For anyone wondering who we are – we are a group of Canadian golfers who participate (as our schedules permit) in The Commonwealth Tournament in and around London, England each July.
Our goal is to enjoy the same level of camaraderie that the The Lucifer Golfing Society enjoys within our membership and to extend a similar level of hospitality to our golfing friends in England and to other golfers that have participated with us in The Commonwealth Tournament.
To become a full Maple Leaf Striker, one must have competed in The Commonwealth Tournament. This allows you to fully comprehend the exceptional effort made by the members of the Lucifer Society to make all competitors feel welcome. Whether they are arranging a tournament that is a good test on world class venues or organizing a black tie dinner at the Savoy which climaxes days of incomparable goodwill, the commitment of the Lucifers to friendship and good spirit is ever present.
Our History
After many years of discussing the concept of a Canadian golfing society that mirrors the Lucifer Society, the Maple Leaf Striker Golfing Society was founded in 2015. Our name was based on that of our sister societies in England (the Lucifers) and Australia (the Swan Vestas ). When the Lucifers were founded in 1921, they originally proposed calling themselves the Match Club. However that name was already taken and the title ” Lucifer ” was adopted- lucifer being the slang for a striking match used in the trenches in World War 1. In fact, “Lucifer” is referenced in the song from this period (“Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag“).
” Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And Smile Smile Smile
When you have a Lucifer to light your fag
Smile Boys, That’s the style “
Consistent with this theme, the Australian “Swan Vestas” are named after a brand of matches in Australia during the same period.
When naming our new Canadian golfing society, we wanted to retain the history of our sister societies as well as having a distinctive Canadian flavour that is recognizable worldwide. Maple Leaf was the obvious choice and Striker had the dual connotation of “matches” as well as a dynamic golf action. More important than the name, is what it stands for. We want to have a level of camaraderie, fun golf and hospitality that makes all other golf societies wish they were Strikers! To ensure that the Strikers remain a social club first and foremost, it was expected that each member of the Strikers make best efforts to attend one of three events per year – and preferably all, these being a Spring tournament, the Commonwealth tournament and a Fall tournament.
After many late evening meetings in various pubs in Great Britain and Canada – four “volunteers” humbly accepted their initial roles as Founding Officers and began to enlist other participants from Ontario who had played in the Commonwealth tournament.
Our Founding officers were:
Colin Fraser (Captain)
Ted Clarke (President)
Ori Rotstein (Secretary)
Bob Bass (Treasurer)