Jake Lane Of Charlie Lake, BC Earned His PGA Tour Canada Card At Crown Isle Q-School - Image Credit PGA Tour Canada (used with permission) 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jake Lane’s golf journey began in the northern B.C. community of Charlie Lake and continued in Qualicum Beach before heading south to Florida and North Carolina.

It will now resume on the PGA Tour Canada circuit after Lane made it through last week’s qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay.

The 24-year-old fired a five-under 67 in the final round of Q-school and then had to survive a four-man playoff for one of the final two exempt spots. He’s in the field for this week’s tour opener at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria and could not be happier.

2023 RBC Canadian Open Champion Nick Taylor Reacts To His Dramatic 72-Foot Eagle Putt Dropping In For The Win - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

To that list of great Canadian sporting moments, we can add three words: Nick Taylor’s putt.

Yes, that 72-footer for eagle that won the 35-year-old Abbotsford product the RBC Canadian Open on the fourth extra hole Sunday will be discussed in the same breath as Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal, Joe Carter’s World Series-winning home run and Mike Weir’s Masters win of 20 years ago. It was that big.

And no longer will we have to listen to that phrase that has been repeated ad nauseam for decades. You know the one, about no Canadian having won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Nick Taylor - Image Credit Bernard Braultt/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Goolf

Like much of the rest of the country, Jay and Darlene Taylor were glued to their television as their son Nick made Canadian sports history.

Alone in the family room of their Abbotsford home, the Taylors hugged one another and cried when Nick’s 72-foot putt dropped on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the RBC Canadian Open.

They were still crying half-an-hour later when reached on the telephone. “We are super proud, we are super pumped,” said an emotional Jay Taylor.

British Columbia Golf and the entire golf community were saddened to learn of the passing of long time official and volunteer Bill Klein after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Bill had been designated as an Honorary Host Chair for the BC Amateur. A tireless volunteer in many roles with both Golf Canada and British Columbia Golf, Bill was a very familiar face to many and in particular at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. 

All of us join in sending our heartfelt condolences to Bill's family and friends. Please take a moment to read the In Memoriam on the Pheasant Glen Resort website which so eloquently chronicles what Bill contributed and meant to not only the game of golf but the people in and around it. 

In Remembrance Of William ‘Bill’ Klein: A Great Friend And A Good Man

Sport organizations in British Columbia are committed to creating a sport that is accessible, inclusive, respects their participant's personal goals and is free from all forms of Maltreatment.

As part of British Columbia Golf’s commitment to Safe Sport, our staff and board have completed “Commit to Kids” training.

British Columbia Golf has approved and adopted the British Columbia Universal Code of Conduct (BC UCC).

The code can be found here:

BC Universal Code of Conduct

Golf Canada is committed to Safe Sport. Their commitment can be found here:

https://www.golfcanada.ca/safe-sport/

Shelly Stouffer Wins Her Fourth Straight BC Senior Women's Trophy - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — Shelly Stouffer is not just winning golf tournaments, she is making a little history along the way.

Stouffer became the first player to win four straight B.C. Senior Women’s Championships and she did it in style, winning by eight shots at Christina Lake Golf Club.

That eight-shot margin was the exact same cushion she started the final round with. Stouffer felt like she had the tournament in hand, but couldn’t help think about what happened at this same tournament in 2021 at Revelstoke Golf Club.

Image via Instagram Screenshot

BC's Adam Hadwin and his wife Jessica started a non-profit organization in May of 2020, The Hadwin Family Foundation following the successful IVF (In vitro fertilization) that produced their daughter Maddox. The two felt they could help assist other couples struggling to conceive a child and thus started the foundation and Maddy’s Miracle Grant. Canadian golf writer Adam Stanley has a wonderful story on how it all came to be and an update on where things are now. 

Written by Adam Stanley
@adam_stanley

Jessica Hadwin looked out a plane window in the spring of 2019 to see a unique double rainbow. There were two vertical strips of colour coming out of a collection of clouds, straight toward the ground – a bright splash through the darkness. She needed that. She wondered if it was a sign.

About a year later – nine months, to be exact – that double rainbow represented their baby girl Maddox. Their fighter. A glimpse of light after years of darkness.

A “Rainbow Baby” is a term for a child born to a family after experiencing previous child loss.

Click HERE to read full story. 

Head Pro And GM At Christina Lake, Kevin Maffioli - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — Life for many club pros can be a transitory existence that involves bouncing from one course to the next.

Kevin Maffioli considers himself one of the lucky ones. He’s been at Christina Lake Golf Club for 27 years and counting. He’s had opportunities — good ones — to move on to greener pastures, but chosen to stay put.

Maffioli, the club’s head professional and general manager, lists multiple reasons why he has never been tempted to leave Christina Lake. “It’s a beautiful golf course and the membership is fantastic,” he says in an interview.

Shelly Stouffer Stretched Her Lead From Six Shots To Eight Following The Second Round Of The BC Women's Senior Championship - Image Credit Kathryn Riley/USGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf 

CHRISTINA LAKE — For a while, it looked like Shelly Stouffer had run out of birdies. The back nine changed that.

Stouffer recovered nicely from a shaky start to her second round with three birdies on the back side of Christina Lake Golf Club that helped give her a hefty eight-shot lead heading into Wednesday’s final round of the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship.

Nanoose Bay's Shelly Stouffer Is At It Again As She Leads After Round One Of The BC Senior Women's Championship At Christina Lake - Image Credit Kathryn Riley/USGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — As players sit down at the scoring table after their rounds at the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, many of them are asking the same question.

“What did Shelly shoot,” they want to know. The answer Monday was a three-under 70 at Christina Lake Golf Club that included seven birdies.

Shelly Stouffer shows no signs of slowing down after a record-setting 2022 season. In fact, she thinks she may be even playing better than last year.

In this video, from Coach Shayain's YouTube site, we're thrilled to share clips & interviews from B.C.'s first-ever Indigenous golf tournament.

This groundbreaking event brought together golfers of all ages from across the province, showcasing the inclusivity and progressiveness that the sport is striving for.

Traditionally seen as an elitist sport with limited access, golf is now embracing a new era of openness. Over 100 Indigenous golfers representing 80 different nations gathered at the beautiful Nk'Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in the southern Okanagan Valley for this historic tournament.

To see Brad Ziemer's wrap-ups and interviews with the inaugural tournament champions click HERE and HERE.

Check out Coach Shayain's video, interviews and overview below. 

BC's Lauren Kim Warmed Up For Her U.S. Women's Open Start Next Month With Some Fine Play At Liberty National In New Jersey -  Photo Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Rose Zhang didn’t make a birdie Sunday as she made history by winning in her LPGA Tour debut. Surrey teen Lauren Kim had eight of them as she played the same Liberty National course from most of the same tees.

The inaugural Mizuho Americas Open featured 24 of the top players from the American Junior Golf Association, who competed in their own tourney opposite the LPGA field. In the final two rounds, one AJGA player played with two LPGA players.

Kim was one of four B.C. juniors invited to the event, along with Luna Lu of Burnaby and Michelle Liu and Vanessa Zhang, both of Vancouver.

UBC T'Birds Women's Golf Team (Top) & UVic Men's Squad (Bottom) - Image Credit/ (CHRISTIAN BENDER/GOLF CANADA)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Justin Clews got to experience winning a national title as a player when he helped the University of Victoria Vikes win the inaugural Canadian University/College Golf Championship in 2003. Twenty years later, he got to experience it as a coach.

The Vikes men’s team won their fourth national title — and first since 2006 — in impressive fashion Friday, as they closed the 72-hole event at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont., with their best round of the week.

Randall Mackus (L) Proudly Wears A T-Shirt With His Own Motto On It

With the inaugural All Abilities Golf Championship for British Columbia coming up shortly, BC Golf CEO Kris Jonasson took some time to express just how important and impactful just such an event is for all golfers in our province - ed

By Kris Jonasson, CEO/British Columbia Golf

Full disclosure, I am not very good. That’s not to say I am horrible, just an honest assessment of my golfing ability. My handicap index is 14.5 which means on most days I can break 90, if only by a stroke or two. The average male handicap index reputably is between 14 and 17; women range between 25 and 28.

Recognizing most golfers do not maintain a handicap, and therefore do not track scores, it is likely the average male golfer struggles to break 100. Women would be higher. I guess ‘good’ is a relative concept.

In early June, British Columbia Golf will conduct the inaugural All Abilities Championship and by any measure, the men and women who play will be good.

SFU Golf Assistant Coach Kat Kennedy (L) - Image Credit Wilson Wong/SFU

Courtesy: Steve Frost/ SFU Associate Director, Marketing & Communications

Individuals from the SFU community are planning to learn to play golf on Terry Fox Field with pro golfer and SFU assistant coach, Kat Kennedy, and the Red Leafs women’s golf team.

Participants with no previous golf experience have signed up for the SFU Women’s Golf Day introduction to the game in celebration of International Women’s Golf Day and PGA of BC Women’s Golf Week.

Kennedy is hoping sparks fly when the newbies pick up a club.

Port Alberni Resident Christina Spence Proteau Not Only Chaired The Tournament, She Won It - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(OLIVER, BC, May 30, 2023) — Christina Spence Proteau’s impressive golfing résumé includes three B.C. Women’s Amateur championships, six B.C. Mid-Amateur titles, six Canadian Mid-Amateurs crowns and two Canadian University individual championships.

But perhaps none of those are as meaningful as the Port Alberni resident’s latest victory. This one felt different and brought with it emotions Spence Proteau had never experienced on the golf course.

You must understand that Spence Proteau did much more than play in the inaugural B.C. Men’s and Women’s Indigenous Championships at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course.

Christina Lake's Austin Krahn Is The Inaugural Men's Champion For The Indigenous Championship British Columbia - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(OLIVER, BC, May 30, 2023) — Growing up in their hometown of Christina Lake, Austin Krahn and his older twin brothers, David and Mitchell, never had trouble getting a tee time.

Their family owns the Cascade Par 3 Golf Course in Christina Lake and, not surprisingly, the three boys were handed clubs at a young age. All three of them quickly fell in love with the game and have become good players. However, the little brother is the golfing star of the family as 15-year-old Austin now regularly beats his 17-year-old brothers.

Austin bested his two siblings again — and everyone else in the field — to make some history by winning the inaugural B.C. Indigenous Men’s Championship at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in Oliver.

Summerland Native Rachelle Nielsen Earned A Degree In Mechanical Engineering While Playing Collegiate Golf In Texas - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(OLIVER, BC, May 30, 2023) — Some students on athletic scholarships take the ‘easy’ route when it comes to declaring their academic majors. Not Rachelle Nielsen.

The Summerland native majored in mechanical engineering when she headed south to Texas A&M University-Kingsville. It was quite the balancing act, trying to juggle a competitive golf schedule at an NCAA Division II school with the demands of an engineering degree. But Nielsen persevered.

It took her five years — not unusual for a varsity athlete — but Nielsen earned her degree in mechanical engineering and graduated in May of 2020.

Women’s Golf Day encourages women to explore various options in their community including local facilities, lessons, leagues and other ways to get involved in golf.

Women's Golf Day 'Week' kicks off today, May 30th and runs until Tuesday, June 6th.

Introducing women and girls to golf and celebrating existing players by joining them together irrespective of gender, race, religion, language, ethnicity, or location is all a part of Women's Golf Day initiatives. 

Click HERE to learn more. 

Kylie Jack Tees Off In The Inaugural Indigenous Championship - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(OLIVER, BC, May 30, 2023) — The inaugural B.C. Indigenous Championship is a family affair of sorts for Kylie Jack and her parents, Sharon and OJ. And they did not need any yardage books to help them navigate their way around Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course.

“I grew up on this course,” said Kylie, who honed her golfing skills at Nk’Mip and went on to play collegiate golf for Simon Fraser University where she earned a degree in criminology.

Her mom Sharon plays 45 to 50 rounds of golf a year and most of them are at Nk’Mip. And dad OJ is no stranger to the course, which is owned and operated by the Osoyoos Indian band.

When they heard about the first Indigenous Championship being played at Nk’Mip they didn’t hesitate before signing up.