RJH Golf Course Management Services Inc.

Robbie Hellstrom is in the company of Canadian golf giants.

Mike Weir, Lorie Kane and ... Robbie Hellstrom.

The 36-year-old Hellstrom, facilities general manager of Calgary's Valley Ridge Golf and Conference Centre project, has been named among the top-10 most influential people in the golf industry, as selected by the 900-member National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada (NGCOA).

He joins an exclusive club that includes Weir and Kane, stars on the PGA and LPGA tours, respectively.

Weir is No. 1 on the list and Kane is No. 2

Hellstrom is listed on the sixth-to-10th place list. After the top five, the sixth-to-10th rankings are designated alphabetically.

For Hellstrom, who's also president of RJH Golf, a locally-based consulting and development company, making the top 10 was an honour.

"Mike Weir. Lorie Kane. I can hardly believe that in one way I'm in the same club as those people," said Hellstrom.

"It's humbling when you think of it. There are people on the list who have made a huge impact on golf. This is a great honour. From a purely personal perspective, it's great to be recognized."

Hellstrom says the list represents the most prestigious ranking in Canada because it's compiled by the NGCOA.

"There are about 1,700 golf courses in Canada and over half of those courses are represented in the 900 votes cast in the NGCOA survey," he said. "Any list that you make is important but being on this one is particularly gratifying."

Hellstrom, who was born in Finland and raised near Montreal, is among the youngest on the prestigious list.

Others in the top 10 are Jeff Calderwood (NGCOA, No. 3), Bruce Simmonds (Clublink Corp., No. 4) and Lorne Rubenstein (Globe and Mail, No. 5).

Scott Atkinson (NGCOA), Stephen Ross (Royal Canadian Golf Association), Mark Seabrook (Canadian Golf and Country Club) and Bob Weeks (Score Golf) are on the sixth-through-10th list.