Image Credit Alfie Lau

BC Provincial Coach Jody Jackson (Left) Will Help Lead The Vancouver Island Provincial ID Camp

courtesy British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf will be hosting a Provincial-Regional ID Camp on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 at Arbutus Ridge Golf Course, home of the 2016 BC Junior Boys Championship.

The training/ID camp will be led by two BC Provincial Golf Coaches, Jody Jackson and Matt Cella and is designed to identify juveniles and juniors on the competitive pathway for the "Introduction to Competition" and “Learn to Compete” stages of development under the Long Term Player Development Guide For Golf. The LTPD Guide can be found at www.golfcanada.ca

By Brad Ziemer

The golf industry in British Columbia has managed to get the attention of government by speaking with one clear voice. That was the message Kris Jonasson, executive director of British Columbia Golf, delivered to the association’s annual general meeting at Tsawwassen Springs.

Jonasson, who is entering his 20th year as executive director of B.C. Golf, spoke about the success the Allied Golf Association of British Columbia has had working with government. That association represents a broad cross-section of the industry, from club pros to course superintendents, course owners and club managers.

images courtesy Golf Burnaby

Over The Past 15 Years, Golf Burnaby Has Worked With The Burnaby School Board To Introduce The Game Of Golf To Grade 5 & Grade 10 Students Throughout Burnaby

Golf Burnaby is growing the game of golf through their 'Reach Out' school-based program. 

Faced with declining numbers in golf participation, fifteen years ago Golf Burnaby’s Operations Department decided to take matters into their own hands and offer an introduction to golf in the community. The goal was to offer an opportunity for the children to experience various aspects of the game, all within an environment of fun.

The Golf Burnaby Elementary School Lesson Program was developed and the ball started rolling to introduce elementary school children to the game of golf. In conjunction with the Burnaby School Board, Golf Burnaby introduced the game of golf to students at the grade 5 and grade 10 levels throughout the City of Burnaby via the schools’ physical education classes.

Golfers Should Get Used To Seeing Less Green Grass On Golf Courses In The Near Future - For The Good Of The Game 

by Brad Ziemer (British Columbia Golf)

The Mark Twain quote most often repeated in golf circles is the one about the game being a good walk spoiled. But there is another quote from the noted American author that seems especially apropos for the golf industry these days: “Whiskey’s for drinking; water’s for fighting over.”

Larry Gilhuly, the colourful west region agronomist with the United States Golf Association, has no doubt about what the biggest issue facing golf will be in the coming years. “It’s water,” Gilhuly said in a lively presentation to the annual general meeting of British Columbia Golf at Tsawwassen Springs.

(Richmond, BC - April 1, 2016) - British Columbia Golf is very pleased to announce the addition of Brad Ziemer to their staff in the capacity of writer/reporter. If ever there was a person in their field who needed 'no introduction' it would be Mr. Ziemer, however we are going to take great pride in doing so.

ALL BCGA VOTING MEMBERS

ALL SECRETARY/TREASURER OF ZONES

ALL ZONE CHAIRS

SECOND NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

13th Annual General Meeting of the British Columbia Golf Association will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2016. The meeting will take place at Tsawwassen Springs Golf, 5099 Springs Blvd, Delta, BC V4M 0A2.

• All supporting documents can be found at   www.britishcolumbiagolf.org.
• For the benefit of the delegates, the AGM registration desk will be open at 8:30 am.

DATED: the 17th day of March 2016.

Helen Steeves, Secretary

On behalf of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Atkinson/British Columbia Golf

RICHMOND, British Columbia — For British Columbia Golf, the year 2015 has been an interesting one in many ways, but for me it’s been mostly about the people in our sport.

Operationally, the dedicated Staff and Volunteers of British Columbia Golf have continued to deliver programs and services at a level of excellence which I am proud to say has made our organization a “best in class” sport association respected by its peers across this country and by other stakeholders around the world.

Adam Hadwin finished tied for 16th at PGA’s Northern Trust Open, his second straight Top-20 result of the season. His final-round 66 was the best score of the day and the finish marked his best career result at Riviera, which was good for a 15-spot gain in the world rankings for the No. 3 ranked golfer in Canada.

His gain of 4.95 world ranking points was his third points-paying finish in the last four tournaments. He has earned a total of almost 16 world ranking points over that span and if he can make up the 14-place gap between himself and No. 2 Graham DeLaet by the second week in July, he will qualify for one of two Olympic spots for Canada.

Fellow Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 28 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 26th at Riviera. That was good for 2.67 world ranking points – the second straight points-paying finish in as many weeks for the No. 4 ranked golfer in Canada.

(Richmond, BC) - British Columbia Golf is pleased to announce the addition of Matthew Steinbach to their staff as Manager, Golf Participation, effective immediately.

Matthew will be responsible for managing current 'grow the game' initiatives within British Columbia Golf such as Future Links, Playground 2 Fairway (P2F), SOAR and Golf In Schools and will also be working with the Allied Golf Association to promote all grow the game initiatives.

Gallagher's Canyon G&CC, Site Of Many British Columbia Golf Championships As Well As The 1988 Canadian Men's Amateur, Will Now Play Host To The Pros For The GolfBC Championship This June - Image Courtesy GolfBC

Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club To Host New Mackenzie Tour Event

(February 4, 2016) – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and GolfBC announced today a new official event for 2016, the GolfBC Championship, which will focus on making a positive charitable impact in the Kelowna area.

The inaugural event will take place June 6-12, 2016 at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. GolfBC, which owns and operates a collection of world-class courses throughout British Columbia and in Hawaii, will be the title sponsor as part of a four-year agreement.

(Prince George, BC – February 3, 2016) - Sports enthusiasts from Prince George and the surrounding area are being recruited to work with elementary-school-age children to encourage them to be more active. 

SOAR (Sharing Our Activities and Resources) is an initiative developed by Tennis BC, British Columbia Golf and Curl BC. The not-for-profit groups are recruiting individuals to be trained in the delivery of three sports programs.

Olympic View is honoured to be hosting a Golf Fundraiser for our friend and Teammate Lori Hamstra

Registration is required by Thursday February 18th, and can be done quickly by calling the Golf Shop at (250) 474-3673.

Please view the flyer for the event here.

Ted McIntyre (Golf Canada Magazine)

It is an inspired program that has the power to change lives—to send youngsters on a path to golfing stardom or to simply introduce them to a previously unforeseen athletic pursuit; to nurture confidence in a withdrawn individual and to instill the game’s greatest virtues at a key time in a student’s personal growth.

The (GIS) program has signed up more than 2,700 schools representing more than 315,000 students, but there are gaps that need to be filled as the program prepares for its next stage of evolution, the most prominent being with the end user.

For most of the year—and in many cases for years following a program’s initial implementation—equipment and teachers’ manuals sit dormant in gymnasium storage rooms. That’s not to say the responsibility lies entirely with the schools.

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, BC has been nominated for the Sport BC Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award for 2015. Winners of the various categories are announced at the awards dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Surrey's Michelle Kim Has Been Recognized By The CJGA For Her Outstanding 2015 Year On And Off The Golf Course - Image Credit Alfie Lau

courtesy CJGA

Richmond Hill, Ont. (December 18, 2015) - The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is pleased to announce Michelle Kim as the recipient of the 2015 Helena Harbridge Sportsmanship Award.

Kim, an 18-year old CJGA member living in Surrey, B.C. is the first British Columbian to earn the honourable distinction for an award that recognizes sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment in the game of golf.

The award is named after Helena Harbridge, an outstanding junior golfer and CJGA alum that passed away in 2006 during her freshman year at West Georgia University.

Herb Fung/ Golf Canada

Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., and dual citizen Maddie Szeryk who hails from London, Ont., as well as Allen, Texas, have been recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers after finishing atop their respective National Orders of Merit for the 2015 season.

Charles-Éric Bélanger and Michelle Kim claimed top honours on their respective CN Future Links Junior Orders of Merit.

via Golf Canada with files from the R&A

St. Andrews, Scotland – The R&A is conducting an industry forum in St. Andrews this week to examine the issues surrounding pace of play and the time it takes to play golf.

The Time for Golf conference, which is taking place today and tomorrow (Nov. 24-25) will bring together representatives of national affiliated bodies with figures from some of the key organizations involved in administering the sport to discuss factors such as the golf course, management and player behaviour.

Dale Jackson, chair of Golf Canada’s Rules Committee, is there representing Canada.

by Dan Pino/ Golf Canada

It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the entire golf community mourns the loss of Daniel (Dan) Albert Halldorson who passed away on November 18, 2015 at the age of 63.

Halldorson suffered a major stroke on Monday, November 16 at his home in Cambridge, Illinois and passed away two days later in hospital. He is survived by his wife Patricia, daughter Angela, son Mark, three grandchildren and countless friends across the Canadian and International golf community.

British Columbia Golf is taking part in a joint training session for P2F (Playground To Fairway) and SOAR (Sharing Our Activities And Resources) in early December - Jody Jackson, LPGA will be the master trainer for golf for this training workshop.

SOAR is a program developed by three provincial sport organizations, Tennis BC, British Columbia Golf and Curl BC, to help elementary school students experience three great sports.