Northern Manitoba golfers who are itching to try out some new links have some added motivation now, thanks to a contest put on by the Thompson Golf Club and Halcrow Lake Golf & Country Club in The Pas in association with Tourism North Manitoba.

The contest pairs a golf passport with a grand prize giveaway, enabling golfers who buy a $20 passport from either of the two clubs to enter their name in a raffle after receiving a stamp after playing a round at each of the clubs.

Thompson Golf Club president Dennis Fenske, also a Thompson city councillor, says that, unlike a golf tournament, the contest can be won just as easily by a beginner as by a veteran golfer.

"This is a really great opportunity for the club," said Fenske. "There is potential to entice people to visit our club, even if it's their first time golfing."

The real winners, though, will be the lucky golfers whose names are picked to win the prizes, which include two return airfare tickets to anywhere Calm Air flies, shopping sprees at both the Thompson Golf Club and Halcrow Lake Golf & Country Club pro shops, and a guided snowmobile for two from Thompson to Paint Lake, courtesy of Nickel City Motors.

"The idea behind this prize is to offer the visitor a winter season experience and showcase the area's variety," says Charlene Grant, tourism north co-ordinator. Tourism North hopes to expand upon this pilot project – designed to promote Northern Manitoba tourism by Northern Manitobans – in the future, possibly extending it to other Northern Manitoba golf courses.

In addition to The Pas and Thompson, Northern Manitoba golf courses include Phantom Lake in Flin Flon, the Snow Lake Golf Club, a free nine-hole golf course in Leaf Rapids and a free three-hole golf course on the beach in Cranberry Portage.

Whether you receive a prize or not, Fenske says everyone who gets out golfing in Northern Manitoba has already won.

"It's all about getting out and enjoying the course and our Northern summers," he says.

For more information about the golf passport contest, contact the Thompson Golf Club at (204) 778-5537 or the Halcrow Lake Golf & CountryClub at (204) 627-2300.

Co-ordinated by Community Futures North Central Development, Tourism North Manitoba is a regional tourism association dedicated to positioning Northern Manitoba as a quality tourist destination. For more information on tourism in Northern Manitoba, visit www.visitnorthernmanitoba.ca.