| Images courtesy of Tom Doull. |
March 17, 2023
RICHMOND, BC (PGA of British Columbia) - The PGA of BC regrets to share that Jeff Ciecko, 34th PGA of BC President and a trailblazer in the Canadian golf industry, passed away last week.
Ciecko, who served as Head Professional and General Manager at several BC golf clubs and went on to establish a thriving golf solutions business with his wife Tara, died Friday, March 10 after a battle with cancer. He was 49.
Ciecko started his career as an Assistant Professional at Southwood Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg, winning the Manitoba Assistants Championship in 1995. He moved to BC to serve as Head Professional at Kamloops' Rivershore Golf Club, then General Manager at Salmon Arm Golf Club and Whistler’s Nicklaus North Golf Course. Under Ciecko’s leadership, Salmon Arm Golf Club won the 2001 PGA of BC Facility of the Year award. Ciecko’s impressive resume as a Professional was further bolstered by winning the National Golf Course Owners Association’s British Columbia Fore Seasons Golf Professional of the Year award twice, in 2004 and 2007.
Following an impressive and rapid rise up the ranks of the industry, Ciecko and Tara founded CK Golf Solutions to help golf clubs around Canada create and implement effective business strategies. Tom Doull, Director of Golf Operations at Morgan Creek Golf Course and a close friend of Ciecko’s, said Ciecko was an expert who could analyze and identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular club and point them in the perfect direction for success.
“He changed the golf industry in Canada for the better. It wouldn’t be where it is today without Jeff,” said Doull.
According to the CK Golf Solutions website, “CK Golf was created in 2008 because we wanted to help golf course owners and operators make more money. We could see that the industry was struggling and thought that our golf course operator experiences, best practices, proven strategies and passion could make a difference to some operations. Over the last 14 years we have worked with private, semi-private, public, 9 hole and 18 hole golf courses owned by single owners, boards and municipalities.”
Doull said one of Ciecko’s greatest passions was travelling the world with Tara, including trips to nearly every US state and all over Western Europe. He described Ciecko as a loyal and caring friend.
“He was a great guy to kick back and enjoy a beer with. He always had time for his friends.”
Ciecko is survived by his wife Tara, his parents Ron and Donna, his brother Mike and his sister-in-law Stacey. The PGA of BC extends its sympathies to Ciecko’s family, friends and industry colleagues during this difficult time. No memorial service is planned.