He can hit a golf shot while balancing on a hockey skate, sitting in a chair or standing backwards. Or, for those willing to hold a tee between their teeth, from a person’s face.
His name is Sandy Kurceba, head pro at the Comox Golf Club, who has combined his golf and hockey skills to entertain audiences worldwide, be it a group of 10 or 45,000 spectators at the Sydney Stadium in Australia.
“That piece, putting my golf and hockey together, has taken me halfway around the world,” said Kurceba, who hopes to perform locally on the May long weekend. “It’s taken me to Dubai and China, all over Australia and New Zealand, Pebble Beach, across Canada. It’s been a fun piece of entertainment in my life.”
The Winnipeg-raised Kurceba comes from “hockey stock.” His father, Alex Kurceba — who grew up with Detroit Red Wings legend Terry Sawchuk — is a Hockey Hall of Fame member, having won Allan Cups and other Canadian hockey trophies. His uncle, John McCreedy, won two Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1940s.
“Hockey’s first and golf was going to be that summer job, and club stuff,” Kurceba said. “Then I hung up the skates when I was 24 playing in the eastern league (East Coast Hockey League). Then I went to chase the golf ball in the Australian Tour. In the 70s and 80s, the best place to play outside of the United States was Australia. And New Zealand always had great players.
“The hockey puck took me places to play, and then also the PGA Tour. I played Australia, New Zealand, Canada. I chased a golf ball for 20-odd years…In the early days, there was a guy named Nicklaus. And Palmer. And Player.”
Kurceba’s best result as a professional golfer was a tie for fourth at the Down Under in New South Wales.
“I played in Australia for 15 years.”
Back home, Kurceba spent five years running Canadian Tour events, the BC Open and Morningstar Classic among them.
He notes the upcoming PGA Tour Canada Qualifying Tournament at Crown Isle, May 1-5.
“There’ll be 200 kids, at least, coming to Comox.”
Reaching the highest rung of golf — the PGA — is a tough climb, to put it lightly.
“But if you have the talent and your putter starts to work,” Kurceba said. “Mike Weir took 15 years to reach the Masters.”