Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about Golf in Ontario, but what exactly is the program, who is involved, and what value does it deliver for golf courses and tourism partners in York Durham Headwaters?
Golf in Ontario was established in 2015 as a joint partnership led by Central Counties Tourism (Regional Tourism Organization 6 – RTO6), BruceGreySimcoe (RTO7), and Bay of Quinte Tourism (in RTO9), with a shared goal of promoting golf tourism and growing visitation across Ontario. Brad Kozak was brought on to lead the initiative, and under his direction the program quickly expanded to include additional tourism regions, such as Ontario’s Southwest (RTO1) and their partner Destination Marketing Organizations, Experience Simcoe County (in RTO7), Explorers Edge (RTO12), Tourism Kingston (in RTO9), Niagara Parks (in RTO1), Visit Sudbury, North Bay Tourism and Temiskaming Shores (in RTO13), evolving into a coordinated multi-region approach to golf tourism marketing and development that now includes 70+ golf courses and 25+ accommodation partners across the province.
Why Golf Tourism Matters in Ontario
Ontario has long been recognized for having fantastic golf product, offering everything from championship-calibre courses to scenic fairways that showcase the province’s diverse landscapes. They just lacked a cohesive group that worked together to drive tourism and not just rounds of golf.
Golf is a high-value tourism product that attracts visitors who stay longer, spend more, and explore surrounding communities beyond the course itself. As a travel segment, it supports multi-night stays, local dining, retail, and broader destination exploration, making it a strong driver of regional tourism impact across the province.
This continued demand for golf travel has created new opportunities for destinations, tourism partners, and golf operators to work together to attract visitors and strengthen regional tourism economies. This is where Golf in Ontario comes in.
What Golf in Ontario Does
Golf in Ontario promotes the province’s golf experiences to both domestic and international audiences through coordinated marketing initiatives, industry partnerships, and curated travel packages. These efforts connect golf courses with new audiences while supporting visitation and economic impact across participating destinations.
Today, Golf in Ontario includes partners from nine of Ontario’s 13 tourism regions, reflecting the program’s continued growth and collaborative approach to golf tourism. From January through April 2026 alone, Golf in Ontario secured 176 group bookings for the 2026 golf season, representing more than 1,700 travellers and generating more than $1.45 million in booked revenue across participating destinations – an increase of more than 60% over the same period in 2025. The program has also seen quote requests increase by nearly 18% year-over-year, reflecting continued demand for Ontario golf experiences. Combine this group with the 300+ groups and $2.6m in golf package sales (accommodations + golf only) results in an easily trackable program that develops a great ROI for partners.
“We are an extension of your sales team” says Brad Kozak, Program Director for Golf In Ontario. “We focus on a different audience that we know wants to have great overall golf experiences and not just book a tee time. While we understand that “golf is busy”, the golf traveller yearns for amazing golf experiences and opportunities to book those experiences easily. We aren’t looking for discounts or hand outs from new partners, we are looking to properties and shareholders that want to benefit from travel. We can 100% help with that.”
Why It Matters for Golf Courses and Tourism Partners
For golf courses in York, Durham and Headwaters, participation in Golf in Ontario provides access to new markets and audiences that may be difficult to reach independently. Courses benefit from increased visibility, inclusion in curated travel packages, and connection to broader tourism and travel trade networks, helping strengthen demand and elevate awareness within a competitive marketplace. At the same time, the program provides tourism partners in the region with a structured way to leverage golf as a high-value visitation driver. Golf travellers are typically longer-stay visitors who contribute meaningfully to local economies through accommodation, dining, attractions, and retail spending.
By aligning marketing efforts across regions, Golf in Ontario helps increase awareness of destinations beyond major urban centres and encourages visitors to explore areas such as York, Durham, and Headwaters as part of their golf experience. Together, this creates a mutually beneficial ecosystem that supports golf operators while strengthening regional tourism performance across Ontario.
“When we joined the Golf in Ontario provincial partnership, it increased our overnight golf tourism dramatically,” said Dug Stevenson, Executive Director of Bay of Quinte Tourism. “Now golfers from all across Ontario, Quebec and beyond are spending upwards of a million dollars in our region every year. We’ve always had great courses in the Bay of Quinte, but years ago it was primarily local and courses had the pressure of selling a certain number of memberships. The Golf in Ontario partnership has been selling hundreds of packages for our tourism-ready courses for years now, and they no longer have to worry so much about doing business locally. What’s even better is that the courses now see themselves in the tourism game and have become some of the area’s biggest ambassadors. Add in hundreds of room nights for our hotels and the return on investment has been incredible for the Bay of Quinte.”
Looking Ahead
As Golf in Ontario continues to grow, the program remains focused on strengthening partnerships, expanding opportunities for participating courses, and increasing golf-related visitation throughout the province.
Brad’s leadership has been instrumental in growing both the reach and reputation of the program, building strong relationships with courses, tourism operators, and destination partners across Ontario. In 2025, his leadership and dedication to the industry were recognized when he was awarded the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario’s Tourism Champion of the Year – an honour that reflects both his personal commitment and the broader success of the program.
How to Get Involved
Golf courses and tourism partners interested in expanding their reach and attracting golf travellers can participate in Golf in Ontario through a variety of opportunities, including marketing campaigns, collaborative promotions, and group travel initiatives. The program provides a platform to showcase courses to new audiences while supporting broader destination development and tourism growth across Ontario.
Those interested in learning more or exploring participation opportunities are encouraged to contact Brad at brad@golfinontario.ca.
