Family and friends packed the Seymour Golf and Country Club Tuesday night, Sept. 30, to honour Alvie Thompson for his lifetime commitment to the game of golf. The PGA of B.C. honoured Thompson with its 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award, nominated by a special committee and approved by the PGA of B.C. board of directors, honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the organization over an extended period of time through their actions on and off the golf course. This highest level of honour is not one that is awarded every year and has only been given seven previous times in the history of PGA of B.C.
Thompson was born in Unity, Sask. and moved to B.C. during his childhood. After an accomplished amateur career, he became a member of the PGA of Canada in 1957 while working at Marine Drive Golf Club under the legendary Stan Leonard.
His impressive professional playing accolades include winning three Manitoba Open Championships, winning a PGA of Canada Championship, competing in the Bing Crosby Tournament at Pebble Beach and, most notably in 1962, being invited to play in The Masters where he shot a final round 71 to finish in a tie for 28th place.
After his playing career, Thompson went on to become a successful club professional for 30 years, most notably as head professional at McCleery Golf Course from 1976 to 1994.
He passed on his knowledge of the game and became a renowned mentor on the business of golf to professionals such as Derek Thornley, Jim Pringle from the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club, Pat Dunn, Mike Smedstad Norm Jackson and others.
Thompson and his wife Donna have lived on the Coast since 2012 and are beloved members of the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club. He was honoured with a lifetime membership at the club in 2012.
“Golf, as in all sports, you work so hard, but your recognition comes later — in a lot of cases — much later,” Thompson said in an interview with Coast Reporter in 2012 after receiving the honour from the club.
Thompson played a lot of sports growing up and was an accomplished lacrosse player. He scored a lot of goals, even won a provincial championship, but golf for him was all about the individual competition.
“When I was first asked to play golf, we played a round and I said to myself, ‘I can beat those guys.’ I saw a sport that I could excel in. I started shooting 80, then 75 and after two years I was at a level where I could break par,” he said.
Pringle sees Thompson as one of his mentors, someone who has had a profound impact on his life and many others.
“He is such a wonderful guy. He gave and continues to give so much of himself to the game,” Pringle said. “Any golf club that has someone with a combination of a phenomenal playing record and someone who is so respected across the country is so deserving of the lifetime membership. Over the years, he has touched so many people and so many young people have gotten into the game because of his influence on them. He’s one of Canada’s golf icons.”
