OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Development Officer, First Tee, British Columbia
Reports to: Senior Director, Development Golf Canada Foundation
Location: Bear Mountain Office, Victoria, BC & British Columbia Golf Association Office, Vancouver, BC Status: Full-Time
Anticipated Start Date: May 17th, 2021

via Allied Golf Association - British Columbia

We have the great fortune to continue to play golf in British Columbia amidst COVID-19 as our provincial health authorities recognize the activity is performed outside and can be enjoyed with proper protocols in place and adherence to provincial health orders.

Our British Columbia golf course operators have been provided Best Practices for Responsible Operation of BC Golf Courses and we remind golfers in British Columbia to do their part in golfing responsibly for everyone’s continued enjoyment of the game.

Here linked are a pdf version and a word version for the British Columbia Golf Industry’s use.

In the latest edition of The ModGolf Podcast, creator and host, Colin Weston, interviews Andy Walker, the Director of The UGA Academy & Player Development.

Walker explains how the state-of-the-art facility in Florida he calls The Wakanda For Golf aims to teach this game at the highest level "...with resources that include biomechanics and short game area to learn how to score develop emotionally, physically and mentally.”

We will introduce players of African decent to the industry because not all of them are going to play on tour. We want to flood the industry with qualified professionals that go into the management side of the game, or golf architecture, club design, agronomy. All the different opportunities with the PGA and on The PGA Tour.”

Congratulations to the 2000/01 UBC Women's Golf Team on being selected to enter the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. See the background on this accomplished team of athletes and the video accompanying their induction below. 

In the latest edition of The ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston sat down with COBRA PUMA Golf VP of Innovation Mike Yagley to learn the 'how and why' behind the creation of the 3D printed King Supersport-35 putter.

Colin also explored other disruptive initiatives with Yagley such as their "Machine Learning / The Internet of Things" collaboration with Arccos Golf.

Maple Ridge, BC's Cecile Kwon Is Seeing Her Collegiate Career At UBC Come To A Close - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Her collegiate career is not ending quite the way she had imagined, but that won’t tarnish the many great memories Cecile Kwon has of her four years with the University of British Columbia women’s golf team.

“I had an awesome experience and I feel so lucky and honoured to have been a part of this program,” says the 21-year-old from Maple Ridge.

“The past year definitely has been unexpected and different from what I could have imagined my senior year being like. But looking back, I don’t have any regrets about my college career because I had such amazing experiences during my first two years of full competitive play and into my third year until last March.”

The RBC PGA Scramble is a national series of events taking place at more than 140 golf facilities around the country in 2021, culminating with Regional Finals and the RBC PGA Scramble National Championship in October.

The series of events expects to draw more than ten thousand amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players— from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in a Regional and hopefully National Championship in October with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team at some of Canada’s finest golf courses.

Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club's New General Manager, Mark Strong, Anticipates A Busy Re-Opening Season For The Facility - Images Courtesy Twitter/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mark Strong, the new general manager and head professional at Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club, figures to be a popular guy this summer. He knows everyone is going to want to play Sagebrush when it reopens after being shut down since the end of the 2014 season.

And Strong, a former general manager at Richmond Country Club and longtime member of the PGA of BC, also knows he probably won’t be able to meet the demand from golfers wanting to tee it up on the scenic layout above Nicola Lake near Merritt that not long ago was rated as one of the 10 best courses in Canada.

Working Out Of His Delta shop Danny Seifried Of Kayson Golf Has Designed A Set Of Custom-Made Clubs That He Says Are Game-Changers - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Like so many Canadian kids, Danny Seifried had a hockey stick in his hands long before he ever touched a golf club. 

Seifried played junior hockey in the Kitchener area of southeastern Ontario and liked to fiddle with his stick to try and get the most of out of his slap shot.

He wasn’t introduced to golf until the pro at one of the local clubs invited Seifried and a few of his teammates, who included future NHLers Don and Dave Maloney, Paul Reinhart and Gaston Gingras, out for a round.

He handed them sets of rental clubs and off they went.

Media Release

Golf Canada will tee it up in 2021 to conduct national amateur championships and is working with public health authorities in host communities to finalize operational protocols so that the competitions may proceed safely. 

Following a 2020 season that saw the cancellation of all Golf Canada competitions due to the pandemic, the 2021 schedule will feature nine National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen Championships for junior-aged golfers, and several USGA qualifiers which will be hosted at member clubs across Canada, starting with the NextGen Pacific Championship at Bear Mountain G&CC in Victoria, BC on May 5th.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Since losing his PGA TOUR status at the end of the 2018-2019 season, Surrey’s Adam Svensson has been on a mission to make a return visit to professional golf’s promised land.

The former B.C. Amateur champion took a huge step toward realizing that goal by winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga. Svensson rolled in a birdie putt from about seven feet on the second extra hole to beat American Max McGreevy.

Among The Awards Presented At The Sport BC AOY Virtual Event Was The Inaugural 'Delivering On Diversity' Award, Won By British Columbia Golf

For Immediate Release – March 25, 2021 – (Vancouver, BC) 

Sport BC celebrated the 54thAnnual Athlete of the Year Awards virtually on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The event was hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell recognizing the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.

Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.

For Immediate Release – March 19, 2021 – (Vancouver, BC)

Sport BC will be celebrating the 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards virtually on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

The event is a pre-taped show hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell and will recognize the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.

Acushnet, the parent company of global golf brands Titleist and FootJoy, has demonstrated its commitment to creating a more inclusive culture within golf by becoming a signatory of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter.

(March 23, 2021 – Golf Canada) – Canadians needing a social outlet and a sense of recreational normalcy during the uncertainty of the pandemic in 2020 turned to golf in a major way.

Now Golf Canada, with the support of industry partners, will build on the excitement, increased interest, and elevated levels of play with a national golfer retention campaign to welcome new and returning players back to the golf course in 2021.

Brad Clapp Is The New General Manager At Abbotsford's Ledgeview GC - Images Courtesy PGA of BC/Ledgeview GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Brad Clapp’s timing seems to be just about perfect as he joins Ledgeview Golf Club as general manager of the storied Abbotsford facility.

Golf is booming, thanks in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ledgeview is about to open a brand new clubhouse. The future looks bright for the course that has produced the likes of PGA TOUR winners Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, and Clapp is delighted to be a part of it.

The arrival of spring means a new group of sports and leagues are getting underway. We know that you may have questions about what is allowed under the current PHO Order on Gatherings and Events.

viaSport and BC Recreation and Parks Association would like to provide clarity around travel and the intention of the Order.

• Under current restrictions on travel for sport, participants can travel to their home club, even if it is outside their immediate community. Home club is defined by the PHO as the sport organization, club, or facility at which a person is registered for ongoing sport programming. For example:

                o     a skier who is part of the local ski club can travel to their local mountain, which might cross a regional health authority border;
                o     an archer may need to travel to a neighbouring community because their community does not have an archery club;
                o     a high-performance athlete may need to travel to a nearby community to receive specialized training

• Although there is some flexibility to allow for participants to travel short distances to reach a home club, the intention of the Order is to minimize travel for sport activities, and to stay close to home. For example:

                o     participants from Vancouver Island should not travel to the Lower Mainland, from the Kootenays to the Okanagan, or from the North to Okanagan.

• Remember, the Public Health Order does not specifically address every individual situation. When interpreting the Order, please remember the intention of the Order is important. That intention is to stay local as much as possible. This will help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and keep sports safe.

Wayne Vollmer Accepts A Plaque In Recognition Of His Club's Hosting The 2017 BC Amateur From Past President David Atkinson - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

After a long and accomplished career in the golf business, Wayne Vollmer acknowledges that retirement feels a little different. “It’s been a couple of weeks now and I am trying to get over the overwhelming feeling of not going into work every day,” Vollmer says with a chuckle.

Vollmer, 75, had been director of golf and head professional at Morgan Creek Golf Course since the Surrey club opened in 1995. But his golf career stretches back much farther than that.

After the sudden passing of her beloved husband Mike three years ago, Kathy Erikson made a life-changing decision: dedicate her energy to crate a golf experience that appeals to everyone, year round, 24 hours a day.

ModGolf Podcast creator and host, Colin Weston, sat down with Kathy Erikson to learn about the passion that drives her to create an indoor golf arena that started with an AHA moment almost thirty years ago.

via Golf Canada and The R&A

The R&A is keen to understand the importance of health messaging and how to best communicate health benefits to existing and potential golfers.

We would very much appreciate your feedback on your experiences and perceptions of the health benefits of playing golf and your thoughts for promoting this in the future.

As a thank you for your time you will have an opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a £200 voucher for Auchterlonies golf shop in St Andrew’s (worldwide shipping)

To take part in the survey please click on the survey link below:

The survey is being undertaken by independent research agency Sports Marketing Surveys. Please be assured that the information that you provide will remain confidential.