Tracing the PGA Tour events of North Vancouver golf legend Bryn Parry reveals an interesting story of highs and lows, of aces and heartaches, of life itself even.
The Deep Cove resident will play in this week’s Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., the fourth time he’s teed it up at a PGA Tour event. The first time was in 2001 when at the age of 29 his performance in some local events earned him a spot in the Air Canada Championship at Surrey’s Northview Golf and Country Club.
“It was before I had any experience playing any kind of tour golf,” he said. “Eyes wide open, being just blown away that my name was on a board at the range where my stall was supposed to be. You got a courtesy car for the week, so many unbelievable big things that are just over the top and special.” Parry played well, but just missed the cut.
In 2007, his most prolific career year thanks to his position on the Nationwide Tour, Parry played his first Canadian Open at Angus Glen Golf Club but his tournament was derailed before it even started.
“The week before that tournament I got very sick, so I played the tournament with no skill level,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t have really played, but it was my first Canadian Open and I wanted to give it a try.” He did give a try, and it did not go well.
In 2013 he got his second crack at the Canadian Open and came in on a high, having earned his way there with a win at the PGA of Canada Championship earlier that year.
“I got interviewed by Jay Janower overlooking the 18th green,” he said. “I hit balls one day and I had Luke Donald, Sang-moon Bae and Brandt Snedeker on one side or the other with me stuck in the middle. … Just really enjoying the experience and feeling quite comfortable and had been playing well all year. And then I got in the tournament and didn’t play well at all.”
That was strike three – a trio of tournaments and no cuts made. Parry isn’t sure if this year will be any different, but he is sure that no matter what happens he’ll be happy with the result. It wasn’t always so.
Parry’s golf career began relatively late, at the age of 12, when he first hit the links with a couple of friends. He was told he needed to count every swing he took, and that’s what he did.
“I know I hit the ball 128 times,” he said. “I don’t know if I accurately counted penalty strokes or things like that, but to my brain the score was 128 for the day, and I liked it. I fell in love that day and have always wanted to keep playing since.”
The next year he got a junior membership, and the following year he told his friends he was going to play on the PGA Tour. The next 20 or so years of his life were dedicated to chasing that dream. There were some stirring moments on the course after he turned pro in 1994 as well as some disappointments. There were countless appearances at the ridiculously hard gauntlet known as Q School, sometimes getting so close to the tour that he could practically smell the new-car-smell of those courtesy vehicles. But the big break never came.
“There were some amazing things that happened that I’m really grateful for and have always appreciated, and then there’s the challenge of trying to do something that’s really hard and at times not being able to do it well enough,” he said. “Having two or three or four weeks go by where you’re not really participating because you’re missing the cut, and questioning things and debating things and trying to reset – there were some hard times too. But we all have a way to learn the lessons we need to learn in life, and I got to learn mine through golf.”
The best lesson, however, came with the births of his boys Kynan, now age 12, and nine-year-old Kaine. With their arrival, missed putts and cuts didn’t sting as bad. Parry scaled back his travel, focusing on smaller events in British Columbia while earning a living as an instructor at unassuming Seymour Creek Golf Centre. Following those changes an interesting thing happened: his game got better.
“I was more interested in playing well when I got a chance to play and more invested in it, but less concerned with it overall,” he said. “I think a lot of people are guilty of this – you get kind of selfish and you get invested in what you’re doing, and when it doesn’t go well you bring it home and ponder it and dwell on it. When we had kids (my wife) Debbie and I found a way to kind of let the golf be the golf and then we just got on with the rest of our life. It made golf more fun to play when I had the chance to play, and less important the rest of the time.”
Since then Parry has carved out a niche as a titan on the local circuits, his name routinely popping up on top of leaderboards of provincial and national pro events. Last year he moved from Seymour Creek to become the teaching professional at Point Grey Golf and Country Club, adding a whole new fan base along the way as the members got behind his pro exploits. A second place showing at this year’s PGA Championship of Canada earned him a spot in this year’s Canadian Open where he’ll once again tee it up at Glen Abbey. A PGA win would be life-changing – that would instantly earn him a spot on the tour – but Parry knows that’s not likely to happen. His wife and kids will be there, and when it’s done they’ll come back to Deep Cove and get ready for the next adventure.
“Short of winning, it will be a one-week experience that will be valued and treasured and appreciated,” he said. “And then life will go back to normal.”
