The Velcro Target Dartboards Were A Big Hit With The Kids At BC Golf's Ball Striking Station On International Olympic Day - Images credit Gino Cutri/British Columbia Golf

By Gino Cutri/British Columbia Golf

The Richmond Olympic Oval was the host for International Olympic Day, which saw more than 2,000 elementary school students from the Lower Mainland attend. The goal for International Olympic Day is to promote the Olympic values and participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.

With 13 sports represented, International Olympic Day provided students with the opportunity to realize the skills required to play sports across the sporting landscape. At our British Columbia Golf station the skills of ball striking and rolling were on full display.

Maple Ridge Resident Sandra Turbide Is Among A Rare Breed To Be Quite Happy At Having Turned 50 - But Competitive Golfers Understand - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA -- Many of her non-golfing friends couldn’t understand why Sandra Turbide was so happy about turning 50. “When I turned 50 I was so excited and people were like, are you crazy?” Turbide said with a laugh Tuesday. “I said you guys don’t play golf.”

Maybe now her friends will understand after Turbide shot a three-over 75 in the first round of the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship at Kelowna Golf & Country Club. That left the Maple Ridge resident one shot behind first-round leader Penny Baziuk of Sidney.

The Talons From Gleneagle High School In Coquitlam Repeated As 'AAA' Champions In Golf For 2015-16 - Image Credit Gleneagle HS

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Beautiful British Columbia? You’ll get no argument from Dan McCarthy. The 30-year-old pro from Syracuse, N.Y. won for the second time in three weeks Sunday, capturing the inaugural GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club in Kelowna.

McCarthy, who closed with a seven-under 64, finished the $175,000 Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event at 25-under par. That was seven shots better than runner-up Ryan Williams of Vancouver.

By Brad Ziemer. British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA -- British Columbia is blessed with a number of golf courses that perhaps can be best described as old classics. Kelowna Golf & Country Club is one such example. It has been around since the 1920s and nearly 100 years later boasts a membership of about 1,300. 

The course, which was re-designed by A.V. Macan in the early 1960s, is the site of this year’s B.C. Senior Women’s/Super Senior & Stableford Championships. A field of 94 women, including last year’s Senior Women’s champion Jackie Little of Port Alberni, is expected for the 54-hole event that runs Tuesday through Thursday.

By All Accounts International Women's Golf Day Was A Great Success As Evidenced By The Turnout At Venues Like Langara GC Shown Here - Image Credit Gino Cutri

By Gino Cutri, British Columbia Golf

All it takes is a search of #womensgolfday on social media to see that the inarguable event was a global success. Women’s Golf Day was founded on three core principles: engage, empower, and support.

Through these principles the event was designed to allow a simple and accessible platform to build a foundation and create a network to support the continuation of golf no matter the skill or interest level.

Albin Choi made the biggest move among the Top-10, gaining 102 spots in the world rankings after finishing tied for fifth at the Web.com Tour Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. It was the third-best career finish for the Golf Canada Young Pro Squad member and helped him move from No. 10 in the Canadian rankings up to No. 7. Choi picked up 3.08 world ranking points, his third-straight points-paying finish.

While Choi made the biggest move inside the Top-10, it was Adam Cornelson making the biggest move of the week with his win at Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada’s Bayview Place Island Savings Open. The Langley, B.C., native gained 882 spots in the world rankings after picking up his first career win while setting a new 72-hole scoring record on the Mackenzie tour. It was quite the turnaround for Cornelson, who finished 94th on the money list last year to lose his Tour status. After finishing tied for ninth at Q-School, he earned exempt status through the first four events of the year. The win was worth 6.00 world ranking points and moved him from No. 29 up to No. 14 in the Canadian rankings.

Just Like The Man Himself, Doug Roxburgh's Game Has Passed The Test Of Time - Image(s) Courtesy BC Golf House

This Summer’s B.C. Amateur Championship At Pheasant Glen Has Special Meaning For The 13-Time Winner

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was the summer of 1967. Lester B. Pearson was prime minister, Canada was celebrating its centennial and a shy 15-year-old named Doug Roxburgh was playing in his first B.C. Amateur Championship. A half-century later, Roxburgh is still playing in the tournament he has won a record 13 times. 

This summer’s 114th playing of the B.C. Amateur at Pheasant Glen Golf Course in Qualicum will be an especially meaningful one for Roxburgh, who will tee it up for the 50th time. Roxburgh hasn’t missed one since playing in his first B.C. Amateur way back in 1967 at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.

CN Future Links Offers Junior Programs In Communities Across The Country For Boys & Girls From The Ages Of 6-18 - Image Courtesy CN Future Links

by Gino Cutri, British Columbia Golf

CN Future Links is Canada’s junior golf program allowing kids from the ages of 6 – 18 the opportunity to learn and play the game of golf through affordable and accessible programs. Eaglequest at Coyote Creek were proud to host their first ever CN Future Links Jr. Skills Challenge over the June 4-5th weekend.

The organizers and volunteers were pleased to have very positive feedback from the parents and kids alike, saying, “They really enjoyed the whole experience, and think it really motivates more young kids to get into golf and I think more of these events are going to be great for us in BC.”

It Was Double The Fun, Double The Pleasure For Shelly Stouffer Who Took Both Titles In The BC Women's Mid-Am & Mid-Master Championships At Nanaimo GC - Image Credit Susan White

Nanoose Bay Resident Claims Both The B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur And Mid-Master Titles At Nanaimo Golf Club

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Shelly Stouffer battled more than just her closest pursuers in Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. She also battled the butterflies, which were in full flight as she walked the final few holes at Nanaimo Golf Club.

Stouffer, a Nanoose Bay resident, overcame her nerves and held off Alison Murdoch of Victoria and Christina Proteau of Port Alberni to win the Mid-Amateur title by two shots.  “I am pretty happy,” Stouffer said. “I was able to hang in and win coming down the stretch. I was nervous, man.”

Victoria's Kevin Carrigan Won By 6 Shots Despite A Difficult Final Round In The 2016 Men's Mid-Amateur Championship - Image Credit Susan White

Greg Bismeyer Of Mission Claims Mid-Master Title

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- In the end, Kevin Carrigan won by six shots, but it was more of a struggle than you might think. Carrigan, who had a nine-shot lead to start Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, saw his huge cushion slipping away after a disastrous beginning to his back nine.

“It didn’t feel like I was going to win by six after I had made three consecutive bogeys and splashed one into the water,” the 29-year-old Victoria native said. “I was thinking that the wheels had fallen off and I didn’t know where they had gone.”

In The Photo On The Left, Provincial Coach Keri Moffat (R) Is Coaching Player Anica Yoo. Photo On The Right Has Provincial Coach Colin Lavers (R) Coaching Player Sean Buckles - Images Credit British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf will be hosting a Provincial-Regional ID Camp on Sunday, June 12th, 2016 at Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club.

New Father Jordan Belton Is Making The Ultimate Commute In Order To Defend His Title In This Year's British Columbia Golf Men's Mid-Amateur At Nanaimo Golf Club - Image Credit Susan White

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Jordan Belton desperately wanted to defend his B.C. Mid-Amateur title this week at Nanaimo Golf Club, but the Surrey resident knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Not so much the golfing part, but getting there.

Belton’s wife Courtney delivered their first child, a son named Bauer, just two weeks ago, and he knew that being away for a few days would be a tough sell. So Belton, with his wife’s blessing, decided he’d commute daily from their Surrey home to Nanaimo.

Victoria's Alison Murdoch Will Try To Hold Onto Her Two-Shot Lead In The Final Round Of The Women's Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championships - Image Credit Bryan Outram

Victoria Resident Carries Two-Shot Lead On Shelly Stouffer Of Nanoose Bay Into Thursday’s Final Round

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Her lead remains two shots, but Alison Murdoch wasn’t exactly feeling comfortable heading into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships.

Murdoch fired a four-over 76 Wednesday at Nanaimo Golf Club and her two-round total of 154 has the Victoria Golf Club member two shots in front of Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay and three up on Christina Proteau of Port Alberni. Those three players will play together in the final group on Thursday.

Former B.C. Women's Amateur Champion Taylor Kim Has Qualified For The U.S. Women's Open Next Month - Image Courtesy Twitter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Surrey’s Taylor Kim and Sue Kim of Langley have qualified for next month’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Taylor Kim, 21, was the medalist at a sectional qualifier Tuesday at Green Valley Golf CLub in Fairfield, Calif. She shot two rounds of 71 to finish one shot ahead of runner-up Julie Yang of Stillwater, Okla.

Kevin Carrigan Tees Off On The 17th En Route To His Opening Round, Tournament Leading 68 At Nanaimo GC In The BC Golf Men's Mid-Amateur/Mid-Master Championship - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Kevin Carrigan is apparently a quick study. Of course, he had a very knowledgeable instructor. A couple weeks ago, Carrigan headed up Island from his Victoria home to play a couple of rounds at Nanaimo Golf Club, the site of this week’s B.C. Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championships.

He asked Sandy Harper, the accomplished longtime Nanaimo member, to play with him. “Any time you can get a look at a golf course before you come out it is invaluable, right, and needless to say there’s not a guy out here who knows more about this place than Sandy does,” Carrigan said after shooting a four-under 68 to grab a five-shot lead after the first round of the Mid-Amateur.

It's 'Turn-Back-The-Clock Murdoch' In The Lead At Nanaimo GC After Round One Of The B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

NANAIMO -- Wine improves with age. Senior-aged golfers generally do not. Alison Murdoch knows this, so was especially delighted and a little surprised to find herself in the lead after Tuesday’s first round of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championship at Nanaimo Golf Club.

The 66-year-old Murdoch is giving away a few years to the rest of the field. That didn’t seem to matter Tuesday, however, when the longtime Victoria resident shot a six-over 78 on Nanaimo’s classic A.V. Macan-designed layout.

British Columbia Golf has just announced its team for the 2016 Girls Junior Americas Cup (GJAC) being held this year at Del Rio Country Club, Modesto California on July 26 – 28.

Since 1978, the Girls Junior Americas Cup has provided an internationally recognized team format tournament for young women. The event was founded in 1978 by Joan Teats, who also founded the Washington State Junior Golf Association.

She was seeking to create a high level college-style tournament for women and this tournament is indeed heavily recruited by College Coaches.

The 2016 North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches Champions From British Columbia From L-R: Matt Cella (coach) Abigail Rigsby, Euna Han, Alisha Lau, Shirin Anjarwalla, Amanda Minni, Esther Lee, Keri Moffatt (coach) - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski

The host team from British Columbia emerged victorious in the 30th Anniversary edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches this past weekend. The competition, which was held at Pitt Meadows Golf Club this year, features teams from British Columbia, Washingotn, Oregon and Idaho.

The event is patterned after the Curtis Cup Matches for amateur women, which stimulates friendly rivalry for women golfers from the United States, Great Britain and Ireland.

North Pacific Junior Girls' Team British Columiba At This Year's CN Futue Links in Kamloops, From L-R: Shirin Anjarwalla, Esther Lee, Euna Han, Abigail Rigsby, Alisha Lau and Amanda Minni - Image Credit Paige Schappert

by Paige Schappert, Teams Coordinator, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia is proud to host the 2016 North Pacific Junior Ladies' Team Matches. This year marks the 30th anniversary of these team matches and will see squads from British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington competing Saturday, May 28th - Sunday, May 29th at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.

The event is patterned after the Curtis Cup Matches for amateur women (which stimulates friendly rivalry for women golfers from the United States, Great Britain and Ireland).

Looking Back At Nanaimo Golf Club's Ninth Green. The British Columbia Men's & Women's Mid-Amateur Championships Take Place Here From May 31 - June 2nd - Image Courtesy Nanaimo GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If you haven’t had the opportunity to play Nanaimo Golf Club, chances are you have driven right by it. Drive off the ferry at Departure Bay in Nanaimo and head north up Island and you can’t miss it on the right hand side of the road. 

It's been there since 1962, which is only slightly longer than head professional Kerry Davison, who joined the course in 1983 and never left. That was not the original plan.