Stephen Andrew Bannatyne won two Manitoba amateur golf championships and played on seven teams (including two Manitoba winning foursomes) and is also recognized for his work as a builder of the sport of golf in the province for his 25 years of operating the Mundie Putter League.
Born in Winnipeg Sept. 23, 1949, he started his golf career at Rossmere Country Club in 1963 and has been a member of St. Charles Country Club since 1975.
He was a member of the Manitoba Junior Men’s team in 1966, 1967 and 1968, with the l967 team the first from Manitoba to win the Canadian title. He won the 15 year-old category in the provincial junior championship in 1965.
Bannatyne won the Manitoba Men’s Amateur championship in 1972 and 1974 and he played on the Manitoba Willingdon Cup teams in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975. The 1974 team, with Gavin Speirs, Ted Homenuik and Barry McKenzie, was the first Manitoba team to win the Willingdon Cup.
In 1973, after a tie for low Canadian (fourth overall) at the Canadian Amateur championship, he was selected to play on the two-man team playing in the world international Dominican Invitiational in Santa Domingo, where he finished second. He was also runner-up in the Canadian Mid-Amateur championship at Elmhurst in 1992.
He is saluted for his work with the Mundie Putter League, which features inter-club competition and has been directly responsible for developing the competitive and matchplay skills of many of Manitoba’s top players over the years. Bannatyne was in charge of the operation for more than 25 years.
In 1969, Bannatyne caddied for professional George Knudson, who lost to Roberto Di Vicendo in a Shell Wonderful World of Golf competition played at St. Charles Country Club. Knudson was among the first inductees into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame.
Steve is an inductee into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame and Museum Inc., September 24, 2012.