Thank you, Dinos Golf

Alec Simpson can thank his friends for introducing him to the game of golf.

More interested in going to a baseball diamond than the links at 13-years-old, Simpson was introduced to the game by friends. That year, he was unable to take part in baseball due to tendinitis and began playing golf at Silver Springs Golf and Country Club in Northwest Calgary. It was through this newfound fun that Simpson became obsessed with the personal progress he was making in the sport and began playing in junior tournaments around Alberta.

Simpson had the opportunity to take his golf career to the next level in university and chose to study at the University of Alberta, beginning in fall 2017, after being enticed by their fast-tracked education program. Following one year in Edmonton, Simpson realized it was not the right fit and returned home after the University of Calgary began offering a similar program.

“I talked it over with family, friends, and my girlfriend. I liked the school, but I could also save a little bit of money and still play golf at UCalgary, all while being close to home and with family and friends around,” said Simpson.

Simpson came to UCalgary in the fall of 2018 and was excited to be part of a new and up-and-coming program at the university. In that same year, golf was approved as a conference sport by Canada West and Dinos Golf made the jump to varsity as part of it. With that came the opportunity for the Dinos golf teams to compete for conference banners at the first-ever Canada West Golf Championships, held at Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna, B.C.

“They had jumbotrons on the 18th green, they had people filming shots, and they had the leaderboards up for the teams and individuals. You felt like you were walking into a major or an event on the PGA Tour because of it. It was just a very cool feeling.”

Like all student-athletes, balancing academics and athletics provided many lessons for Simpson. Time management and the ability to keep a good mindset were some of the most important aspects of his three years at UCalgary. He learned early through an older teammate the value of, “putting your head down and doing your homework”.

On the course, Simpson says Dinos golf head coach Jamie Reimer provided the best possible example for the entire team.

“Jamie has been there ever since I transferred from U of A. He is a volunteer coach but is at every single practice in the winter and when it is -20°C he still travelled to all of our tournaments.

“He puts in a lot of work and he's taught me so much. I cannot thank him enough.”

Simpson also stressed the importance of team manager Matthew Tse. After finishing up his university golf career last year, Tse remained with the Dinos in a new role. Simpson believes Tse played a crucial part in golf becoming a varsity program, constantly heckling and emailing Dinos Associate Athletic Director Mike Boyles.

Simpson’s senior season was unfortunately another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Golf had the potential to be the only sport contested in Canada West this fall, but on September 22, just 10 days before the second edition of the golf championships, the conference announced the cancellation of the event. Despite all the preparation he had put in for the event, Simpson knew it was the right thing to do and will happily remember the fun memories has had with the Dinos, like road trips, hotel shenanigans, and practice rounds.

“There was this one lodge in Lethbridge that we loved,” laughed Simpson. “The rooms were built in a square and the middle of it was a pool, and we would have the whole team lined up to go down the waterslide. It is the little things like that I will remember.”

Being part of the Dinos community means having peers who understand the sacrifices you make to play your sport while also committing to earning a degree. Simpson greatly appreciated being part of this community and the respect between Dinos for this recognition of the time and effort they all put in. Without this, Simpson says he also would not have made as many friendships in university and has enjoyed getting to know the athletes in other sports.

As his collegiate golf career comes to an end, Simpson is sad, to say the least. The time you have as a student-athlete is so short and Simpson says it is time that should not be taken for granted. He would like to come back and support the Dinos golf team in the future and one day see the sport played nationally with U SPORTS. 

“My hope for golf is that it gets a year-round season where there are multiple tournaments, and they all count towards the Canada West standings, rather than a one-tournament qualifier for nationals. Then hopefully, the Dinos will have the chance to attend those and make trips to some of the great courses outside Alberta.”

Looking forward to the next chapter in his life, Simpson is preparing to graduate from the Werklund School of Education and is excited to begin teaching. He remains hopeful about teaching secondary school, where he wants to coach youth sport and help recreate some of his fond memories from school sports.

“I am disappointed that I am leaving without accomplishing more and it flew by, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play and for the little memories, like going on road trips with the team and going out for dinner.

“The most casual and baseless activities can be the most fun one when you're with a team and where everyone is getting along.”

Dinos Golf Graduating Athletes: Alec Simpson, Lana Wong