HIGH ACHIEVERS: Dru Lafave drives into retirement after stellar, diverse golfing career

By Martin Cleary

On Oct. 14, 1995, Ottawa woke up to a totally new golf experience – indoor golf using simulators to play some of the sport’s best courses.

Dru Lafave made golf a year-round sport in the national capital, when he founded GOLFOMAX and opened his venue of five simulator bays on Merivale Road.

While the fall weather is still co-operating for a round of nine or 18 holes throughout Ottawa, Eastern Ontario or Western Quebec, golfers are about to tee it up for another GOLFOMAX indoor season beginning Tuesday in the west end of the city at 1050 Baxter Road.

But when you walk through the doors, you can expect a few major personnel changes in the operation of what is billed as “Ottawa’s premier indoor golf club since 1995.”

After 31 years of providing a quality indoor golf experience, Lafave, 76, has earned a well-deserved retirement from the business side of the sport, but not necessarily from playing the game itself. His retirement destination is somewhere along the warmth of the Pacific Ocean coast.

Lafave’s departure only came after he restructured the indoor club’s leadership chart to keep everything running smoothly.

GOLFOMAX will enter its 32nd year with long-time employee Jeff Smith serving as the director of operations, while Tara Lafave, who is Dru’s daughter, will handle the administration and finances as the company’s chief executive officer.

Smith, who recently became a PGA member, started as a high school co-op student and has been a key to the organizational team for 30 years.

He has had a hand in many aspects of the business, including the maintenance of GOLFOMAX’s 11 high-tech Full Swing Golf simulators, managing staff schedules, taking care of the golf reservation system and organizing the food and beverage arm.

Customer service is one of his integral areas and he has developed strong relationships with many of his clients, which has added a special touch to their off-season, indoor golf experience.

“Jeff has been my right-hand man for many years,” Dru Lafave said in a press release. “His commitment and loyalty to me and the business have been incredible.

“I am truly appreciative of all he has done and continues to do for us. In a sense, he has become part of the family.”

Tara Lafave also has experienced the indoor-golf business from many angles over the years. In the early years, she focused on customer service, while working full time as an interior designer. In more recent years, she has concentrated on administration and finances for GOLFOMAX.

John Watson, a PGA class A professional, will continue to serve as the director of golf. He has been with GOLFOMAX for more than 25 years. The indoor golf club also has seen local PGA professionals and other golf-industry staff offer their skills in the off-season.

The GOLFOMAX indoor golf club was only one important aspect of Dru Lafave’s stellar and diverse career in the sport.

As a competitive golfer, he knew how to rise to the top in a tournament. He won five senior club championships at GreyHawk and Kanata, placed first at an Ottawa Valley Golf Association senior championship, and was third at a Quebec senior championship, which came 50 years after an identical result at a Quebec boys’ juvenile championship.

Lafave also participated in four Canadian senior golf championships and had a personal-best result of tying for 25th place one year.

On the volunteer administration side, Lafave was on the OVGA board of directors for seven years and served as tournament director, president and secretary-treasurer.

Along with co-chair Joe McLean, he founded the OVGA Hall of Fame in 2021, and also created the OVGA Cup in 2019. GOLFOMAX also has supported the OVGA as a corporate sponsor.

OVGA ANNOUNCES ORDER OF MERIT WINNERS

There are many ways to determine the best amateur golfers in the city.

The Ottawa Valley Golf Association stages its annual city and district medal or match play championship, plays host to its OVGA Cup or puts on the Tournament of Champions.

But maybe the truest way to learn which golfer stood out the most in a season is through the Order of Merit, which encompasses all the major golf events from May through September. According to the OVGA, the Order of Merit was designed to reward players for their participation and consistency across the OVGA season.

The OVGA recently released its Order of Merit champions for the 2026 season and, while two names are familiar in the women’s and senior divisions, the other one is relatively new in the men’s class.

Jaxon Zanatta, 19, of The Marshes Golf Club emerged as the men’s Order of Merit winner by a slim 15-point margin over Chris Collins of Mississippi.

Playing in five OVGA tournaments, Zanatta compiled 2,427.5 points from these events – tied for second in the second field day, fourth at the OVGA Cup, semifinalist at the city and district match play championship, 12th at the first field day and 17th at the city and district men’s A championship.

Collins, 37, competed in three events and was impressive in all three – winner of the city and district match play championship, runner-up at the OVGA Cup and tied for seventh in the first field day.

Tom Moore of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club was third at 2,105 points and Mark Swansburg of Pembroke placed fourth at 2,100 points.

Hylands’ Lise Jubinville, 58, was dominant in the women’s Order of Merit as she won three of her five events and finished with 3,900 points. Her wins came in the OVGA Cup and both field days. She also was second in the senior championship and third in the city and district medal championship.

Clubmate Diane Dolan, 70, scored her lone win in six events at the city and district medal championship, which was the strong point of her 3,625-point performance. Dolan tied for second in the first field day and was third in the second field day, runner-up in the city and district match play championship, tied for fifth in the city senior championship and tied for sixth in the OVGA Cup championship.

The top five was completed by three Hautes Plaines golfers – Ruixue Huang, 3,125 points; Nancy Chen, 2,970 points; and Diane Mansfield, 2,700 points.

Dwight Reinhart of the Ottawa Hunt was the overall winner of the OVGA Cup tournament with a two-under-par 70, which allowed him to win the men’s senior Order of Merit with 2,937.5 points.

Craig Domville of Gatineau was second at 2,845 points, while Peter Harrison of the Ottawa Hunt claimed third at 2,450 points.

Ottawa Hunt’s Owen Copp, 14, was the boys’ junior Order of Merit champion with 3,770 points, while Owen Hull of Smiths Falls secured second place with 2,860 points.

Copp was strong in both city and district championships, winning the bantam U15 title in the match play and finishing tied for third place in the medal competition. He also won the OVGA Cup boys’ junior U19 championship.

Hull played in four OVGA events with a best showing of second at the junior spring classic in the boys’ U15 category. He also was a junior city and district match play semifinalist and posted sixth-place results in the city and district medal championship and the OVGA Cup for juniors.