Ottawa Valley Golf Association
Hall of Fame

Eric Kaufmanis

 

Inducted: 2021

Category: Player (Amateur)

 

Born: 1960

Birthplace: Toronto

 

Golf Club Affiliation(s):

Royal Ottawa, Rideau View, Glenlea

 

Canadian Championships:

1977 - Canadian Juvenile

 

Provincial Championships:

1972 - Quebec Mosquito

1974 - Quebec Pee Wee

1977 - Quebec Juvenile

1978 - Quebec Junior

 

Local Championships:

1976 - OVGA City & District Junior

1976, 1977, 1978, 1985 - OVGA City & District

1979 - OVGA 4 Ball

1985 - OVGA Match Play

 

Awards:

1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 - ACT / Ottawa Sports Award - Golf

​

​Flagstick Golf Magazine Photo

The Royal Canadian Golf Association, now Golf Canada, created a Juvenile Championship in 1970 for junior golfers aged 16 years of age and younger. The Jack Bailey trophy, named for a long-time supporter of junior golf in Canada, was put in play in 1970.

 

After two consecutive runner-up finishes in 1975 and 1976, Eric Kaufmanis, playing out of the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Quebec was awarded the Jack Bailey trophy for his Canadian Juvenile Championship win in 1977 at the Cooke Municipal Golf Club in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

 

"It is definitely nice to be able to say I won a National championship", said Eric.  "I recall it being a cool weather week in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  My opening round was indifferent, but I finished with three solid rounds to win.  The ceremony afterwards involved Prince Alberta native, John Diefenbaker, who presented me with the trophy."

 

Eric also spoke highly of the local OVGA tournaments - "They were always friendly events as everyone knew each other so well.  In the 1970s, the courses we played were generally the finest ones in the area and the three-day City and District championship was a premiere event."

 

Eric moved to Vancouver in 1989 to practise law and has only played casually since then.  But as he says, "I still love the game."   

 

Eric married Lisa Colby in 1990 and they have two daughters – Sophie born in 1992 and Juliana born in 1994.

 

Eric Kaufmanis profile information from 2021 Spring Edition of Flagstick Golf Magazine