Courtesy PNGA

Tacoma, Wash. – The 2022 Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s (PNGA) championship season kicks off this week as 48 of the top amateur golfers in the region prepare to square off in the 15th PNGA Lamey Cup, to be held May 4-5 at Bellingham (Wash.) Golf and Country Club.

Due to the pandemic, and due in particular to the U.S.-Canada border closure during this time, the competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021, with this year marking the first time since 2019 that the event will be held.

Mid-Amateur Champions Craig Doell & Shelly Stouffer Head Up BC Golf's PNGA Lamey Cup Team

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The PNGA Lamey Cup is named in honour of Dr. Jack Lamey, a former president of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association who started the Ryder Cup-style team competition featuring players representing the Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia golf associations 16 years ago.

Kelowna’s Norm Bradley, a former B.C. Senior Men’s champion, considers it his good fortune to have played in nine of them. He’ll make his 10th appearance in early May when the Lamey Cup resumes after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus at Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

Riley Wheeldon Has Fully Exempt Status This Year On The PGA TOUR Canada - PGA TOUR Canada Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Riley Wheeldon will tell you it was a lot more than home course advantage that propelled him to his impressive performance at last week’s PGA Tour Canada qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Resort. 

Sure, his intimate familiarity with the Crown Isle layout that is located not far from his childhood home in Comox came in handy, but Wheeldon credits an attitude adjustment with his solid play. 

“My game has always been there,” Wheeldon said. “My attitude hasn’t. That was one thing I said to myself last summer, that if I was going to keep doing this, my attitude has to change. Having a little refresh this winter, I was able to come out and focus on attitude and let everything else fall into place and behold, this game is pretty fun.”

In this edition of the ModGolf Podcast, creator and show host Colin Weston speaks with Jim Plumb, the Co-Founder of FORE! SIXTY. 

FORE! SIXTY is a unique online community dedicated to enhancing the game for golfers sixty and over with age-relevant information, videos and a wide selection of curated value offerings on golf equipment, natural, anti-inflammatory pain relief and Sun Smart UPF50 sun protection apparel.

Canada's Mike Weir Will Make His Third Appearance As A Presidents Cup Asst. Captain - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — International Team Captain Trevor Immelman announced his four captain’s assistants for the 2022 Presidents Cup: Canada’s Mike Weir, Korea’s K.J. Choi, Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas. The foursome will join Immelman at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 20-25.

Weir will make his third appearance as captain’s assistant after serving for Nick Price at the 2017 Presidents Cup and in 2019 for Ernie Els. The Canadian has competed in five Presidents Cups (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) and was teammates with Immelman in 2005 and 2007. An eight-time PGA TOUR winner, Weir is 13-9-2 all-time at the Presidents Cup and is one of five International Team members with 10 or more match wins in competition.

Team Canada L-R Back Row: Jeff MacDonald (Coach), Cooper Humphreys, Ethan Wilson, Jean Phillippe Parr, Felix Bouchard, Robert Ratcliffe (Head Coach), L-R Front Row: Jennifer Greggain (Coach), Michelle Liu, Yeji Kwon, Nicole Gal - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Via Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada’s National Junior Squad boys and girls teams both finished with top spots on the leaderboard at Royal Colwood Golf Club to secure the opportunity to play in the 2022 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

Homestead Farms GC Is Offering Some Great Deals For Canadians Ready To Play Down South Again - Image Courtesy Homestead Farms GC/Pixabay

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The British Columbians are back and no one is happier about that than the folks at Homestead Farms Golf Course in Lynden. Homestead has always relied heavily on British Columbia traffic, so when the border closed more than two years ago due to Covid-19, it had a devastating effect on the course. 

“I would say it is at least half of our business,” says Trevor Parsons, who works in the Homestead pro shop. “We’re right on the border so the last couple of years have been tough. We have been missing the Canadians.” 

As of April 1, costly Covid testing requirements that kept B.C. golfers north of the border, were dropped. Whatcom County courses are obviously hoping to see lots of B.C. golfers this spring and summer.

In 2019 British Columbia Picked Up Their 4th Consecutive Win In The NPJLTM - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

British Columbia's North Pacific Junior Ladies Team will be on a quest not often realized at any level of sports competition when they tee off at the Home Course in Washington State this May 27th - 29th for the 34th edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches.

Although the annual NPJLTM competition has been cancelled the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they are back on track this year and Team BC just happens to have won the last four events played, from 2016 - 2019. Thus they take to the links in search of the rare 'Five-Peat'. 

The return to competition after a two-year break will bring with it some new faces to the BC Team, both on the player's side and the coaches as well.

UBC Golf Coach Chris Macdonald - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Chris Macdonald has spent considerable time thinking about the young lives lost in the devastating accident in Texas involving a New Mexico school’s golf teams.

The longtime coach of the University of British Columbia’s men’s and women’s golf teams has also reflected on how much time he has spent driving his teams to and from tournaments.

“It’s just devastating, such a tragedy,” Macdonald said of the crash that killed six members of the University of the Southwest men’s and women’s golf teams, as well as their coach, and left two other students critically injured. “I think I have probably driven over 200,000 kilometres in a mini-van with the teams in the 22 years I have been here.

At The 2022 PGA Show in Orlando ModGolf Podcast creator Colin Weston had the opportunity to reconnect with Jim Beatty at The Diversity and Inclusion Forum, which he was co-hosting.

Jim Beatty wears several hats, including Executive Editor for the African American Golfer’s Digest (www.africanamericangolfersdigest.com), President of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures (www.jimbeattygolfventures.com) and Chair of The We Are Golf, Recreational Play Subcommittee, Diversity Task Force (www.wearegolf.org).

Victoria Teen Holly Stewart Is Off To The University of Washington This Fall After Earning Prestigious Evans Scholarship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Holly Stewart was 12 years old when she began caddying at Victoria Golf Club and in those days it often felt like the bag she was carrying weighed as much as she did. 

On some days, particularly when the wind whipped off the water and swept across the oceanside layout, her ‘loop’ was something of a balancing act. “You’d arrive at the club and it’s like, oh, it’s a beautiful day, nice and sunny, and then you get out there and the wind is whipping all around you,” Stewart says.

“And as a tiny little 12 year-old I did not have good balance. I slid down hills a few times because I couldn’t stand up.”

ModGolf Podcast creator and host, Colin Weston, recently returned from the 2022 PGA Show in Orlando, FLA after missing the event last year due to COVID restrictions. He found a slightly different but still extremely informative and enjoyable show presentation on this visit and put together this blog to share with us about his observations and experiences at 'golf's biggest industry event'. - editor

The ModGolf Podcast at The 2022 PGA Show

Contributed by Colin Weston/ModGolf (reposted with permission)

It's been two long years since I last attended The PGA Show in Orlando and although I was apprehensive about getting on a plane from Vancouver with the Omicron variant still swirling around us, I'm glad I made the decision to go.

After hundreds of Zoom video calls over the past 24 months has pushed me to the point of burnout, reconnecting with old golf industry friends and meeting some new ones face-to-face was exactly the medicine my spirit needed.

So here's a recap of my eight days in central Florida and my takeaways from golf's biggest industry event.

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, creator Colin Weston welcomes guest Lydia Davies, the founder and CEO of TeeMates Golf. She is originally from the UK, born in Thailand, and traveled around living in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She currently resides in Houston where she first thought of and created TeeMates Golf.

TeeMates was created when her now husband, Andrew - a self-proclaimed golf degenerate - would always send her photos of himself playing at course alone whilst on work travel. With golf growth rates off the charts, Lydia knew there must be others in his hotel or area that would want to join him on the tee box.

Year of The Tiger 2022 Image Credit Freepik / Starline

Dust off your pink, tiger-print jacket -- it's time to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Saying goodbye to the Ox, we enter the Year of the Tiger on February 1, 2022.

Though the pandemic continues to overshadow the occasion, with public festivities once again pared down or canceled in many cities, millions of families around the world will still be celebrating at home. 

Here's a quick guide to the most common Lunar New Year traditions and superstitions, as well as insights from some of Hong Kong's most established geomancers on what the Year of the Tiger might have in store.

Click HERE for complete Story.

Marine Drive's Brian Knoetze  - BKnoetze Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

All that stood in the way of Brian Knoetze completing his goal of playing the top 100 courses in the United States was one of the toughest tee times in golf.

In a journey that began eight years ago, the longtime Marine Drive Golf Club member had crossed 99 courses off Golf Digest’s top 100 list. All that remained was Augusta National.

Knoetze had spent a lot of time wondering whether he was ever going to make that trip down Magnolia Lane. It’s not like you can just call the club and ask for a tee time. If you’re a mere mortal, you need an invitation from an Augusta National member to play the course. “It’s just about the hardest place in the world to get on to,” Knoetze says.

Purse raised to $10M with plans to grow to $12M; future venues to include “cathedrals of the game”

via press release

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Jan. 7, 2022) – The USGA and ProMedica today announced a long-term partnership that includes presenting partner rights for the U.S. Women’s Open, notably elevating the championship through a $10 million purse, additional host sites that include some of the most esteemed courses in the U.S., and increased charitable support, to ensure that its life-changing impact continues to set the standard in the women’s game.

Adam Stanley/ Golf Canada

Golf continues to provide a record number of Canadians safe refuge during the COVID-19 global pandemic as a proven activity that benefits physical and mental health.

As we look ahead to 2022, there is comfort in knowing golf can continue to be a haven for safe gathering and fitness – for all.

And beyond just the ability to continue to play the game, the world of golf has given Canadians much to be excited about as we look ahead to a new year!

Photo credit: Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

The Pacific Northwest Golf Association announced their 2021 Players of the Year this past week and Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota has been named the PNGA's Junior Boys Amateur Player of the year. 

Sihota earned the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Player of the Year award after a standout 2021 season. Competing against seasoned tour professionals, he finished runner-up at the Mackenzie Tour DC Bank Open, finished T6 at the Mackenzie Tour ATB Financial Classic, and finished T29 at the Mackenzie Tour Golf BC Championship.

He also finished T4 at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and T23 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The Victoria Now has further details on Jeevan's win HERE.

To see the complete story on all the PNGA Players of the Year click HERE.

Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada via R & A

(St. Andrews, Scotland) – New research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) show golf has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity worldwide since 2016 with over five-and-a-half million additional golfers taking up the sport.

The number of total golfers globally has increased from 61 million to 66.6 million in a five-year growth period, surpassing the previous high mark of 61.6 million set in 2012.

The measure includes club members and non-member independent golfers playing nine or 18 holes and users of driving ranges in markets where course availability is limited.

In his final Season 10 episode, ModGolf creator and host Colin Weston is joined by Arjun Chowdri, Chief Innovation Officer With The PGA Of America, to share where the PGA of America is and where they are going.

We learn about the design process and status of their new headquarters in Frisco Texas, the future of enhanced golf fan engagement through sport wagering, how his work with the IPL professional cricket Indian Premier League has helped shape the opportunities he sees in the golf industry... and much more.