BC's Tanelle Bolt Uses A Swing-Assist Cart At Langara GC In Vancouver - BC Golf Photo

BY REBECCA BLISSETT/Writer for Rick Hansen Foundation

For Anthony Brummet, like many of the 1 in 5 Canadians with a disability, his medical condition wasn’t something he had planned for. Anthony, or Tony as he is called, developed a health issue in his senior years that affects his legs to the point he can no longer stand.

British Columbia Will Go For Six Straight At The North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches Championship In Corvallis, Oregon

This international competition, created by Washington Junior Golf Association (WJGA) founder, Joan Teats in 1987, has featured a rotation of sites in recent years between the competing golf associations comprising British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The 2023 edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches is being held at Trysting Tree GC in Corvallis, Oregon and will see the contest taking on a slightly different look as Team BC goes for their 6th consecutive victory in the event.

With Idaho not competing this year, Oregon and Washington have combined to form one team (6 girls each), which will take on 5-time defending champion British Columbia who will be bringing 12 players to the event, creating a 'Canada vs U.S.A.' approach to this year's competition.

L-R: Lauren Kim, Michelle Liu & Luna Lu Finished As The Top 3 In The 2020 BC Women's Amateur. They Will Be Joined By Vanessa Zhang (Far Right) In The Upcoming Mizuho Americas Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Four B.C. junior golfers will be playing alongside some of the biggest stars on the LPGA Tour at the upcoming Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Burnaby’s Luna Lu, Lauren Kim of Surrey and Michelle Liu and Vanessa Zhang, both of Vancouver, are among 24 American Junior Golf Association players who have qualified to play in the inaugural event, which goes June 1-4.

Summerland's Nathan Ward Is The 2023 BC Men's Mid-Amateur Champion - All Images Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — Every golf round seems to bring with it that moment of adversity when a player’s character and resolve are put to the test.

For Nathan Ward, that moment came on the par 5 13th hole during the final round of the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships at Sandpiper Golf Course.

Ward made a mess of the hole, walking off the green with a double-bogey seven. That very easily could have been the end of Ward’s chances, but the 37-year-old Summerland resident wasn’t about to give up.

Nanoose Bay Resident Shelly Stouffer Captured Both The B.C. Women's Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championships At Sandpiper GC In Harrison Mills - All Images Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — For those of us wondering what Shelly Stouffer was going to do for an encore, she provided an answer at Sandpiper Golf Course.

Apparently, the Nanoose Bay resident is going to just keep winning.

After a stellar 2022 campaign, Stouffer began her 2023 season by capturing both the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master titles at the scenic Harrison Mills layout.

Tina Papatolis Is The Leader After Two Rounds Of The BC Women's Mid-Amateur - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — Tina Papatolis wasn’t about to let a horrible ending to her round spoil what she had accomplished the previous 17 holes.

Papatolis, a Canadian who now lives in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, arrived at the 18th tee at Sandpiper Golf Course one-under for her round. But after driving her tee ball left into the trees and then dunking her third shot into the pond fronting the green, she had to settle for a triple-bogey seven.

Still, her two-over 74 is the low score posted through two rounds of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships. And it gave Papatolis a three-shot lead heading into Thursday’s final round. The event is being held concurrently with the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championship.

Richmond's Mike Aizawa (Shown Here In The Recent PNGA Lamey Cup) Is One Of Five Tied For The Lead In The BC Men's Mid-Amateur At Sandpiper Resort - Image Courtesy PNGA

HARRISON MILLS — Sandpiper Golf Course proved to be a stern test in Tuesday’s opening round of the B.C. Women’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships.

Canada is home to some of the world’s finest public golf courses, but many go unrecognized in ScoreGolf's biennial Top 59 Public Courses ranking, which they are set to publish again later this summer.

That is where you come in. Submit up to 10 of your favourite public courses in your province by clicking on the link below.

SFU Red Leafs Men's Golf Team - Image Courtesy SFU/Sonoma State Athletics

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The solid play of senior Aidan Goodfellow (Centre In Team Photo Shown) and a pair of clutch 18th-hole birdies by Michael Crisologo and Jordan Bean helped the Simon Fraser University men’s golf team earn a spot in the NCAA Division II national championship tourney for the first time since 2015.

The Red Leafs tied for fourth at the West/South Central regional tourney in Rohnert Park, Calif., where the top five teams earned spots in the national championship tourney.

It was a nail-biter of a final round as only seven strokes separated the top nine teams.

Sandpiper GC Is Set To Play Host To BC's Men’s & Women’s Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master Championships - All Images Courtesy Sandpiper GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It has been well documented that the Covid-19 pandemic created a golf boom of sorts and perhaps no course has reaped the benefits more than Sandpiper, the stunningly scenic and serene layout on the shores of the Harrison River.

Located about 30 minutes east of Mission in the tiny community of Harrison Mills, Sandpiper has weathered some tough times since opening in 1998. But Covid and the vision of new ownership have changed things.

It's Time to Celebrate! Women's Golf Day Celebrations begin May 30 and run through June 6th! You can participate in a number of ways! Don't miss your chance to be a part of the fun!

There are lots of ways to get involved - starting May 30th.

The Last BC Team To Win The Lamey Cup Was In 2014 - PNGA Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was cool, rainy and windy at last year’s PNGA Lamey Cup, but John Robertson enjoyed every minute of what was his debut in the annual Ryder Cup-style competition featuring teams from the British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho golf associations.

Robertson loved the competitive side of the event, but also remembers the great camaraderie between the teams.

In keeping with the tradition of offering top-level coaching and support for aspiring young golfers in BC, British Columbia Golf is pleased to present the latest additions to the High Performance team with British Columbia Golf. 

Debbie Pyne, BC Golf's Managing Director of Player Performance - and recent recipient of Sport BC's In Her Footsteps...Celebrating Women In Sport Award, identified a need for regional representation for the Performance Coach positions and as such now welcomes Patrick Lago as the Vancouver-based Performance Coach and Conner Kozak as the Okanagan-based Performance Coach.

Image courtesy pexels/pixabay

OTTAWA, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) launches its month-long Sun Awareness Month campaign, urging Canadians to learn about the causes and early warning signs of skin cancer.

“With melanoma being the 5th most common cancer type found in youth and young adults (15-29) and 4th most common cancer type found in middle-aged adults (30-49), it should be a priority for Canadians to learn how to conduct a skin cancer self-examination and know the warning signs,” says National Chair of the CDA Sun Awareness Working Group and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Sunil Kalia.

For the full month of May, the CDA is dedicated to sharing important sun awareness messages and resources for Canadians, including steps to conduct a self-examination and preventative actions across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, the CDA website, media, and more.

BC Golf President Greg Moody (L) And Association Secretary Sheila van Gisbergen

British Columbia Golf is very pleased to announce the re-election of two key members of the Board for another year's term.

President Greg Moody along with Chair of the Zone Committee & Secretary of the Association, Sheila van Gisbergen, will continue their roles with British Columbia Golf for another year following re-election at a BC Golf Board Meeting on April 19th.

Greg Moody is a retired business owner in North Vancouver and is a 38-year member of the Seymour Golf & Country Club. Greg is a nationally certified, level three rules official, with extensive experience in both Provincial and National competitions and is also a long-time active member of BC Golf's Zone 4 committee. 

As Chair of the Zone Council, Greg joined the board of British Columbia Golf in 2019. He has also served on the Championship & Finance Committees.

An avid golfer of 20+ years, Sheila van Gisbergen is retired and loves both recreational and competitive golf. She joined the BC Golf Board in 2020 and is the present Chair of the Volunteer Recognition Committee as well as an active volunteer with Zone 6, and BC Golf Championships.

Sheila has also volunteered her time with Golf Canada, PGA Tour Canada, the PGA TOUR, LPGA, and the Qatar Masters on the former European Tour (now DP World Tour). 

British Columbia Golf welcomes the continued direction and support from Greg and Sheila and appreciates their time, hard work and dedication to the sport of golf. 

Spring is here and we are looking ahead to the 2023 CP Women’s Open. In its 49th playing, Canada’s National Women’s Open is coming to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver for the first time ever!

Delta, BC's Jace Minni - Image Courtesy Gonzaga University

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Gonzaga golf drought is over, thanks to Delta’s Jace Minni.

The former B.C. Juvenile Boys champion earned his first collegiate win in impressive fashion last week by capturing Seattle University’s Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., by four shots.

It was the first individual win by a Gonzaga University player since 2016 and Minni’s final-round 65 matched the low round in the history of the golf program at the Spokane school.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A former B.C. Bantam Boys champion now living in South Africa has made world-wide headlines after winning a prestigious junior tournament by 21 shots.

Daniel Bennett, a former Victoria-area resident who played out of Gorge Vale Golf Club, won the 2020 Bantam Boys title by six shots at Mount Brenton Golf Course in Chemainus. Shortly afterward, he and his family returned to their native South Africa.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to join Abuse-Free Sport, the new independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport.