We lost another great friend and golfer on Friday, February 7th, as Diane Rands (Phillips), an honorary Life Member of Uplands Golf Club, passed away following a courageous fight with cancer. British Columbia Golf and the entire golf community wish to pass along our deepest condolences and best wishes to Diane's family and friends. 

Aside from her stellar nursing career and family life, Diane was an extremely accomplished competitive golfer, still holding the Uplands women's course record of 67, and indeed this past Fall the Uplands Women's Club Championship trophy was renamed the Diane (Phillips) Rands trophy. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at Uplands Golf Club on Sunday, March 15, 2020 from 2pm – 4pm.

Below is the memoriam posted on the McCall Gardens website. 

Nine athletes selected to receive extended support during transition to professional golf

Golf Canada adds BC's Jennifer Greggain and Ontario's Andrew Parr as assistant coaches

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the nine athletes who have been selected to the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.

Comprising the 2020 Men’s Young Pro Squad are returnees Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver, B.C.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) along with new additions Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.) and Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.). Crisologo, 23, and Savoie, 25, will make their Young Pro Squad debuts after graduating from the Men’s Amateur Squad.

The Women’s Young Pro Squad will be represented by a trio of returning athletes in Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, Alta.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), and Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.).

Adam Hadwin Is A New Dad And It's Helped Put Golf In Perspective For Him - Image Courtesy Inside Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

To say it’s been a busy start to 2020 for Adam Hadwin is an understatement. Hadwin took a break from golf after his wife Jessica gave birth to their daughter Maddox on Jan. 8, insuring he could spend time with his young family before returning to the PGA TOUR. He was back in time for the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, near his Arizona residence, on Jan. 30.

Hadwin then played in last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Southern California before joining the field for this week’s Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. “This is only my third tournament back and we’re still trying to get used to being parents,” Hadwin said. “It’s still a bit chaotic at home. It’s definitely a change in our life, but it’s very exciting.”

Fellow Canadian Nick Taylor joins Hadwin at the Genesis Invitational this week. They often played together as teenagers at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in their hometown of Abbotsford, B.C., and remain friends on the PGA TOUR.

OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce its 2020 championship schedule which includes 29 amateur and professional competitions hosted at member clubs across Canada.

The 2020 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s premier professional championships – the RBC Canadian Open from June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont. (in partnership with Islington Golf Club), and the CP Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., from Aug. 31 – Sept 6.

The competition calendar includes eight National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen junior competitions (formerly Future Links Championships) and the World Junior Girls Championship.

British Columbia Golf will present World Handicap Certification seminars across the province, details and registration links are below.

Cost $25.00 (taxes in) Lunch included

January 1, 2020 Golf Associations around the world started moving to a single handicap system introduced and administered jointly by the R&A and the USGA. This seminar is a detailed look at WHS and is appropriate for staff and volunteers who will be involved in handicapping at the club level.

"Hyde Mountain On Mara Lake Golf Course In B.C. Delivers Dazzling Views At A Great Price" According To Reviewer u1748438 From Golf Advisor (Image Credit GolfAdvisor Reviewer u1748438)

GolfAdvisor's list of the top 25 Best Value courses in Canada include 4 layouts found in Britrish Columbia.

Here's how they ranked according to the 'Canada Golfers' Choice list, where raters were seeking the best value among the courses in the country and GolfAdvisor scanned their reviews from 2019.

They combined a course's overall and value star-rating averages from reviews submitted by their 'rating' community throughout the year.

Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

Via Golf Canada

The USGA and The R&A have issued the Distance Insights Report, which provides comprehensive research and analysis on the contributors to, and long-term impacts of, hitting distance in golf.

After extensive stakeholder research, the report features more than 100 years of data, informed by a library of 56 supporting documents. It is accompanied by a 15-page conclusions paper from the governing bodies that summarizes their perspectives on the long-term implications for the sport.

The Vancouver GolfExpo is set to jump start the 2020 golf season in the Lower Mainland and the Pacific Northwest for that matter. This weekend, Feb. 8-9th at the PNE Forum you can try the latest equipment at their indoor range, find some terrific deals on merchandise, get tips from PGA of BC Professionals, and so much more. 

And now, Sandpiper Golf Course is prepared to offer a FREE round of golf to everyone who attends the show! Play The PIPER for FREE!

For more details on the Vancouver GolfExpo click HERE.

BC Children's Hospital In Vancouver Has Been Chosen As The Primary Charity For The 2020 CP Women's Open - Image Courtesy Golf Canada 

Courtesy Golf Canada

Vancouver, January 31, 2020 – Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada announced today that BC Children’s Hospital Foundation has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2020 CP Women’s Open. Fundraising initiatives will occur leading up to the tournament and a month-long public match campaign starts February 1st, in recognition of Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Month.

“The CP Women’s Open is an amazing opportunity to draw attention to the important work being done by doctors to mend the hearts of the future,” said Keith Creel, President and CEO of CP. “Partnering with BC Children’s Hospital Foundation again is a natural fit and progression from our first partnership in 2015. I look forward to seeing the lasting legacy this brings to the hospital, children and families who need it.”

The weather outside of late may not have been condusive to actual play, but this is the West Coast so we know that getting out on the links regularly is not far away.

One of the best ways to get into the spirit of the coming golf season is always the Vancouver GolfExpo, where enthusiasts can try out the newest equipment, shop for some great deals at the on-site merchandise outlet, visit booths set up by many of the outstanding golf facilities throughout the Pacific Northwest, learn about some enticing golf travel opportunities, as well as take in some terrific lesson and tip presentations by BC's finest teaching professionals.

Of course one of the most popular reasons to visit the GolfExpo is the opportunity to take advantage of the great deals available at so many of the exhibitor's booths. 

The PGA of Canada has released their members' choices for top 50 public and private courses across the country.

BC COURSES AS RANKED - Top Public, Semi-Private, Resort Courses

Bell Let’s Talk Day 2020 

On January 29th, Bell will donate five cents to Canadian mental health for every text message and mobile and long distance call made by a Bell, Bell Cause pour la cause, Bell MTS or Bell Aliant customer, tweet using #BellLetsTalk, view of the Bell Let’s Talk video on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, and use of the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat filter.

Background 

Bell Let’s Talk is a campaign dedicated to moving mental health forward in Canada. The strategy is built on four pillars: anti-stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research, and leading by example in workplace mental health. 

Bell Let’s Talk is not only changing the landscape of mental health funding in Canada, but is also contributing to changes in attitudes and behaviours. 85% of Canadians think attitudes about mental health have changed for the better in the past 5 years, and 75% believe the stigma around mental illness has been reduced. 

With the help of Canadians and people around the world, Bell Let’s Talk Day has now surpassed 1 billion messages of support sent and over $100 million in Bell funding towards mental health.

Jared du Toit Has Earned Himself A Fully Exempt Spot On The PGA Tour Latinoamerica Circuit For 2020 Thanks To His Medallist Performance At Their Qualifying Event - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada - Written by John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press

A month ago, Jared du Toit wasn’t even sure he’d be playing in the Latinoamerica Qualifying Tournament in Mexico. He’d been frustrated with the state of his game for all of the 2019 season and drilled hard for most of November and December trying to get things back on track. By the time the holidays rolled around, he was fed up.

But fast forward to last Sunday and he’d won the event at the Estrella del Mar Golf & Beach Resort, earning a full exemption for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica season.

“I talked to the people close to me, my coaches and family and everyone was kind of like, ‘Nah, just go do it,”’ said du Toit, who had consulted with Golf Canada coach Derek Ingram and Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, a mental performance coach with the national program, among others.

“So then I really committed to doing it and really good practices and whatnot and I felt really good for tee off and then obviously played well in the event so it was a big relief getting it done.”

Not only is BC's Ashley Zibrik having a positive impact on the game of golf here at home for golf as a whole and, in many respects, for the advancement of women in the game in particular, her contributions are being duly noted south of the border. 

Recently Zibrik, Shaughnessy Golf Club's Head Professional, was interviewed by Club Trends magazine, a publication put out by the National Club Association based in Washington, DC. She was a major component of an issue put out by Club Trends focussing on the impact women are having at private clubs these days.

The issue, Female Factor: Women's Evolving Influence In Private Clubs,was put out for Fall 2019 and among the articles was a feature Q & A with the former Class 'A' Professional of The Year and two-time PGA of BC Women's Champion, Ashley Zibrik. 

Sport BC has announced the finalists to be celebrated at the upcoming 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East.

The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.

Click HERE see the video by Golf Canada on how your handicap will be calculated by the World Handicap System starting in Canada from January 8th, 2020.

Watch more RULES AND HANDICAPPING on Golf Canada TV

Courtesy Golf Canada

The World Handicap System will ensure handicaps are calculated consistently around the world.

Click here for more information.

British Columbia Golf is sad to report the passing of a longtime friend and contributor as former Board member and staff employee, Dick Lyle, passed away on December 29th.

As a tribute and in memory of Dick we present here the official obituary as published online at the vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca

Thomas Craig Anderson (1944 - 2019)

British Columbia Golf and the entire golf community were saddened by the loss of Craig Anderson on December 17th as he succumbed to complications from Alzheimer's Disease. A native British Columbian, Craig was involved in hockey for much of his life as well as being a major contributor to the golf scene including a term as Club President at Victoria's Royal Colwood for three years. 

In memory of Craig we present here the tribute and notification of his passing as per the Victoria Times Colonist last week.

British Columbia Golf was saddened to have learned over the Christmas break of the passing of Victoria's Marion Andrews on December 16th at the age of 95.

We wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Marion and share the following memoriam as per the Times Colonist Newspaper and Zone 5 Secretary Barb Rainey.

All Images Courtesy Golf Canada Unless Otherwise Noted

Written by Golf Canada

As the decade drew to a close, 2019 marked yet another significant year for Canadian golf milestones on and off the course and around the world. These are just some of the headlines. Details on these stories and many others are available under News on the Golf Canada website.