Kevin Dickey’s Legacy

Peter Bird | May 03, 2023

The late Kevin Dickey, a golf pro and a coach, will be inducted into the Kingston Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, May 5th.

Kevin’s passion for the sport of golf caused him to sneak out of school on sunny days to play golf at the Cataraqui Golf Course. Little did he know the influence he was going to have on the game of golf and the people he was about to meet.

Kevin’s first love was hockey, not golf. He began playing golf at Rideau Lakes Golf Club near Westport, a short drive from the family cottage. As a young golfer, Dickey played NCAA golf at Furman University, South Carolina, and later played on the Canadian and Australian professional golf tours.

Following wrist surgery for the removal of a ganglion cyst, which returned, and the devastating news that his professional golf days were over, Kevin returned to Kingston where he dedicated his passion for golf to inspiring others in the sport. He became a coach. When his new home was built, he designed and included “The Dickey Dome”, a practice area for his protégés. He used his skill and knowledge to help people of all ages improve their game, but he loved his commitment to young golfers.

Kevin’s mother, Shirley (Tooty), tells of the time Kevin would come home and ask her to get him some popsicles and quarters for prizes: Another time, some nerf balls. “We knew he was finding some way to help someone,” she explains. She continues, “He was patient and caring and available at all hours, sometimes through sleepless nights, to listen, give advice, or counsel, or just be a friend.

Ron, Kevin’s father, tells of the time “Kevin suggested to one of his protégés, Nate Blasko, who was unhappy with university and talked to Kevin, that he try caddying. He now caddies for Hannah Green an Australian who is one of the top women golfers in the world.

Kristen MacLaren, PGA teaching coach at Cateraqui says, “Kevin was a true hero to the game of golf. His biggest passion was to get juniors more involved in the game of golf, especially young girls. In 2006, he set up the Kevin Dickey Junior Initiative and the Kevin Dickey Spring Classic. These two programs would help introduce hundreds of young people to the game and provide mentorship to them by some of the leading figures in golf.” At the end of the Spring Classic Tournament, he invited women from the LPGA to address the girls to inspire them.

His parents were astounded at the messages they received after Kevin’s death ... “Kevin was much more than my golf Coach and mentor, he was my friend” – Connor Rodrigues. “I was lucky enough to work with Kevin during my junior years, but even more fortunate to call him a friend for life” – Augusta James. One family said: “Kevin helped raise our children”.

As Tooty says – “If Kevin had continued in a professional golf career, he would not have impacted the number of young people that he did.”

As Kevin and his story are inducted into the Hall of Fame - this truly is his legacy,

‘He made a difference!’