Golf instructor is very passionate about his work

James Skrypec has generated interest in teaching, youth competition

KITCHENER — He is a teacher of the game, a student of the game and a competitive practitioner of the game.

James Skrypec, the youthful director of instruction at the Deer Ridge Golf Club, wears his enthusiasm on his sleeve as he discusses his brief but impressive career in the golf industry and his desire to grow the game in Waterloo Region and beyond.

“My passion definitely lies in teaching and my thoughts are consumed by teaching ... I want to grow the game of golf at Deer Ridge, grow it in Kitchener-Waterloo, grow it in Canada,” said the 27-year-old Skrypec.

“I still enjoy playing whenever I get the chance but that’s more of a hobby than anything else. I have zero desire to try and make a living doing that.”

Skrypec was damp behind the ears when he arrived at Deer Ridge in 2015 with ambitious plans of dramatically increasing teaching revenue and creating a competitive junior team at the private facility.

He’s been successful on both fronts, he reports, and is especially proud of the 14-member junior squad he’s created that includes three of the top players — Nolan Wilson, Kyra Vandervoort and Victoria Gates — on the local Tee-It-Up Junior Golf Tour. The team will gather two times a week, starting in June, for a four-month program that Skrypec hopes will continue to grow from one year to the next. In addition, Skrypec has teamed with Next Level U Sports recruiting agency with the goal of securing scholarship opportunities for team members.

Skrypec has also grown the Academy at Deer Ridge with summer programs for women and children. Lessons for women, conducted by assistant teaching professionals Jace Werry and Jessee Tallman, are held on Tuesdays throughout the season. The popular Kids Camps program, overseen by Werry, is held three days a week in July and August.

Program details are available at jamesskrypecgolf.com and deerridgegolfclub.com. All programs are open to members and nonmembers alike.

Skrypec’s passion for the game took root locally at Rockway, Foxwood and Whistle Bear before he left the area to attend Georgian College in Barrie and earn a business management degree (golf management). A Resurrection Catholic Secondary School graduate, he worked at Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club (Alberta) and Castle Stuart Golf Links (Inverness, Scotland) while still attending Georgian and joined the highly regarded National Golf Club of Canada after graduation. He worked under well-regarded teaching pro Laird White at The National and also picked up tricks of the trade during stops at the Golf Lab in King, Ont., Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples and Westmount Golf and Country Club in Kitchener.

The Deer Ridge job became available in the latter part of 2014 and Skrypec jumped at the opportunity to teach at home.

“Not everyone thought I was ready but I was looking for director of instruction roles and I would have taken a position anywhere in North America,” said Skrypec. “It just so happened that one of my college roommates, Tom Schellenberg, was the general manager at Deer Ridge and he encouraged me to apply.”

Skrypec scratches his competitive itch in PGA of Canada and PGA of Ontario tournaments, as well as making the odd appearance in the Quebec-based Circuit Canada Pro Tour. A qualifying event for the RBC Canadian Open is on his 2018 schedule, as well as a May 7 qualifier in Rochester, N.Y., for the U.S. Open and a Monday qualifier for a Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada tournament in Windsor.

During the winter months, Skrypec stays busy with lessons at Deer Ridge’s indoor facility, which includes TrackMan technology.

Junior tour takes over Rebel Creek

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour will commence its Ontario schedule with this week’s MJT Spring Invitational at Rebel Creek Golf Club in Petersburg. The 54-hole tournament runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday with players competing in two divisions (boys and girls, 13 to 18) and for the chance to qualify for the International Players Championship in August at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course.

Burlington hosts pro tour opener

The first event on the Great Lakes Tour, the GLT Shootout, is being staged Thursday at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington. The local contingent includes Luke Moser, Chris Hemmerich, Michael Gligic, Brendan Leonard, Keaton Jones and Chevy Rennie.

The professional tour moves on to the Tarandowah Golf Club in Avon next week and Grey Silo after that for the May 10-11 Waterloo Championship. The Grey Silo tournament is slated to have a $20,000 purse with the winner expected to pocket $4,000.

CHIP SHOTS: The-above mentioned Shellenberg left Deer Ridge over the winter to assume GM/chief operating officer position at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver . ... Many of the area’s top amateurs will be at Rebel Creek on Monday for a Golf Ontario men’s better-ball qualifying tournament . ... The flags are in at area courses, which means the season is officially underway.