Joe Carter Golf Classic

October 23, 1993, is a date etched in the collective memory of even casual Canadian sports fans. With one swing of the bat, Joe Carter became a national hero. Thirty-two years since his walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning — sealing the second of the Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series titles — the retired major leaguer gives back to the country and the community that gave him so much during his seven seasons in Toronto.

The Joe Carter Golf Classic started in 2010. Since then, it’s grown from a one-day event that raised $75,000 to a two-day celebration that has raised more than $5 million in support of a variety of charities, including Jays Care Foundation, Cardiac Kids, Princess Margaret Foundation and the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada.

“I’m proud that it’s grown to be the largest and most recognized celebrity golf tournament in Canada,” says Rahul Mehta, executive director of business development at ClubLink, who has spearheaded the coordination of this event since the start.

For the first decade, Eagles Nest Golf Club hosted the Classic, but for the past six years Glen Abbey Golf Club has played host. Jack Nicklaus designed “the Abbey,” which opened in 1976 and was constructed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) as the home of the Canadian Open. ClubLink purchased the course in 1999 from Golf Canada. The 16th annual tournament is June 17-18. Glen Abbey superintendent Andrew Gyba and his team look forward to this event as much as the golfers.

“The Joe Carter Charity Golf Classic is our premier corporate event of the season,” says Gyba, who enters his 14th season at Glen Abbey. “It’s definitely the one where everybody goes above and beyond. We treat it a lot like we would a PGA Tour event. We slowly try to ramp up our green speed every day as the tournament approaches to make sure that come event day they are firm and fast to give players a consistent experience.”

Glen Abbey is no stranger to big-time events and being in the spotlight. The course has hosted the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open 30 times, so it’s not surprising Gyba treats the Classic the same as if he was preparing the course to test some of the world’s greatest players.

“For the turf department, it’s reminiscent of all the years we hosted the PGA Tour’s lone stop on Canadian soil,” Gyba says. “It’s not quite the same intensity and preparation we implemented prior to hosting our national championship, but it’s the same level of care, dedication and preparation that we put into preparing the course for premier member events like our annual club championship or member-guest.”

Celebrities who have played in the Classic over the years include sporting greats from all the major leagues including Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, Tim Raines and Ozzie Smith. In 2014, a fun and friendly Celebrity Skins Day was added to extend the event to a two-day affair.

Despite the extra hours — and the long days to make sure the course is ready for the celebrities, sponsors and participants — the added pressure is what makes the event so much fun for Gyba and his team.

“My team and I put pressure on ourselves to deliver the best product possible every day, but it’s extra exciting to prepare for a high-profile event like the Joe Carter Classic,” the superintendent says. “The staff love prepping for it. It’s a ton of work, not just for my crew, which averages between 20 and 25, but also for the golf operations staff and the corporate event staff. … They’re working on this event for months to make sure everything goes off without a hitch that day.”

— David McPherson