Leah John Is Set For Her Pro Debut On The Epson Tour  

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

With a kinesiology degree in her back pocket and loads of great memories of her time at the University of Nevada, Vancouver’s Leah John begins a new chapter of her golfing life this week as she makes her first start as a professional.

“I am really excited,” says the two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur champion. “It’s kind of like the feeling you have before going to the best concert of your life.”

(Vancouver, BC, May 21, 2024) – Registration is open for She Plays Golf Festival, a citywide celebration of golf for women and girls taking place across the Greater Vancouver Area alongside the GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open from June 17 – June 22, 2024.

The weeklong festival features inclusive programming for women and girls who are recreational golfers or exploring the sport for the first time. Host partners include First Tee BC, and Province of British Columbia, supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It has been a tough few years for Bald Eagle Golf Club, the Point Roberts layout that was forced to close during the Covid pandemic, then re-opened in 2022 only to close again for the 2023 season.

It is now scheduled to re-open sometime early this summer with a new, but familiar name and a new owner. The course is returning to its former name, Point Roberts Golf & Country Club, and has targeted June 15 as a re-opening date, although there is a good chance it could be a week or two after that.

- New Economic Impact Study Released -

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA, May 23, 2024 – After a four-year pause due to COVID-19, the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) are on Parliament Hill leading National Golf Day and discussing with Parliamentarians the many positive benefits of golf for Canadians.

The golf industry representatives are also releasing the results of a new Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study highlighting golf’s financial contributions and incredible popularity as the number one participation sport in Canada.

National Golf Day also celebrates golf’s physical and mental health benefits, its safe sport attributes, social merits, environmental stewardship, diversity, life skills for youth, and economic value to the business community.

National data indicates that hundreds of thousands of Canadians have entered the sport since Covid-19, totaling six million Canadian golfers and further strengthening golf’s status as the number one participation sport in the country.

The 2024 Women's Golf Day celebration, with events being held in various locations from May 28th - June 4th this year, is now underway.

British Columbia Golf is pleased to direct anyone wishing to take part at a facility event to the posters below. We will add more as they become known.

Meanwhile, everyone can find out information on the WGD website HERE.

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota - Image Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Latin American portion of the PGA Tour Americas circuit concludes at this week’s Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia, where Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota must make the cut to secure his playing privileges for the tour’s North American swing.

Sihota enters the tournament ranked 61st on the Fortinet Cup points list. The top 60 players after this week’s event will be exempt for the nine Canadian events and one U.S. tournament on the North American swing that begins next month in Victoria.

Matthew Wilson File Photo - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Matthew Wilson wants to end his junior golf career on a high note and the Nanaimo native is off to a terrific start. Wilson kick-started his final round with a pair of chip-in eagles on his front nine at Summerland Golf Club and won the NextGen Pacific Championship by one shot over Joshua Ince of Surrey.

“I have put in a lot of work this off-season and one of the things I really wanted to do, especially with this being my last year of junior golf, is get my game in a good spot to win a lot of golf tournaments,” Wilson said.

Team BC Practices Prior To The 2023 North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches

This year will be the 36th edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches (NPJLTM) and represents an opportunity for BC to win their 7th consecutive event, equalling a record set many years ago by the Washington Golf Association.

The competition had been cancelled for 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team BC having won the previous five events played, from 2016 - 2019 and 2022, 2023.

The Oregon Golf Association will be playing host this year as the tournament is being held at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Oregon. 

British Columbia's Gary Pike - Image Courtesy PNGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Gary Pike made his PNGA Lamey Cup debut last year and is delighted he will be back for a second opportunity to play in the annual Ryder Cup-style competition featuring teams from the British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho golf associations.

“It was a blast,” says Pike, a Victoria resident who won the B.C Mid-Master Championship last spring. “You are representing British Columbia and it’s a pretty cool experience. The event was very well run and meeting other players there was fun. It was a real privilege to play.”

BC's Stuart Macdonald And His Caddie, Father Rob, With The Diners Club Peru Open Trophy - Image Courtesy PGA TOUR Americas

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When it was over, after Stuart Macdonald had tapped in a short putt to win the Diners Club Peru Open, he accepted congratulations from his two playing partners and then hugged his caddie. And wouldn’t let go.

Macdonald’s caddie was his dad, Robert, who after battling a serious illness, had travelled from Vancouver to South America to carry his son’s bag.

Stu Macdonald will never forget that emotional father-son embrace that followed a win that could change his professional golfing life.

The Okanagan Golf Club, Quail Course - Image Courtesy GolfBC/Okanagan GC: Bear & Quail

British Columbia Golf is holding a Player Development Camp at The Okanagan Golf Club on May 19th and 20th, 2024.

For details and a link to registration, please click on this link: 2024 Regional Interior Camp at Okanagan Golf Club 

The UBC Men's & Women's Golf Teams Were Both Victorious In The Warrior Invitational - Image Credit Toby Kerr (UBC Communications)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Officially, the University of B.C. women’s team has won two straight NAIA golf championships. But factor in the two years UBC was forced to miss the national tournament because of Covid, the Thunderbirds have won the last three national titles they have been able to compete in.

Don’t bet against them making it four straight when the NAIA Championships go May 14-17 at TPC Deere Run in Silvas, Ill.

Images Courtesy: BC Sports Hall Of Fame 

Help Us Open The Door For The Next eneration Of Indigenous Athletes & Coaches With A State Of The Art Virtual Reality Experience

For immediate release
April 15, 2024

Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Sport Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame is the largest known permanent gallery in the world dedicated to Indigenous sport and with the unveiling of one of the most comprehensive digitization projects in sports history, it can now be experienced through virtual reality by visitors from across British Columbia and across the world.

The Digital Indigenous Sport Gallery (DISG) is designed to increase the accessibility of the Indigenous Sport Gallery and highlight the accomplishments and contributions of Indigenous athletes, coaches and builders who have had a profound impact on sport history and culture – and bring their stories to life.

Ledgeview GC, Site Of The 2024 BC Amateur - Image Courtesy Ledgeview GC

We hope you are all enjoying the off-season and are ready for a packed summer of golf. Please see the information regarding the 2024 British Columbia Golf Provincial Championships below.

As the 2024 golf season nears, we are eager to host our Provincial Championships across British Columbia.

New Zealand's Amelia Garvey Tees Off On No. 10 At Vancouver Golf Club - BC Golf Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

There just seems to be something about Kiwis and Vancouver Golf Club. New Zealand’s most famous golf export, Lydia Ko, has won a pair of LPGA events at the Coquitlam layout and now Christchurch native Amelia Garvey has produced a little magic of her own.

Garvey dominated a 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, shooting rounds of 69 and 71 to finish four shots clear of the field. “I guess I should have called Lydia for some advice,” Garvey said. “I didn’t know she had won on this course.”

Adam Niles Wins RJGA Palm Valley Classic In Goodyear, Ariz. - Image Courtesy Josh Brown/WNMU Assistant Athletics Director

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Back in the fall of 2020, Adam Niles finished second in his first event at Western New Mexico University and remembers thinking that maybe collegiate golf wasn’t going to be as tough as he thought it might be.

The 21-year-old Kamloops native chuckled as he recalled that memory following his first collegiate win at last week’s RJGA Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Ariz.

“It has been a long time coming,” Niles said in a phone interview. “As a freshman I came second in my first event and that kind of set the expectations pretty high. After that, it was like, okay, maybe I can actually do this and compete with the guys out here. I have just been trying to get better each day I have been here.”

Shauna Wilton Becomes The Third Woman To Lead The Organization Since The Amalgamation Of The BCGA & The BCLGA

For Immediate Release

Delta, BC - April 9, 2024 - British Columbia Golf, BC's Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) for golf, is pleased to announce the election of its newest president, Shauna Wilton. Wilton was officially elected by the BC Golf Board on April 6th and succeeds Greg Moody, who will remain on the board as past president.

Wilton, the third woman to hold the position of president with the Association since the amalgamation of the BCGA and the BCLGA in 2004 said, "It’s an honour to work alongside the board, staff and volunteers to positively influence the sport I love so much."

A lifelong participant in sport and an avid recreational golfer, Wilton brings a wealth of related professional experience to her new position.

BC's Lauren Kim Tees Off On The 1st Hole At Augusta National In The Final Round Of The ANWA - Image Credit Chloe Knott/Augusta National

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Her scorecard, which Lauren Kim will undoubtedly cherish for the rest of her life, shows that she made a two on Augusta National Golf Club’s par 3 16th hole.

Kim will always remember how close that two was to being a one.

“I had the crowd roaring,” the 18-year-old Surrey native said of her tee shot that landed on the slope right of the pin and then slowly rolled down toward the hole.

Golf Canada Launches Season-Long Campaign That Highlights The Many Health Benefits of The Sport

- New Golf and Health campaign website along with Golf Canada mobile app enhancements to focus on the sport’s positive physical, mental, and social benefits for participants -

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada is highlighting the physical, mental, and social benefits that the sport can provide on Canadians through its brand-new Golf and Health campaign.

The campaign – Golf, It’s Good for You – launched leading into World Health Day April 7. All of the World Health Organization’s key criteria for health enhancing physical activity can be achieved through the sport of golf and Golf Canada is prioritizing communicating health as part of its strategic plan.