
He spent two years at NCAA Division 2 Charleston before transferring to South Carolina Aiken, another Division 2 school.
He won a tournament in his second year of university and has gone on to an impressive amateur career. His resume includes: tying for fifth at the 1995 Canadian Club Championship; six men’s championships at Twenty Valley and one men’s Champion of Champions title; a junior championship at Twenty Valley and at the Champion of Champions.
He would love to become the first golfer to win a champions title at the junior, men’s/women’s and senior levels.
“That’s a goal and hopefully (Dave) Bunker won’t play in the seniors next year,” he said, with a laugh.
He is looking forward to his retirement.
“I hope to be a snowbird and spend half the year in Florida.”
He is also looking forward to more competitive golf.
“I am a senior amateur (55 or older) rookie next year after several years where I didn’t feel that competitive. I have chance to be competitive provincially and nationally again and there’s lots of tournaments in Florida,” he said. “If you are a competitive person, you will always be competitive.”
Local golfers competing at OFSAA are: Port Colborne’s Mikayla Lacey and Churchill’s Casey Kenney in the open division; and, Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf’s Emma Leitch, Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey and Maddison Wickman and Saint Francis’ Alexis Alderson in the high school. Competitors in the high school division have not played in a provincial or national championship in the past 12 months.
Golfers will tee off Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. No spectators are allowed.
