By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Both are seasoned competitors who enjoyed considerable success in their junior golf careers, but Matthew Wilson and Vanessa Zhang will tell you that teeing it up in their first collegiate event felt a little different.

For starters, they are no longer just playing for themselves. They are now part of a team. And then there are those long 36-hole days to start tournaments.

So it felt different, but that certainly did not prevent Nanaimo’s Wilson and Vancouver’s Zhang from making impressive collegiate debuts.

by Alfie Lau

Kelowna’s Megan Osland’s golf future continues to burn bright after she finished T12 at the Stage 1 LPGA Qualifying School in Rancho Mirage, CA from Aug. 3-9.

Osland, who just completed her senior year at San Jose State University, shot rounds of 73-72-69-72 to finish at (-2) 286 and handily advances to Stage 2 LPGA Q School, which will be held Oct. 19-25 at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, FL.

Former Vancouver Canucks Colour Commentator Tom Larscheid (Inset) Is Missing Being Able To Play At His Home Club In Blaine, Wash. - Image Courtesy Facility & YouTube

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Tom Larscheid is missing the camaraderie as much as the golf at his home club. The popular former Vancouver Canucks colour commentator and his wife Leslie haven’t been able to visit Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine, Wash., since the Canada-U.S. border closed to non-essential travel in March.

“There’s no question we miss the many friends that we have made down there through the years,” says Larscheid, a member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. “We have been members since 2004 so that is a long time.”

Jamie Fay's Family Are Encouraging Those Who Attend His 'Celebration Of Life' This Week To Wear The Bright Colors That Jamie Himself (2nd From Left Above) Favoured - Image Courtesy GCSAA

Following the recent tragic loss of Chambers Bay Assistant General Manager Jamie Fay, details of a Memorial service have been announced. 

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.

Image courtesy Jim Epler/Flickr

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

As far as Mike Weir is concerned, 50 is the new 20.

The Canadian golfing legend will reach his half-century mark on Tuesday and qualify to join the PGA Tour Champions, the senior circuit for professional men’s golf. Although the date of the next tournament is still up in the air thanks to restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Weir is ready for a new beginning in his career.

“The interesting thing about professional golf is that you look forward to your 50th birthday instead of dreading it,” said Weir. “I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while.”

Mission Native Kevin Stinson Has A Spot In The Season-Opening Mackenzie Tour Event At Point Grey, But Is No Longer Chasing The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Credit Mike West/VGT

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Much is made of the considerable success the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit has had in developing players and helping them move on to the Web.com and PGA TOURs.

We hear less about the many others who don’t make it to golf’s promised land. Mission’s Kevin Stinson is one of those and he’s okay with that.

Mitchell Baldridge Holds The Macan Cup After His 36-Hole Final Match Win Over Vancouver, BC's Trevor Yu (Inset) In The Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship - Image Courtesy PNGA

DuPont, Wash. – Mitchell Baldridge of Edgewood, Wash. defeated Trevor Yu of Vancouver, B.C. 2-up in the 36-hole final match to win the 117th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, held this week at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.

In the tight pressure-packed match, Baldridge never trailed. He won the first hole with a par, and was able to go 2-up a couple of times during the day, but Yu continually came back. Yu birdied the long par-4 13th hole in their afternoon round (their 31st hole in the match) to square the match up, but three holes later, the long-hitting Baldridge birdied the par-5 16th (34th hole of the match) to go 1-up.

Click on the image below to hear the latest ModGolf Podcast with host Colin Weston as he interviews Charles Dillahunt to share how The PGA of America is working to break down barriers to entry for not only playing golf but to participate as a business supplier within the golf industry.

"My biggest hope for the golf industry is that it one day grows to be more representative of the population of the world, and that it openly welcomes and serves members of all communities and from all walks of life equally and inclusively."

This month we feature the two most recent episodes of The ModGolf Podcast as part of our effort to bring you golf’s best innovation and entrepreneurship stories.

Courtesy Colin Weston/ModGolf

In Larry Gilhuly’s opinion, the three biggest issues facing the game of golf are pace of play, player enjoyment and economic sustainability. Larry believes he has the solution for all three: “The answer for all of these, in my opinion, are properly placed forward tees.”

This week host Colin Weston speaks with Larry Gilhuly, who is an Agronomist with The United States Golf Association and a passionate advocate of the TEE IT FORWARD program.

In the latest episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston talks to ESPN 920 Radio Show Host, writer and media personality Keith Stewart in a high-energy conversation that spans the spectrum from humourous storytelling and community building to an approach to life that shapes his business methodology.

In this epsiode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, speaks with Scott Lundmark, the President of Adventure Golf & Sports.

"I joined the business over 16 years ago, but even before that my father would talk about potential clients saying. 'Well, I don't know if I want miniature golf at my Family Entertainment facility because it's kind of going out of style.' But miniature golf is one of those activities and attractions that will never go out of style."

- Scott Lundmark, President of Adventure Golf & Sports

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston speaks with Danielle Tucker, Creator And Host Of The Golf Club Radio Show, which is broadcast worldwide from Hawaii on Saturday mornings. 

"I'm not sure that I discovered it, but I let out the part of me that loves to communicate with people. The part of me that likes to talk and learn about people, places and things, what they do and incorporate some of the wisdom they have that I may not have even thought of."

- Danielle Tucker, Creator And Host Of The Golf Club Radio Show

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, speaks with Kat Ramirez, the founder of Golfing Buddy. 

"They did not make me feel like I was part of this foursome. I felt like the outsider and I felt like I wasn't good enough. And it's bad enough that women already feel like they're not good enough as it is in the golf world. If you have one bad experience, you're never gonna go back. You're not."

- Kat Ramirez, Founder of Golfing Buddy

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, speaks with Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and inspirational Indigenous Speaker.

"Walk in that good way, helping and sharing your journey so those before you can smile."

- Steve Tooshkenig

In this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, speaks with the founder and CEO of Lag Shot Golf and Scratch Golf Academy, Gary Guerrero.

"One of my philosophies is to give as much away for free as I possibly can on the front end. The more you give away for free, the more you're going to get on the back end as far as currency and customer loyalty."

- Gary Guerrero Jr., Founder and CEO of Lag Shot Golf and Scratch Golf Academy

In the latest episode of the ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston talks to Agustín Pizá, Founder And Architect At Pizá Golf Design.

For more than two decades, Agustin Pizá has challenged golf norms and redefined golf facilities with award-winning designs. He has worked with legends of the game and his world class developments attracted interest to design a total indoor golf entertainment experience.

Agustin shares his design involvement on the NextLinks eGolf Arena and how collaborating with NextLinks founder Dave Shultz along with architects Victor and Sergio Sanz of Sanzpont have led to the creation of an engaging, innovative golf experience.

To open Season 10 of The ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston decided to shake things up by doing something he'd been planning for awhile. And that thing is to have Colin step aside from the microphone so that a guest host can take over the controls of the ship.

In this episode former guest Dr. Greta Anderson takes over the hosting duties for an engaging conversation with GolfHers Founder Kelly Hunt to learn about her golf entrepreneurship journey to inspire women to build a career in the golf industry.

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.