HIGH ACHIEVERS: Rideau View’s Ceilidh Spare taking big strides in junior golf career

By Martin Cleary

It’s the early days of spring 2024 and Ceilidh Spare is itching to hit a few golf balls.

But when she looks outside her family’s North Gower home, the fading wintry weather tells her to keep the clubs indoors for several more weeks and try something different.

So, Spare did just that.

The Grade 11 South Carleton High School student/athlete simply picked up a few clubs and balls and headed to the family’s two-car garage.

When she turned on the lights, a golfing session awaited her as half of the garage has been converted to a mini driving range, where she can hit balls into a net off a proper golf mat.

A member of the Rideau View Golf Club, Spare added this practice element to her golfing repertoire seven months ago, after Matt Robinson of On the Green Family Golf Centre in Ottawa loaned her the netting and a mat to further develop her game.

Spare has been part of an all-around golf program with Robinson, since she started playing about eight years ago.

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It may be a little cold at times in the spring for hitting golf balls in an unheated garage, but if you want to become a better golfer, you put on some warm layers of clothing and go easy.

“My coach suggested it. It has definitely helped me get a feel for my swing,” said Spare, who hits about 50 balls in her garage two to three times a week.

Robinson installed the net following the Easter training camp in Florida.

“Ceilidh is an avid learner and puts a lot of effort in trying to become better,” he wrote in an email interview Thursday. “Whether it’s attending all our dryland training and committing to doing her push-ups and planks, attending our season-prep Florida camp or working on a small technical change in her garage with the net we set up, she is prepared to put in the effort into the small, procedural areas, which really do make a difference, but are often ‘boring.’

“She helps herself in so many ways by being disciplined in her efforts and being open to feedback.”

At-home practising plus regular training at her home course and playing a round of golf almost every day in the summer has allowed Spare to emerge this season as a solid junior prospect in Ottawa.

Spare, 15, has produced some solid results on the Ottawa Valley Golf Association circuit as well as in Quebec. Her scores also qualified her for her first Canadian junior/juvenile championship this summer in Vancouver and a national junior skills challenge in Mississauga last weekend.

“My goal this year was to do better in tournaments, shoot more in the high 70s and have fun,” added Spare, who broke 80 for the first time during her 2023 season.

“I’ve been taking lessons from Matt Robinson’s program and I’m in my eighth year. He has helped me with my swing and fixed it, which has made me stronger.”

During last winter, she also worked on her fitness through exercise programs under Robinson’s direction.

Spare entered this golf season with confidence and it shows in her results resume, which is still active for this season. She recently placed second at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association girls’ golf championship and will compete next week at the OFSAA provincial high school championship.

“I’ve had a pretty good season,” admitted Spare, who broke 70 for the first time this year in a significant OVGA tournament and was a medallist at the Quebec juvenile championship.

“I made it to a lot of events … I went to nationals. I didn’t do well, but maybe next year.”

Robinson added Spare’s attitude played a big role in her success this season.

“Ceilidh is a tough-minded individual, who is capable of negotiating all the good and bad things that can occur during recreational or competitive rounds,” he said. “Making three birdies in a row? ‘No problem … I can handle this.’ Making three bogeys in a row? ‘No problem … I can handle this.

“She has a very high-level ability to self manage her skill set and understands the game is about continuing to learn every round. That attitude is a key component in the success she has earned in her tournament play this year.”

Spare placed third overall in the OVGA Order of Merit for juvenile girls with a big help from her impressive, late-season OVGA Cup victory.

During the 54-hole OVGA Cup at the Hylands Golf Club, Spare opened with a sparkling, four-under-par 68 and followed with rounds of 78 and 75 to finish with a total of five-over-par 221 for an eight-stroke win.

In her opening round, Spare played the back nine as her first nine holes and shot a remarkable five-under-par 31. After marking par on her first three holes, she wrapped up her first nine holes recording birdie, par, birdie, birdie, birdie and birdie. On her last nine holes, she had a one-over-par 37.

“My putting was very good. I was making 10 to 15 footers,” she said. “There were lots of birdies … and I was feeling good about my round.

“It was exciting. I was happy to keep it going. It was my best round ever.”

Spare also was fourth in the OVGA city and district girls’ U17 championship and fifth overall, including the U19 players. She shot rounds of 81 and 82 for a 14-over 163. As the season developed, she won the Rideau View girls’ junior club championship and made the women’s and junior intersectional teams.

At the Quebec junior/juvenile championships, she placed third in her juvenile age group and was fourth in the entire field. After an opening-round 83, she settled down for the final three days with scores of 78-74-76 for a 22-over 311. She finished one stroke behind two golfers who were tied for second place at 310.

Her solid play earned her entry into her first Canadian girls’ junior championship in Vancouver. She carded rounds of 87 and 90 for a 33-over 179 and missed the cut to play in the final two rounds.

“It was nice to make it to nationals. It was a good experience to see all the people who are the same age and who are good,” Spare explained. “It was fun to compete.”

Last weekend, Spare had another national golf experience, but it was totally unlike her Canadian championship in Vancouver.

She qualified for the Golf Canada junior skills challenge at the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, where she was one of four girls in the 14-15 age class competing in driving, chipping and putting competitions. There were four different age classes for boys and girls from ages seven to 15.

Each player had three drives and scored points based on distance and accuracy. Chipping points were awarded on the distance of the ball from the hole. Golfers attempted putts from five, 10 and 20 feet and points were earned, if the shot was holed or its proximity to the hole.

Spare finished second in her class as Aliyah Hull of Chestermere, AB., defended her title.

She also competed against the three other girls in her age group in a nine-hole match-play competition.

The 32 golfers at the national event, which was part of the world junior girls’ golf championship Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 at Credit Valley, received golf clothing from Cobra-Puma Golf, which was the main sponsor.

The Golf Canada junior skills challenge consisted of 92 qualifying events and 1,600 participants across Canada.

FUN FACT: When Spare isn’t hitting golf balls in her garage, she can be found curling with the Vanessa DiFranco rink out of the Manotick Curling Centre. She has been curling for the past five years and plays lead for the DiFranco rink, which reached the quarterfinals of the recent Rideau Trillium junior championship. Last March, Spare was part of Isla Holmes’ bronze-medal-winning rink at the OFSAA provincial high school girls’ curling championship. Spare played either lead or second on the Holmes’ rink.