Three years ago the Canadian Professional Golf Tour was on life support and fading fast. Dissatisfaction was widespread and the tour was teetering at the edge of financial ruin after years of mismanagement and lack of direction. Players complained not only about low purses but also of several scheduling gaps and often took their games elsewhere in their quest to make the PGA Tour. The death of the tour seemed imminent.

Enter Richard Janes and former Canadian touring pro Dan Halldorson. Janes, a former marketing executive, stepped over from his position on the Tour's Board of Directors in February 2005 to become commissioner and the turnaround under his tenure has been remarkable.

With his understanding of the intricacies of sports marketing, Janes has not only improved the balance sheet of the tour, he, along with Deputy Director Dan Halldorson, has injected a work ethic and attitude never before seen on the circuit. Janes knew he had to develop the business otherwise the tour would no longer exist.

"I took this job because the Canadian Tour is very important to the health of golf in Canada," noted Janes recently. "I sat on the Board during the low period and the tour was floundering. There wasn't much effort being put into attracting new events and there was no solid business platform – and make no mistake, this is a business. I was very frustrated because I have never been involved in any business that hasn't been successful so when the opportunity came along I took it because the product is too good. Canada is one of the most active golfing nations in the world and there is no reason why we can't have one of the most successful tours in the world. We have an opportunity to bring golf at a world-class level into communities that might not otherwise see it. The Canadian Tour is now in every major market in Canada and that is very important."

One of Janes' first decisions was to involve Dan Halldorson.

"I was part of the organization when it first got formed around 1986. I saw the tour going downward very quickly," explained Halldorson. "I was disgusted because if we want to produce Canadian players we have to have a tour. The tour was very stagnant and in fact was going backwards. When Rick asked me to help out I was more than happy to do so. The Canadian Tour gives guys a chance to get their feet wet at the professional level and to jumpstart their career. Our goal is to make this one of the best tours in the world and it is gradually getting there."

The quality of play on the Canadian Tour has always been outstanding and players learn the rigors of a life on the road.

"The Canadian Tour is great," said Tom Stankowski, whose brother Paul plays the PGA Tour."The Gateway Tour is good but it allows carts and shorts, which doesn't make it feel professional like the Canadian Tour does. While you don't have the travel expenses on the Gateway, it doesn't teach you the realities of life as a touring pro like the Canadian Tour."

"The Canadian Tour is run just as well as the Nationwide Tour events I have played in," says Canadian Dustin Risdon. "We play four rounds on good golf courses at every tournament and that is what gets you ready for the Nationwide and PGA Tour. Everything is done professionally and now with Rick and Dan taking charge, it is even better."

Janes has a passion for golf and is easily the most visible commissioner the Canadian Tour – and perhaps any tour – has ever had. Whether he is greeting players on the range or picking up empty water bottles behind the tee, Janes' presence at events has earned the respect and confidence of not only the players, but also the staff.

"I've been here a long time and with Rick you have someone who is truly there for the players and he really listens to them and does whatever he can to help them. I think that is the biggest difference between now and what went on before," commented Executive Assistant Cindy Cote.

Still, Janes can't be everywhere at once and he has a dedicated and hardworking team behind him.

As deputy director, Dan Halldorson wears many hats. "We have a small staff and we all pull together," noted the man with a pair of PGA Tour victories and a couple of World Cups to his name. "The first year I also served as equipment manager and I didn't mind doing that. I do whatever needs to get done and that is part of the growing process. I'll go out and help the rules officials and monitor player if needed. Rick can't always be here because he needs to be at the office so I am Rick's right hand man and at times push him in the right direction regarding contacts that will help the tour."

"First and foremost we have in Dan someone who has played at the highest level and has been in every situation that you can imagine in the golf world," added Janes. "Dan is clearly my partner and oversees all of the operational side of the tour. He is all of those things that are right for the players. The direction we take whether it's how we put together our schedule or anything else is based on Dan's many years of experience. Coupled with that is the incredible work ethic that Dan brings to us. You don't get to be a world class athlete without having a strong work ethic."

Halldorson knows that keeping the pros satisfied is vital to the success of the tour. "We bend over backwards to help these guys out in whatever way we can," he observed. "You get young players out here traveling for the first time and they are our best salesmen. For example, if a player loses his wallet we won't just say 'that's too bad,' we'll give or lend him money because they're traveling and they're not used to it. They'll talk to their buddies on other tours and say that the Canadian Tour is the place to play. It's important to make the players feel wanted and that they have a home here until they move to the next level. Those are the things players remember."

While everyone wants a piece of Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour, it can be difficult to sell a developmental circuit especially in a Canadian marketplace dominated by hockey. Yet, visibility is key to growth and Janes has done an admirable job in raising the bar.

"Sponsorship is a very sophisticated subject area. It's a very important part of a lot of corporate marketing budgets, says Janes. "The difficulty in sponsorship is being patient enough to wait for it to be available. At any given time those budgets are allocated whether it be to hockey or otherwise so you have to be in the right place at the right time in the marketplace so that you are ready when those decisions are going to be made. Golf is the kind of sport that raises an enormous amount of money for charity and that is a key pillar for us. A lot of companies are looking for the profile that comes out of a sport like golf for their charitable contributions. It's not just about golf; it's about providing sponsors with a platform that works for their company."

Unlike team sports, professional golfers pay their own freight and while sponsors defray some of the costs, the expense in traveling a circuit that begins in Mexico and works its way into California and then follows a west to east path across Canada can be prohibitive. Many have noted that purses – unlike the booming Asian Tour - have been almost stagnant for two decades. Janes is aware of that but he also realized he first had to clean up the mess that was left.

"The first year we were here (2005) we had to create a good, solid financial platform to manage and grow the business and we were successful in doing that," Janes pointed out. "The second thing we had to do was get the schedule right and that is part of listening to the players."

"Now that we have those two in place, sponsorship and the increasing of purses is the next thing that we are working on," continued Janes. "We have a very specific strategy into how to go about doing it and you'll see that starting to happen in 2008. Our goal in the next two years is to get our purses to an average of $200,000 and you'll see some $300,000 to $350,000 events and we may surpass that goal. What it will do is create even more depth in our fields. We're also working on a fall schedule that will go into Sun Belt markets and the reason for that is we want to keep our players competitive and playing leading up to PGA Tour qualifying school."

It may all sound good but how will it be accomplished?

"The foundation of the Canadian Tour is in the local market. For example, our local market event isn't sponsored by Lexus; the local Lexus dealer sponsors it. To grow the purses, that is where national sponsorship comes in," answered Janes. "Companies that are looking for a national platform in major markets; that is where that money comes from. Now that we are in every major market in Canada, this is the first time we can legitimately sell a national package and that is how the purses increase."

When Richard Janes and Dan Halldorson took the reins of the Canadian Tour in early 2005, many said what they have accomplished couldn't be done. Although they have proved the critics wrong, they are from satisfied and refuse to rest on their laurels.

"We have a lot to do to grow this tour and our mission is to help these players get to the PGA Tour," concluded Janes. "To create a world-class anything you can't stand still. After all, you're only as good as your next accomplishment."