07 GOLF GUIDE 2019 M A N I T O B A
Jared Ladobruk may be the new guy at Golf Manitoba, but he’s hardly a newcomer to the Manitoba golf scene. BY JIM TIMLICK
“I have this familiarity with the local golf com- munity so I knew I wouldn’t be coming in cold. I looked at it and thought it was a really good fit for me. And just the opportunity to get in - volved again with the game that has given me so much and something I’ve been passionate about for a very long time…it all just added up.” Ladobruk says the experience he gained competing as an amateur and working as a pro have served him well in his role with Golf Manitoba. “That was obviously very beneficial to where I am now, having that history and understanding to know the programming that we offer and some of the events that we conduct,” he adds. Things never quite added up for Ladobruk to seriously consider a career as a touring pro, even though he admits it was something he thought about as a youngster. “When I was younger and in school I used to think it would be neat to play golf (profession- ally) but I think that dream was put to rest pretty quickly,” he says, laughing. “I certainly enjoyed the competition and I still enjoy com- peting today.” Even though Ladobruk’s own dream has been put to rest, he is excited to be part of Golf Manitoba’s efforts to help the province’s next generation of golfers to pursue their dreams. He says one of the top priorities for the sport organization is to continue to grow the game at the grassroots level. “I see some real opportunities at the grass- roots level. We want to get a golf club in the
hands of young people as early as possible,” he says. “We want to make sure that growth continues and we want to put some programs in place that ensure young people have access to golf. To understand what it is about and generate interest in the sport.” To that end, Golf Manitoba recently reached out to officials with the Seven Oaks School Division to discuss the possibility of offering a community golf coach program. As part of the proposed pilot project, PGA of Canada instruc- tors. would teach educators about the game and they in turn would pass on their knowl- edge to students as part of the PGA-delivered coaching initiative. “There are thousands and thousands of kids who take part in physical education every day. For someone who does not grow up in a golf household this might be an opportunity for them to get excited and interested in the game,” Ladobruk says, adding funding is still needed for the initiative. Another priority for Golf Manitoba officials is to ensure its supply of experienced and ca- pable volunteers is maintained, both now and well into the future. “We rely heavily on, and we’re very fortunate to have, a really solid core of volunteers. They really help. They’re our boots on the ground. They really make Golf Manitoba operate in terms of our championships,” says Ladobruk, adding enhancing existing junior and high performance programs will also be priorities moving forward.
Ladobruk was officially hired last July as the new executive director of Golf Manitoba, the governing body for golf in the province. While he’s still relatively new to the job, he brings a wealth of experience to the position. Now in his third decade of involvement with the local golf community, Ladobruk got his start competing on the local amateur scene and eventually played for both the University of British Columbia (1998-99) and University of Manitoba (2000-02), where he was co-captain of the Bisons golf team. He later obtained his Class A professional designation from the PGA of Canada and served as an assistant pro at Quarry Oaks for three years before moving over to St. Charles where he worked as an as- sociate pro for another five. Ladobruk, a graduate of the Asper School of Business, eventually left his position at St. Charles to pursue a career in sport administra- tion and served as marketing coordinator for the U of M’s recreation services department for several years before being hired by Golf Manitoba last summer. The chance to return to the game that has given him so much over the years was simply too strong to resist. “When this opportunity became available I thought it would be interesting to get back into the golf business, but this time on the amateur side and the admin side. I thought this might be a neat way to get back in the game but on a totally different level,” he says of his role with Golf Manitoba.
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