Newmarket
June 12, 2008 08:53 PM
By: Patrick Mangion
Bombers take note: don’t let the name fool you.
The winner of this summer’s inaugural Frank Kuypers Long Drive memorial golf tournament at Shawneeki Golf Course will demand a deft touch around the greens rather than off the tee.
The July 9 charity golf tournament is being held at the Newmarket golf course as a tribute to the late Frank Kuypers, Shawneeki’s superintendent for 21 years.
The 46-year-old married father of two died last fall after suffering a stroke on the golf course.
All proceeds will go to help the Kuypers family.
“They didn’t have insurance,” director of golf George Lacy said. “I just want to help them pay off their mortgage.”
Mr. Kuypers was well respected throughout the local golf community and Mr. Lacy expects all 144 spots at the tournament will be filled.
But as local duffers in the know have learned on Mr. Kuypers’ watch, the greens at Shawneeki on tournament day will be lightning quick.
“He always liked having the greens high on the stimp meter. He liked them as fast as possible for tournaments,” Mr. Lacy said.
“He would think of us as a public golf course with private-quality greens. He did such a wonderful job.”
The burly six-foot, four-inch athlete was no slouch off the golf course either.
He was a natural off the tee and had been looking forward to moving up to the senior division in regional long-drive competitions.
Mr. Kuypers was legendary for carrying the water from the gold tees at Shawneeki’s infamous 615-yard par 5 eighth hole with a 340-yard drive.
Away from the course, he became a technophile. His passion for computers sealed when the golf course installed a computerized irrigation system 12 years ago.
In the years that followed, he would repair, build and maintain computers and gadgets for little if any fee, Mr. Lacy recalled.
When his son began playing hockey, Mr. Kuypers would tape the action, edit video and distribute discs to parents for a keepsake.
“The parents would often say, ‘Wasn’t that great of him to do that?’,” Mr. Lacy said.
The cost to play in the Frank’s Long Drive tournament is $200 a person, including golf, cart, lunch, dinner and drinks.
To make a donation or sign up for the tournament visit
www.shawneeki.com or call the golf course at 905-478-4211.