The "Good" Croatian Golfer

Ivan set up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees.

He found his ball and saw an opening between two trees he thought he could hit through. Taking out his 3 wood, he took another mighty swing. The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him.

As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter saw him coming and asked, "Are you a good golfer?" to which Ivan replied, "Got here in two, didn't I?"

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE TOURNAMENT! 

Chamber Holds Memorable Event

On Friday, September 21, 2007 the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce held its annual golf tournament at the Glen Eagle Golf Club in Bolton, Ontario.

This year’s event was organized around a “Taste of Croatia” theme and drew an unprecedented 160 golfers from the Croatian and Canadian business community! The tournament's Title Event Sponsor was CIBC Wealth Management.

“The Chamber introduced this concept to highlight Croatia and inject some variety into the tournament,” said John Marion, Chair of the Golf Committee and Chamber President. “Through the generous sponsorship of KRAS and Mr. Eko Altic of Eurotrade Import/Export, we were able to offer Croatian products to the golfers on the links. Participants were able to sample items such as Karlovacko beer, Maraska plum brandy, Gavrilovic meats, sardines from the Adriatic and were then treated to a formal dinner of traditional Croatian cuisine.” In addition, golfers received a gift bag of Croatian products and special parting gifts for their enjoyment at home!

“One of our mandates at the Chamber is to promote Croatian products in North America and this tournament was a great way to combine two passions of our membership, Croatia and golf,” said Joe Draganjac, Golf Committee and Chamber Board member.  “As well, it was great to see non-Croats in attendance as we continue to build our networks within the broader Canadian business community. With the overwhelming success of this event, we are looking to have an even better tournament next year!”

Luka Ursa, Chamber member and General Manager of the Glen Eagle Golf Club went out of his way to make the tournament a memorable one, and the Chamber is most grateful to his staff for a job well done. The beautiful scenery on the course was complemented by perfect weather as the field enjoyed a sunny day and a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.

As the golfers exited the course for some pre-dinner cocktails, they were treated to the sounds of Croatia by the tamburica band Volta led by Ante Milardovic of Kitchener, Ontario.

Following the phenomenal dinner, various golf competition awards were given to participants. Zdravka Nakic (Closest to the Hole-Women), Oleh Kupraty of Glen Eagle (Closest to the Hole-Men), and Croatian Electric (Lowest Score-Foursome) were this year’s winners. The Putting Contest winners were Frank Beljo of IT Mission and Rob Sraka of Forthought Design who donated their share of the winnings with the Chamber to the Croatian Students Federation of Ontario, represented by Ms. Jennifer Corak. The donation will help our students with their operations and programming for the 2007-2008 school year.

The Republic of Croatia was represented by Mr. Mario Livaja, Consul General and avid golfer; Mrs. Branka Pazin, Counsellor, who was accompanied by her spouse Mihovil; and consulate staffers Tom Gudasic and Damir Krekman who was accompanied by his spouse Lidia. The Chamber would like to thank the Consulate for its assistance in securing parting gifts for the evening. As well, the Chamber is grateful to the Croatian National Tourist Board in New York for providing fabulous tourism materials that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression of Croatia upon all in attendance.  

Be sure to visit the Chamber website for information about our 2008 tournament!

The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce would like to acknowledge our 2007 sponsors:

                                                                      Title Event Sponsor

                                                                                Product Sponsors

                                               "tradition of chocolate excellence"   

                                                            Official Dinner Sponsor

                                                                          Halfway Hut Sponsor

                                                           Golf Competitions Sponsor

                                                                               Hole Sponsors

                                                                       MR. MICHAEL J. PRSA

                        DR. BRIAN KELEMEN

                              King East Dental

                                Stoney Creek, Ontario

                                    LIKRO PRECISION

                                       STEVE KRASIC

              TAMPA INTERIOR SYSTEMS INC.

             DIXIE HEALTH

                Dr. Paul Biondich, Chiropractor

       Dr. Renata Biondich, Chiropractor & Acupuncturist

           Dr. Carol Laic, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

                Essential oils, unique gifts, Croatian gifts, health products, gift baskets

                                        www.jcproducts.ca          905-276-7354

           COLIN S. SMITH

                    Thorsteinssons LLP

           DR. ANTE BILIC

                                    Dental Surgeon

   CROATIAN CREDIT UNION

      CROATIA RESTAURANT

         SIDING ADIV LTD.