BC Golf's Debbie Pyne (L) With BC Blind Golfer Darren Douma and All Abilities Golfer Joe Higgins (putting) - image credit Jeff Sutherland/Inside Golf

Hello Players,

We welcome you to register for the 2022 BC Golf Provincial Training Camp - Western Blind Golf being held at Westwood Plateau, Lago Golf Academy in Coquitlam on April 30th and May 1st.

This camp is open to all BC Blind Competitive Golfers, Men and Women, who are members of BC Golf/Golf Canada in good standing along with their personal coaches/guides.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The start of British Columbia Golf’s championship season is just two months away and Chief Executive Officer Kris Jonasson is delighted with the courses that will play host to the events. 

“We have an outstanding set of venues for our championships this year,” Jonasson says. “We’re really excited about where we are going.” 

The season tees off May 16-19 with the Women’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur/Mid Master Championships at Talking Rock Golf Course in Chase. “We have been trying to go to Talking Rock for an event the last three years and we have been thwarted by the pandemic,” Jonasson says.

ALL BCGA VOTING MEMBERS
ALL SECRETARY/TREASURER OF ZONES
ALL ZONE CHAIRS

SECOND NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 19th Annual General Meeting of the British Columbia Golf Association will be held at 7:00pm on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The meeting will take place virtually utilizing Zoom technology. Details as to how to attend the meeting will be circulated to voting members prior to the meeting. All supporting documents can be found on our website at the bottom of this page.

• For the benefit of the delegates, the AGM registration desk will be open at 6:45pm

DATED: the 15th day of March 2022

   
Sheila Van Gisbergen, Secretary
On behalf of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS

___________________________________________________________________________________________

BRITISH COLUMBIA GOLF VOTING MEMBERS

SECRETARY/TREASURER OF British Columbia Zone Committees

FIRST NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TAKE NOTICE THAT the 19th Annual General Meeting of British Columbia Golf will be a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. 

The meeting will use "Zoom" as the meeting platform and all voting members will be provided with a meeting link to log-in to the meeting.

All supporting documents can be located by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page. 

The 111th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship Returns June 6-12, 2022 At St. George’s Golf & Country Club In Partnership With Islington Golf Club In Toronto

For Immediate Release

(March 10, 2022) – The RBC Canadian Open is officially back to kick off the 2022 summer festival season!

Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to offer a full selection of ticket options for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.

Following two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open returns June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility.

The stars of the PGA TOUR will return to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host the tournament for the fifth time and first since 2010.

From L-R: David Atkinson, Berne Neufeld, Scott Vannatter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

First as a high school teacher and then as the director of Victoria Golf Club’s Evans Scholarship program for caddies, Berne Neufeld has made changing the lives of young people a personal passion. 

Neufeld is the reason the Evans program exists at Victoria Golf Club and her steadfast determination is why it has prospered. “Berne just took it upon herself to make it happen,” says John Bodenhamer, who is now chief championships officer with the United States Golf Association.

“She singlehandedly made it happen.”

via Golf Canada

Golf Canada’s 2022 Annual Meeting culminated on Thursday, March 3rd with the election of Liz Hoffman of Wasaga Beach, Ont. to serve a second term as the 116th President of the National Sport Federation.

Hoffman, a member of both Mad River Golf Club in Creemore, Ont. as well as The Thornhill Club in Vaughn, Ont. is joined by Vice-President Dale Jackson of Victoria, B.C. in leading the 13-member Board of Directors who will work closely with Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.

Based on the report of Golf Canada’s Nominating Committee, Hoffman and Jackson will be joined on the 2022 Board of Directors by returnees Alison Chisholm of Rothesay, N.B., Adam Daifallah of Montreal, Que., Diane Drury-Clarke of Montreal, Que., Shawn Evans of Kitchener, Ont., Patrick Kelly of Victoria, B.C., Susan MacKinnon of Calgary, Alta., Peter Major of Calgary, Alta., David McCarthy of Toronto, Ont., Jean-Sébastien Monty of Montreal, Que., and Rai Sahi of Mississauga, Ont., along with new addition Michelle Collens of Vancouver, B.C.

After a two-year break the Zone 3 & 4 Junior Girls Spring Tour is returning!

Please see the notice and details on the Spring Tour from co-ordinator Christine Wong below.

Media Release/Golf Canada

Golf Canada is undertaking an integrated and multi-faceted enhancement of its high-performance program to accelerate Canada’s position in the global professional golf landscape.

The National Sport Federation announced last week (Feb. 23rd) a strategic framework for its player development program with a stated primary objective to increase the cumulative number of Canadian athletes on the LPGA and PGA TOUR to 30 by 2032.

With the Canada Summer Games back on the schedule this year, following its postponement in 2021 due to the Covid -19 pandemic, British Columbia Golf is pleased to announce the selection of the coaches who will be in charge of our province's team heading to Niagara, Ontario August 6th - 21st.

Golf is being played the second week from August 14th - 21st, and will feature two events. Both the team event and individual event will be played at the Legends on the Niagara Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls with four rounds of play.

Golf joined the Summer Games sport program in 2009, and has been on every summer program since. https://niagara2022games.ca/

Written by Clark Stork (reprinted with permission)

Regina’s Chad McCormick is very pleased he has a Golf Canada membership.

McCormick was in Kelowna for a family wedding celebration when a vehicle in the parking lot at the course he was playing was broken into. The vehicle was “cleaned out” according to McCormick with many wedding gifts being swiped as well as clubs belonging to several players, including McCormick.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The 2022 BC Golf Education Summit. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

The 2022 Summit will bring together leaders in their field to talk about competitive golf as it relates to Mid-Amateur and Senior athletes. It is an amazing opportunity for competitive players to come together to learn from some of the most knowledgeable people in Canada on how to succeed along the path to becoming the best possible golfer you can be.

All Webinars are free and start at 7:00 p.m. PST

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

The British Columbia golfing community lost a good friend last week with the passing of George Faithfull. 

Faithfull, a life member of Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, was a past president of British Columbia Golf who spent countless hours serving as a volunteer at golf events throughout the province. 

Kris Jonasson, chief executive officer of British Columbia Golf, credited Faithfull for being a mentor to so many golfers. “George Faithfull was a wonderful leader and a real asset to British Columbia Golf,” Jonasson said.

BC Golf Senior Contributor Brad Ziemer recently spoke with Michelle Collens who has sat on the British Columbia Golf's board since 2013, the last two years as President...

Let's face it, almost all of us are if not openly, at least 'closet' rules freaks, when it comes to golf. Some of the most fascinating discussions and heated arguments in the game come about from the unlimited variety of situations and circumstances that present themselves during a round of golf due to the very nature of where the game takes place...in nature. 

Please click HERE to learn about taking the LEVEL 1 online workshop. If you wish to take your knowledge of rules even further, Provincial Rules Seminars (requiring Level 1 certification online) are a great next step.

To that end, whether you're just curious about how to properly apply the rules to your or your playing partner's predicaments, or would even consider taking your knowledge to a higher level of application...golf tournaments and associations are always in need of accredited 'rules officials'...anyone with a Level 1 rules certification can register to take part in the upcoming British Columbia Golf rules seminars, which begin on February 1st.

"At the start of every championship season, it is a series of family reunions for the referees, tournament officials and players as we prepare and work our championships. Volunteering at a championship is hard work, however, it's very rewarding to pay it forward for the love of the game.”

- Michael Cook, BC Golf Rules Official and Board Member

Information and registration for online sessions can be found HERE

Courtesy Golf Canada

OAKVILLE – (Golf Canada) – Some golfers claim their favourite aspect of the game is recanting highlights (and maybe even some lowlights) with friends following a round of golf.

Now, members of Golf Canada and their respective provincial golf association who track their games with Golf Canada Score Centre can do just that… digitally.

Introducing Golf Canada #MyGolfYear – a retrospective of a member’s golf year generated by the scoring data posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre in 2021.

The LPGA Amateur Golf Association is the recreational arm of the LPGA family. They are the largest women’s amateur golf community in the world dedicated to growing access to the sport and creating golf opportunities for women across their 118+ chapters worldwide.

With three chapters established in British Columbia, including LPGA Amateurs – Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley, LPGA Amateurs – Vancouver Island, and LPGA Amateurs – Okangan /Kamloops/ Shuswap, we feel as though membership to the association would be the perfect gift for the female golfer in your life.

Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada via R & A

(St. Andrews, Scotland) – New research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) show golf has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity worldwide since 2016 with over five-and-a-half million additional golfers taking up the sport.

The number of total golfers globally has increased from 61 million to 66.6 million in a five-year growth period, surpassing the previous high mark of 61.6 million set in 2012.

The measure includes club members and non-member independent golfers playing nine or 18 holes and users of driving ranges in markets where course availability is limited.

The Charles Schwab Challenge Grant is providing a transformational opportunity to help First Tee – Canada deepen your impact by matching funds raised until the end of 2021!

First Tee is an internationally recognized grassroots life skill development program that builds character, instills life-enhancing values and promotes healthy choices for young people through the game of golf.

In 2021, Golf Canada launched three inaugural First Tee chapters in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

Our goal is to have 5,000 participants in each of our launched chapters by the end of 2022 and add new chapters serving all provinces by the end of 2023.

Great news, this year your tax-deductible gift will be matched 1:2 ($1 is matched for every $2 raised) through the Charles Schwab Challenge Grant! With your support, we can help deliver exceptional life-skills programming through the game of golf.

By John Gordon/ Courtesy Golf Canada

This time of year, we are inundated with “gift guides for the golfer in your life.” I’m here to tell you I am that golfer and I don’t want most of that stuff.

Why the greatest game has the cheesiest accessories is beyond me. You’ve seen them: Caddyshack gopher head covers, ugly sweaters and those visors with the fake hair sprouting out the top.

Note to my family: Buy me one of those and the next time you see one while walking through the local thrift store and remark, “Hey, that’s just like the one we got Uncle John for Christmas,” rest assured it is the same one.

So here’s the real stuff the golfer in your life (and likely you) want for Christmas.