Speirs, father and son, enter Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame

Adam Speirs vividly recalls the first time he beat his old man in a game of golf.

“It was one of the last rounds of the year (at St. Charles) when I was 13 or 14, and I remember shooting 74 and he shot 75,” Speirs, referring to his father, Gavin, said Thursday. “We were playing with (brother) Rob, too, and I can’t remember what Rob shot, but I arrogantly called myself, ‘The family champion’ at that point.

“I didn’t look back from there. It was on the up and up for me after that.”

That day on the St. James track is one of countless memories Speirs looks back on fondly from his decorated playing career, one that began with a provincial bantam championship in 1991. A junior and two amateur championships on the local scene followed as he broke into the professional ranks.

At his best, Speirs made several appearances on the national stage as a part of Manitoba’s Willingdon Cup amateur team and two starts at the U.S. Open (2002, 2007).

He stands as one of the finest players the province has produced.

Yet, Speirs’ fondest memory might have come Thursday night at Breezy Bend Golf Course when he was formally inducted alongside his father into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame.

Gavin, 79, was inducted as a part of the Class of 2022, following a 47-year competitive playing career that included 10 Willingdon Cup appearances with Team Manitoba — winning in 1974 — and three provincial senior men’s titles.

“It’s wonderful,” Gavin said. “It’s exciting and a good family event that I’m proud of. I’m proud of the kids and, in many ways, I’m proud of my longevity as much as anything.

“A pretty decent player, I probably didn’t win as much as many guys that have been inducted, but I hung around for a long time and I’m quite proud of that, to be honest.”

It’s the first time a father and son were inducted into the hall of fame together.

“We’ve got a unique connection that way,” Adam said. “As a family, I don’t think we’re too outward about stuff like that. We would always try to let our game speak for itself.

“We were a pretty athletic family but we never really talked about it too much. But, to have this experience of him and I going into the hall of fame together is pretty unique.”

Joining Gavin in the Class of ‘22 was the posthumous induction Hugh Allan, a photojournalist for the Winnipeg Tribune and founding member of the Grey Owl Tournament, one of the largest and longest-running amateur golf events in North America.

Adam, meanwhile, was part of the Class of 2023 class, along with Darcy Furber, who found success as a sighted and blind golfer, and Dave McMillan, a winner of more than 40 PGA of Manitoba events and the 1989 Manitoba golfer of the year.

To say the game holds special significance for the Speirs family would be a major understatement. In fact, he reflected on that very statement in February during a Florida vacation with his wife and kids when he took an early morning stroll to a nearby golf course.

“As soon as you step on that golf course, you come back to all the reasons why you love the sport. It was quiet, it was beautiful, there were nature sounds and the smells — everything. Those are all reasons why it’s just such a great sport,” he said.

“I learned to enjoy that time that I had by myself, whether I was working hard or just enjoying a stroll at dawn or dusk. Just appreciate it so much. Golf has taught me to appreciate things, I guess.”

While a similar competitive spirit drove them to success, Adam and his father noted the places they visited and the people they met along the way that had a lasting impact.

For Adam, he cherishes moments such as playing Pebble Beach as a college student or competing in the same field as Tiger Woods at Bethpage Black (Woods would win his second U.S. Open that week in New York in 2002).

“I may have been guilty of taking too many seconds to do that. I always felt like I was soaking it up, and maybe not focusing on the task at hand enough, perhaps,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I was enjoying it and the golf may have suffered a little bit.”

For Gavin, the friendships he built became more important than the number on the scorecard as he got older.

“Sure, winning is great,” said Gavin. “We’re all competitive and we’re all trying our best all the time, but a line that I use for my grandson is, ‘Golf is the hardest game you’ll ever play, so you better learn to enjoy it.’”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam