Every fall the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) votes on the Player of the Year Award for Junior Boys, Junior Girls, Men’s, Women’s, Mid-Amateur Men, Mid-Amateur Women, Senior Men, and Senior Women.

The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the various state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee.

British Columbia Golf Executive Director Kris Jonasson (Far Right) And Four Members Of The 12-Member Board Of Directors  (L-R) -- Patrick Kelly, Helen Jung, Jasvinder Dhaliwal and Michelle Collens -- Participated In A 45-Minute Session Entitled 'Driving Innovation Through Inclusion' - (USGA/Steven Gibbons)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The board of directors of British Columbia Golf was held up as a shining example of inclusion at the United States Golf Association’s North American Golf Innovation Symposium in Vancouver.

“What makes the organization unique and quite frankly unique in golf, as well as unique generally in business, is the nature of inclusion that exists on the board of directors,” the USGA’s Steve Schloss told the symposium at the Marriott Pinnacle hotel.

Team British Columbia In This Year's Edition Of The Eddie Hogan Cup Consists Of From L-R: Ryan Liang, Ryan Vest, Matthew Wilson And Shunkichi Yamamoto - Images Credit Golf Canada 

The Eddie Hogan Cup tournament is scheduled to take place August 13th – 14th at the Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon and British Columbia has been represented every single year since its inception in 1969.

BC has won the Eddie Hogan Cup title twice since 1972, with the first coming in 2009 and then again 4 years later in 2013 where team member Kevin Vigna also won the individual title.

The 2018 Members of British Columbia Golf's NPJL Team: Clockwise From Top Left: Kathrine Chan, Claire Lovan, Phoebe Yue, Angel Lin, Tiffany Kong And Akari Hayashi 

This year is the 32nd edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies' Team Matches and will see squads from British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington competing May 25th - May 27th at the Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

British Columbia Golf is looking for a 'Three-peat' in 2018 having won the last two versions, on home soil at Pitt Meadows Golf Club in 2016 and then defending their title at Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem, Oregon last year.

As Friday, March 8th marks the celebration of International Women's Day, British Columbia Golf is pleased to take part in acknowledging and promoting the involvement of women of all ages and backgrounds in the game of golf.

Golf has made a concerted effort in recent years to bring more women into the game worldwide with events such as International Women's Golf Day being only one example. 

What can be stated without debate is that there have been many great female golfers over the years. Thirty-nine of them have earned enshrinement into the World Golf Hall of Fame including Canada's Marlene Stewart Streit

Vaisakhi (Punjabi: ਵਿਸਾਖੀ, IAST: visākhī), also known as Baisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism and Hinduism.... Vaisakhi marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

The R&A unveiled a new Women in Golf Charter on May 29th, 2018 in London as part of the organization’s global drive to increase the number of women and girls participating in golf and to encourage more opportunities for women to work within the golf industry.

Adoption of the Charter requires national associations and other golf bodies to build on and develop initiatives which will focus on encouraging more women and girls to play golf and stay within the sport as members of clubs, while also empowering women to enjoy successful careers working within the golf industry.

image courtesy GNAC (Great Northwest Athletic Conference)

Simon Fraser University Sophomore Chris Crisologo Has Been Named To The British Columbia Golf Morse Cup Team For The 50th Pacific Coast Amateur 

British Columbia Golf has named its Morse Cup team for the 50th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship being held at the Seattle Golf Club in Washington State from July 26-29. 

The Morse Cup Team Competition has been held as part of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship since 1967. The last team from British Columbia to claim the title was in 2013 when the event was hosted by Capilano Golf & Country Club.

Current British Columbia Men's Amateur Champion Jordan Lu Will Lead A Strong BC Morse Cup Team In The Pacific Coast Amateur

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

The Pacific Coast Amateur, being held at Eugene Country Club July 28-31, is coming up fast and British Columbia Golf has just named its Morse Cup team for that event.

Mid-amateur Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, University of Washington freshman and current British Columbia Amateur champion Jordan Lu, and University of Idaho sophomore Jared du Toit, will be carrying the BC colours in the team portion of the PCA.

With the recent celebration of International Volunteer Day (IVD) across the globe, British Columbia Golf would like to take this opportunity to both acknowledge and sincerely thank the many women, men and young people who regularly give of their time and expertise to help make the championship events held in our province run smoothly and efficiently and indeed, allowing them to take place at all.

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.

The happy festival of Diwali is upon us again. Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance.

It is celebrated in honour of Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya after an exile of fourteen years. The festival is also linked to Goddess Lakshmi - the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali is traditionally celebrated by lighting diyas and candles, praying to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh and meeting friends and family to exchange Diwali greetings and gifts.

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as "Holy Week"—it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many languages, the words for "Easter" and "Passover" are identical or very similar.

Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs (symbols of the empty tomb).

The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide.

Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades. There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.

The 2018 Chinese New Year begins on Friday, February 16. Chinese New Year takes place on a different date each year, because it is based on the lunar calendar.

New Year's Day normally falls between January 21 and February 20.

The global celebrations are an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances. Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad fortune on New Year's Day.

Traditionally, kids would be given red envelopes stuffed with 'lucky money' and positive wishes on New Year's Day.

2018 is a Year of the Dog. In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle. 2018 is an Earth Dog Year.

Years of the Dog include 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, and 2030... The Dog occupies the eleventh position in the Chinese zodiac, after the Rooster, and before the Pig.

For more information on Chinese New Year please CLICK HERE

Diwali is the Indian “festival of lights”—a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on October 31st. Though technically religious, it’s also become a cultural event in North America that’s celebrated with sweets and special foods.

What Is Diwali?

Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night.

In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day with the main celebration of Diwali. In other places where Diwali occurs, usually only the main day is celebrated.

Who Celebrates Diwali?

Diwali is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths. However, the holiday is celebrated throughout India, Singapore, and several other South Asian countries as a national holiday, meaning that people outside these religions may participate in Diwali celebrations, too. Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and elsewhere around the globe also regularly celebrate Diwali.

When Is Diwali?

Diwali occurs annually in autumn (or spring, in the southern hemisphere), during the Hindu month of Kartik. (To put it in Western terms, Kartik begins around mid-October and ends in mid-November.) Specifically, Diwali occurs on the darkest day of the lunar month, which is the day of the new Moon.

Image Attribution: Yair Aronshtam from Israel, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah”) is an eight-day winter “festival of lights,” which begins each year on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates of Jewish holidays according to the Gregorian calendar change from year to year. For this reason, the beginning of Hanukkah can range from late November to late December.

In short, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying Greek armies. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and of spirituality over materiality. 

In 2023, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Thursday, December 7th and continues through Friday, December 15th. The first candle is lit on the Chanukiah (menorah) on the first night of Hanukkah.

Passover is a Jewish festival celebrated in commemoration of the release of the Hebrews from the brutal slavery of the ancient Egyptians. The festival holds great significance for the entire Jewish community residing across the world.

Passover, which is also known as Pesach, falls on the 15th day of the Nisan month in the Hebrew calendar and lasts till the 21st or 22nd day. This date corresponds in the month of March or April as per the Gregorian calendar. Observed with much pomp and show, Passover celebrations revolve around holidaying, feasting and merry-making. People meet one another and exchange greetings.

This year Passover is celebrated between April 10 and 18th. 

On behalf of British Columbia golf, "May you be blessed with Happiness, prosperity, peace and good health on Pesach and always. Happy Passover!"

Dawn Coe-Jones Is Shown Here At The 2008 Canadian Women's Open At The Ottawa Hunt Club - Image Courtesy Ian Hutchinson

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Dawn Coe-Jones, a B.C. Junior Girls and Women’s Amateur champion who went on to win three times on the LPGA Tour, died early Saturday after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 56.

BCer's Stuart Macdonald (L) And Seann Harlingten (R) Both Survived The Pressure Of Q-School To Obtain Solid Status On The Web.com Tour For 2018 - Images Courtesy PGA TOUR Mackenzie-Tour Canada

Calgary's Ryan Yip And Toronto's Albin Choi Also Earned Status As All Four Canadians In The Final Stage Of Web.com Q-School Finished Inside The Top 45 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If there were any doubts about whether he could make birdies when it mattered most, Stuart Macdonald erased them on the back nine of the fourth and final round of the Web.com Tour qualifying school.

With the butterflies in his stomach in full flight, the 23-year-old rookie pro from Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf & Country Club, calmly made six birdies on his final nine holes to earn Web.com Tour status for 2018.

No sweat? Not really.

For Immediate Release via LPGA Tour

Canada’s Brooke Henderson has been granted immediate status on the LPGA Tour. Read the statement by the tour’s commissioner Michael Whan and one from Brooke below.