About Us

Hi, We're Golf & Tacos.

LET'S DO THIS

Golf & Tacos was co-founded by two young professional women in Calgary, AB who learned early in their careers that if you don’t know how to golf, you don’t get invited to golf. It’s that simple. We understood it was our responsibility to learn if we wanted to get off the sidelines and into the game.

What’s not simple is that golf is hard. Learning can be expensive. It takes hours of practice. Getting scolded for–unintentionally–breaking rules, dress code, or etiquette is isn’t fun. And you don’t know where to start–or what to do next after that first golf lesson.

We’ve been there and we get it. We’re here to help.

But first, this isn’t just a modern ladies league. And we haven’t just swapped out wine for a marg in your local club’s nine and dine special.

Golf & Tacos is about reducing the barriers that prevent women from taking up the sport early in their careers, and creating experiences that keep them in the game for the long run.

We’ve designed a roadmap of skill-appropriate programs and events designed to increase confidence, progressively develop skills, and foster the local golf community so you can get out and enjoy the game as often as you like.

As we grow, we’ll continue to add more opportunities for our communities to build connection through meet-ups, tournaments, getaways, and even non-golf events.

What started in 2016 as a fun way to get a few friends to take some golf lessons in Calgary, has organically grown to become a national community of golf courses, teaching professionals, and volunteers, working collaboratively with Golf & Tacos to retrofit our programs and events into their local region. But we’re building this community from the ground up. We’re talking about that gritty grassroots passion that doesn’t wait for someone else to create golf experiences that put the unique needs of women at the center.

We know we won’t be perfect, but we’re committed to listening to our community’s feedback and building a fun, safe, and inclusive space to build connections and enjoy the game.

So, if we’ve got you saying ‘hell ya’, or even got you curious–you can hang with us.

Keep it spicy,

GOLF & TACOS

CaItlin Buckell

CO-FOUNDER

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Caitlin is a serial community builder from Calgary, AB and an alumnus of the University of Alberta Pandas Volleyball program, one of Canada’s top varsity volleyball programs (2012 national silver medalist and 5x Academic All-Canadian). She discovered golf by accident in pursuit of a career in sports marketing; joining the core team that launched the award-winning PGA Tour Champions stop, Shaw Charity Classic.

Quickly realizing how interconnected Calgary’s business and golf scenes were, she understood it would be up to her if she wanted to get off the sidelines and into the game—and she wanted other young professional women to have the opportunity to do the same.

Leveraging her network in the golf industry and melding her background in coaching, marketing, partnerships, community building (and a love for tacos)—Golf & Tacos was born.

Now based out of Vancouver, BC, Caitlin rounds out her golf game with trail runs, hikes, and trips to Vancouver Island.

Todd Halpen

LEAD, GOLF OPERATIONS

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Todd Halpen has a degree in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Victoria and has dedicated over 27 years to the game of golf; as a student, a professional player, entrepreneur, and now a teacher. With an extensive competitive, instructional, and business background, Todd has made a name for himself in the golf industry.

What sets Todd apart from other golf instructors is his extensive playing experience and competing in events all over the world; namely the PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour, and international amateur events. He continues to train every day for competitive golf events and competes across Alberta and Canada every year.

Currently, Todd is the Director of Instruction at GOLFUTUREYYC in Calgary, serves on the PGA of Alberta Board of Directors, and was named a Top 3 ‘Teacher of the Year’ Finalist by the PGA of Canada in 2020.

In the rare moments when Todd isn’t helping others fall in love with the game, you can find him chasing powder in the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies.

GET INVOLVED

NO EXPERIENCE, NO PROBLEM.

We couldn’t bring this to life without the support of our community. We often need a few extra hands to help things run around here. If you are interested in volunteering your time or services to make this community amazing, check out the opportunities by clicking the button below.

We absolutely thank everyone in advance for your interest, however, our resources are extremely limited and we may not be able to respond to all interested applicants right away.