Jordan Belton Of The Vancouver Golf Club Receives His Trophy And Awards From David Atkinson, President Of British Columbia Golf - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

Relentless rain at Talking Rock in Chase, BC cancelled the final round of the 2015 British Columbia Golf Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master championship on Thursday.

“The course was unplayable. There was excessive water in the fairways,” said Susan White, Senior Manager, Field Operations for British Columbia Golf. “To have played would have not been good for the course or the players.”

White and her tournament team surveyed the course just before 6 a.m. Thursday and notified the players via email just before 6:30 a.m. The respective leaders after the second round were awarded the titles at a presentation ceremony Thursday morning.

The Vancouver Golf Club’s Jordan Belton won the Mid-Amateur title, with a winning score of (-1) 143. Coming in a tie for second, two strokes behind, were Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club’s Patrick Weeks and Tobiano Golf Club’s Adam Kernan.

Lance Lundy Leads The British Columbia Golf Mid-Master Component Of The Mid Amateur Event At (+2) 146 After Two Rounds At Talking Rock - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

A steady rain provided some challenges during Round 2 of the British Columbia Golf Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master at Talking Rock Golf Course in Chase on Wednesday.

The British Columbia Mid-Amateur is for players age 25 and older while the Mid-Master is for players age 40 and older. The 54-hole event has a cut to top 70 and ties after 36 holes.

Talking Rock played to 6,620 yards on Wednesday, with only two players breaking par. Jordan Belton and Mark Heinrich, playing in the same group, both shot (-1) rounds of 71, while Kamloops’ Adam Kernan came in at even par 72.

Belton leads the Mid-Amateur standings with a (-1) total of 143. He’s two strokes ahead of Kernan and first-round leader Patrick Weeks, who shot (+3) 75 on Wednesday.

Patrick Weeks Of Shaughnessy Is The First-Round Leader At The British Columbia Golf Mid-Amateur At Talking Rock In Chase. Weeks Shot A (-2) Round Of 70 - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau

The first tournament of the British Columbia Golf calendar kicked off Tuesday at Talking Rock Golf Course in Chase with the Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master. The British Columbia Mid-Amateur is for players age 25 and older while the Mid-Master is for players age 40 and older.

The 54-hole event – cut to top 70 and ties after 36 holes – opened under grey skies and some rain, but that didn’t stop three golfers, of the 97 who started the tournament, from breaking par on the par-72 6,641-yard track.

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.

At 15 Years Of Age Khan Lee Is The Youngest Member Of The Boys Team - But He May Be The Most Outgoing - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

Three months from now, the best 16-and-younger golfers will compete at the Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, AB and British Columbia will be ably represented by 8 of the best young golfers in the country.

Head coach Matt Palsenbarg officially named his team after the CN Future Links event in Qualicum Beach earlier this month and the teams feature a girl’s team of all 15-year-olds and a boys team of 3 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old.

Nick Sherwood Smiles As He Receives His Ticket From Susan White Of British Columbia Golf To Play In The PC Financial Open At Point Grey After Monday Qualifying At Swaneset Bay Resort - image credit alfie lau

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

For Albany, OR’s Nick Sherwood, it was the longest afternoon of his golf career.

After shooting a morning round of (-3) 69 at Swaneset Bay’s Resort Course during the Monday qualifier for the PC Financial Open, Sherwood had to wait hours to see how the rest of the other 129 players who had forked out $250 to play for one of 10 spots into the first PGA TOUR Canada stop at Point Grey would do.

Just before 7 p.m., Sherwood got the word he was looking for from British Columbia Golf’s Susan White, who was happy to give Sherwood one of 10 pieces of paper telling him his next steps, which included what awaited him at Point Grey.

The Downhill 180 Yard 12Th At Portland Golf Club Is Called Bridge And Is Protected By Four Green Side Bunkers - Image Credit Alfie Lau

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

It may be the most prestigious amateur title in U.S. women’s golf, but don’t tell that to the myriad of Canadian women who will be trying to hoist the Robert Cox Cup at Portland Golf Club on August 16.

Portland, Ore. – The 12-person team representing the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) took a slim lead into the second day’s play and held on to win the 10th PNGA Cup.

The Ryder Cup-style matches were held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore., and featured 48 of the finest amateur golfers representing the Washington, Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia golf associations.

British Columbia Golf Volunteer And Member Of The Leq:amel First Nation (Sto:lo Nation) In The Fraser Valley, Patrick Kelly, Addresses The AGA "Golf Awareness Day" Assembly - Image Credit Jeff Sutherland

by Jeff Sutherland, Inside Golf

When the Allied Golf Association of BC (AGA BC) was formed four years ago, one of its chief aims was to present the needs and position of Golf in BC to government.

And if the fourth annual "Golf Awareness Day" held in late April in Victoria was any indication, they are doing a great job. Twenty MLA's came to a luncheon and got an update on where golf in BC is and where it is headed.

 There Are Nine Par 4's At Two Eagles GC In West Kelowna

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

The province’s best 14-and-under golfers will descend on Two Eagles Golf Course in West Kelowna Aug. 24 and 25 for the 2015 British Columbia Golf Boys’ & Girls’ Bantam & Novice Championships.

When they get there and see a scorecard that tops out at 5,005 yards from the black tees and 3,793 yards from the red tees, they may mistakenly think Two Eagles is a pushover, but after playing the course, they’ll realize the course is more than tough enough.

 Vernon's Spallumcheen G&CC Is No Stranger To Hosting Championships

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

Just 10 minutes outside of Vernon, champions have been produced at the Spallumcheen Golf & Country Club. 

The 6,423-yard track, which most recently played host to the 2013 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, has also hosted the BC Junior Championship, the BC Senior Men’s Championship, the BC Senior Ladies’ Championship, the BC Men’s Amateur (with Vernon Golf & Country Club) and the BC Ladies’ Amateur.

So it’s no surprise that Spallumcheen will be hosting the best 16-and-under golfers for the British Columbia Golf Juvenile Championships Aug. 18-20.

 The 'Jewel' Of The South Okanangan, Fairview Mountain GC, Is Ready To Host The Best Male Amateur Golfers In The Province This Summer

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

Known by locals as the Jewel of the South Okanagan, the Fairview Mountain Golf Club is set to surprise, bedevil and enthrall the province’s best amateur golfers this July when it hosts the 113th British Columbia Amateur Championship.

The big prize may be the Bostock Trophy, which was won last year by Vancouver’s Jordan Lu in a thrilling five-hole playoff over Michael Belle, but every golfer lucky enough to tee it up at Fairview Mountain will come away impressed with how well-conditioned, challenging and fun the course is for all golfers.

The results From The Nike Golf Picking The Majors Contest are now tabulated.

The Grand Prize Winner is Omineca Golf & Country Club member Michelle Naka from Vanderhoof, BC .

For only the second time in the six year history of the Picking The Majors (21 separate contests), the winning entry did not make all ten picks correctly.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Dick White on Saturday, April 18th at the BC Golf Museum located at 2545 Blanca Street, Vancouver, BC from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.

Known as a kind and gentle man who led by example and cared deeply for his family, friends and community, White was instrumental in working with the provincial government to cut through all the red tape so that the then newly-formed society could take possession of the old University Golf Course clubhouse and start renovations to create what is now the BC Golf Museum. 

Outside of work and family, Dick was passionate about golf. In addition to being a member of Marine Drive Golf Club and Beach Grove Golf Club, Dick was president of the B.C. Golf Association, captain of Beach Grove Golf Club and co-founder of the B.C. Golf House Society. In later years, he also found time to volunteer at the Tsawwassen Community Police Station.

Please contact BC Golf Museum if you plan to attend. Call the Museum at (604)-222-4653 or e-mail them at office@bcgolfhouse.com

by David Atkinson, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf  Past President David Atkinson has been a major part of a process to revitalize the Association and re-align its mission, vision and values to be in keeping with the needs of all the province’s golfers.

B.C's Top Female Amateur Golfers Will Compete At The Challenging Duncan Meadows Layout This June - Image Credit Jeff Sutherland

by Bryan Outram, Inside Golf

Duncan Meadows first opened for play in the early 1990's. In its early years, the course was operated by various owners, under different names, and without much success, until Grace and Ming Hui purchased the property out of bankruptcy in the fall of 1996.

By then, the course had been allowed to deteriorate to the point that it appeared well on its way back to its dairy farm origins. However, Grace and Ming saw the potential of the rolling terrain, abundant wildlife, the impressive backdrop of Mt. Prevost and the solid existing course layout.

During the next several years, the Hui's incorporated a hands-on management style and put in endless hours of good old-fashioned work to essentially rescue the course, and develop it into a site that became capable of hosting elite level events.

To that end Duncan Meadows will play host to this year's British Columbia Golf Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championships starting on June 30th.

by Bryan Outram, Inside Golf

The Cowichan Golf Club first opened for play on June 24, 1922 as a 9-hole AV Macan design on just over 31 acres in the Cowichan Valley where the Duncan mall is located today.

It was ultimately Macan who would also design the next layout that opened on August 21, 1949 eventually seeing it expand in June of 1985 to the 18-hole track it is now .

On June 24 of this year, exactly 93 years to the day it first opened for play, the Cowichan GC will play host to British Columbia Golf’s Mid-Master, Senior, Super-Senior and Stableford Women’s Championships.

Talking Rock's Par 3 15th Hole - courtesy Talking Rock GC

by Bryan Outram, Inside Golf

British Columbia Golf opens their 2015 Championship schedule on June 2nd with the Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master events taking place at the Talking Rock Course at Quaaout Lodge in Chase, B.C.

 Junior Boys Titleist Order Of Merit Award Winner Alex Francois Accepts His Plaque From David Atkinson At The British Columbia Golf AGM

by Alfie Lau

Ten amateur golfers were honoured on March 28th with Titleist Order of Merit plaques at the British Columbia Golf Annual General Meeting.

While only three of them were on hand to receive their plaques in person, that doesn’t diminish the great seasons they had in 2014 on the golf course.

Distinguished Service Award Winner Karen Vanzella, Centre, Receives Her Award From British Columbia Golf President David Atkinson, Left, And Executive Director Kris Jonasson, Right, At The March 28 British Columbia Golf Annual General Meeting In Richmond

by Alfie Lau

Volunteers who’ve given countless hours to amateur golf were amongst the attendees at the 12th Annual General Meeting for the British Columbia Golf Association on March 28th at the Executive Airport Plaza in Richmond.

They were there to hear an informative presentation from Executive Director Kris Jonasson on the USGA’s Pace of Play Research Findings, hear about the Association’s financials, and give thanks to Karen Vanzella, this year’s Distinguished Service Award winner.