For Immediate Publication

22 February 2021, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA: The R&A and the USGA have announced proposals for significant changes to the Rules of Amateur Status that govern the game worldwide.

These proposals result from a modernisation initiative that has identified a clear need to bring the Rules up to date to reflect today’s global amateur game and ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply.

The proposed Rules, along with explanations to key changes, have been posted on www.RandA.org and www.usga.org and the organisations are now inviting feedback from golfers and stakeholders. Comments will be accepted until Friday, 26 March 2021 with the new Rules scheduled to be adopted on 1 January 2022.

From L-R: Trevor Brown, Barb Silvester and Michael Parker - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Trevor Brown chuckles as he recalls the moment he decided to get serious about learning the rules of golf.

Brown was playing a round with a close friend many years ago and they had a few dollars riding on the match. Brown hit a shot that ended up in a penalty area and that’s where the trouble started and ended with Brown reaching into his wallet to pay his buddy.

“I was in a penalty area and started hitting the grass with my practice swings and he said, ‘hey, you just lost the match’ to me,” Brown says. “And I was like, ‘what do you mean, I'm your friend.’ He said, ‘that doesn’t matter, this is golf. You owe me five bucks.’ So I said to myself, you know what, I am going to learn the rules.”

British Columbia Golf would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year 2021 falls on Friday, February 12th, 2021, and celebrations culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 26th, 2021. See the full calendar.

Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 11th–17th, 2021).

Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2021 is the year of the Ox; 2020 the year of the Rat.

The 2021 BC Golf Education Summit series continues Tuesday, February 9th at 7PM. This next session features Colin Lavers and Matt Cella, two coaches from the BC Golf Performance program, who will be heading the 'Planning for Performance' webinar.

Anyone can 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.

You are invited to join a webinar: The 2021 BC Golf Education Summit - "Elevate to the Next Level." After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

The 2021 Summit will bring together leaders in golf development to discuss the pillars of performance along the competitive pathway, centered around this year's theme of “Elevate to the Next Level.”

The 2021 British Columbia Golf Championship Season Begins May 25th At Gorge Vale GC In Victoria With the Men’s and Women’s B.C. Mid-Amateur Championships - Image Courtesy Gorge Vale GC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf’s 2021 championship tournament schedule is testament to the fact that we are blessed with so many terrific golf courses throughout the province. “We are literally all over B.C. this summer,” says Doug Hastie, manager of field operations and tournament director with British Columbia Golf.

“We try to rotate our events around the province as much as we can.”

Bell Let’s Talk Day is Thursday, January 28 and we’re joining in to help drive progress in mental health.

COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives, including our mental health. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 38% of Canadians say their mental health has declined due to COVID-19, and people already struggling with their mental health were 2 times more likely to say their mental health has declined due to the pandemic.

Since 2010, Canadians and people around the globe have joined in the world’s largest conversation around mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Together we have taken big steps to reduce the stigma around mental health issues and inspire one another to take action and help create a Canada where everyone can access the mental health support they need.

Three Youngsters Enjoy A Game Of A Golf At Quilchena GC In Richmond - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Zephyr Melton / Golf.com

Golf is a beautiful game for many reasons, but one of the most notable is that it can be enjoyed your entire life.

From the time you are old enough to stand and hold a club until you are collecting social security benefits, golf is a constant.

Nick Taylor - Golf Canada Photo 

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

SO CLOSE AT SONY: Nick Taylor didn’t have quite the weekend he’d hoped for, but still tied for 11th at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Taylor entered the weekend with a two-shot lead after firing an eight-under 62 in Friday’s second round.

He closed with weekend rounds of 68 and 67 on the par-70 Waialae Country Club layout in Honolulu to finish the event at 17-under par, four shots behind winner Kevin Na.

Sunday’s finish was Taylor’s best on the PGA TOUR since winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am nearly one year ago. Taylor earned $153,450 on Sunday and completed a nice two-week visit to Hawaii.

He tied for 29th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Plantation course in Maui the previous week.

A Happy, Smiling, Maddox Hadwin Celebrated Her 1st Birthday Last Week - Image Courtesy Jessica & Adam Hadwin

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Adam Hadwin and his wife Jessica recently celebrated the first birthday of their daughter Maddox, a day in which they reflected on not only the joy she has brought to their lives but the struggle they faced bringing her into the world.

Adam and Jessica went through many ups and downs, including two failed pregnancies, in their attempts to start a family.

With the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Maddox arrived on January 8, 2020. The struggles they endured and the fact they were in a financial position to use IVF led the Hadwins to think about trying to help others facing similar challenges. Late last year they started The Hadwin Family Foundation.

British Columbia Golf will be holding two Provincial Rules seminars online beginning in February of 2021.

Please see the information below for details and to pick which option may be of interest to you.

Please Note:

The Player Development Trust Fund Program Is Being Restructured - The PDTF Program Committee Will Have Updated Information To Announce Soon  

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Courtesy John Gordon/Golf Canada

Anyone who knows me knows, I love Christmas. Heck, I even own a Santa suit and still think my grandson believes I’m the real thing when I show up at his house on Christmas morning.

So, as you read on, please don’t label me the Golfing Grinch.

With that disclaimer, and I am sure I speak on behalf of avid golfers everywhere, spare us the trinkets and trash when buying a gift for us this year.

image courtesy georgetakei.com/www.picpedia.org

Just a friendly reminder to all golfers in British Columbia that as much as this is the time of year for giving and celebrating, there are unfortunately also those who will look to take advantage of the 'seasonal goodwill' that flows during this time. 

We received a reminder of this from our friends down south at the Arizona Golf Associaton who shared a scam attempt sent to their members with a fake GoFundMe campaign. We've pasted the warning they shared with us below and wish to remind all of you to always be on the lookout and be aware of this type of communication.

Accomplished Executive, Administrator, Coach And high-performance golfer, Kevin Blue, Returns To Canada After Serving The Past Five Years As NCAA Division I Athletics Director At UC Davis - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Via Press Release

(December 3, 2020) — Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Blue has joined the National Sport Federation as its new Chief Sport Officer.

A dynamic and accomplished executive, coach, and high-performance golfer, Blue joins the Executive Team of the National Sport Federation after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

Written by Brent Long/ Courtesy Golf Canada

Canadians golfers are playing golf and adapting to new technology such as the Golf Canada App like never before.

In a year where record numbers of recreational rounds were registered with Golf Canada through June (1.2 million), July (1.6M), August (1.5M), September (1.5M) and October (618,500) embracing technology and new apps has become a way of life for most Canadians who have spent much of 2020 learning to deal with COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing measures.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 29 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2021 National Amateur and Junior Squads.

Fifteen athletes will compete on Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, consisting of eight players on the men’s squad and seven on the women’s squad.

The announcement marks a significant increase in roster size, adding six athletes to the previous year’s team. The roster expansion is due in large part to a restructuring of team resources in addition to increased funding support from the Golf Canada Foundation’s network of Trustee partners.

Abbotsford, BC's Nick Taylor Has His Eye On A Return To The Masters After His First Experience At Augusta - File Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor’s first Masters experience included 17 birdies, a four-putt, an anxious Friday night and Saturday morning sweating out the cut and countless great memories of his week at Augusta National.

He hopes to do it all again someday soon.

“I was hoping for a really low one today to maybe sneak into that top 12, but I will do everything I can to get back here, that’s for sure,” Taylor said over the phone after Sunday’s final round.

British Columbia Golf President Michelle Collens Is Excited About The Sport’s Growing Popularity - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(November 13, 2020) - When Michelle Collens joined the board of directors of British Columbia Golf a few years ago, she really wasn’t much of a golfer.

Collens would tee it up a couple of times a year in charity ‘Scramble’ events and that was about it. She enjoyed those outings, but never took the game too seriously. Back in those days, the rules of golf for Collens could be summed up something like this: Hit the ball, go find it... and then hit it again.

“I was just playing best-ball tournaments,” Collens says. “I was a really good best-ball player, just hit it and let’s see what we have to do next.”

In Flanders Fields...

BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.