British Columbia Golf is fully invested in doing all we can to assist and promote golf as an accessible sport for all.

As part of this committment we are circulating this survey intended to gather information to enable further gains to be made in creating and improving accessiblity to golf and golf facilities for those who may themselves have or know others with physical or cognitive limitations.

Please click on the link below to take part in a short survey. As is requested in the opening question, if you are not someone who has physical or cognitive limitations as identified by EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), kindly pass along or inform anyone you may know who could be interested. 

Survey Link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VFX5W9J

 BC's Nick Taylor Has Qualified To Play In His 4th U.S. Open - Image Credit Marcus Oleniuk/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor is heading back to the U.S. Open and will have some British Columbia company as Roger Sloan of Merritt also advanced from a final qualifier in Dallas. 

With 13 spots up for grabs at the Dallas site, Taylor tied for sixth at nine-under par in the 36-hole qualifier. Sloan had to do some extra work.

He had to survive a six-man playoff for the final two spots after tying for 12th at seven-under. Sloan birdied the second playoff hole after sticking a wedge from 102 yards to three feet.

Longtime Shaughnessy Golf Club Member Patrick Weeks Also Won The B.C. Mid-Master Championship - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHASE -- Seven final-round birdies weren’t enough, so Patrick Weeks made one more. The longtime Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club member birdied the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Brent Pound of Kamloops and win the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Talking Rock Golf Course.

“This is amazing,” said Weeks. “I honestly can’t believe it is true. I have been second so many times -- last year at the B.C. Amateur, then I lost in a playoff at Big Sky in the Mid-Am in 2014. This is redemption. I was two shots back the last time the Mid-Am was here at Talking Rock (in 2015) and they called off the final round due to rain. So this is poetic justice.”

Nonie Marler Of Vancouver With The B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur Trophy - Image Courtesy Nonie Marler

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHASE -- Nonie Marler led from start to finish at the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have to overcome a little adversity along the way.

During Thursday’s final round at Talking Rock Golf Course, Marler was cruising along with a three-shot lead when her tee ball on the par 4 13th hole sailed slightly right, struck the top of a tall tree and was never seen again. 

No one saw it come down -- there’s a good chance it remained up in the tree -- and suddenly Marler was under some pressure.

Vernon, BC's Bryce Barker Played His Way Into The Final RBC Canadian Open Qualifier 

Via Golf Canada

PITT MEADOWS, B.C. – It took six holes for Bryce Barker to get settled in at Meadow Gardens Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C., but once he found his groove, there was no looking back.

After making a bogey on hole 6, the Vernon, B.C. native shifted gears into the fast lane as he recorded three birdies in his final 12 holes to finish at 2-under par on Tuesday at the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in British Columbia.

As there were less than 100 competitors at the Regional Qualifier, Barker did not gain a direct exemption into the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, but will be vying for a spot in the tournament at the Final Qualifier.

Nonie Marler And Andy Robb Are The 36-hole Leaders at B.C. Women’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHASE -- There were whitecaps on the water and lots of bogeys (and others) on scorecards Wednesday at Talking Rock Golf Course. 

Those waves on Little Shuswap Lake were a warning to players at the B.C. Women’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships that second-round conditions were going to be challenging. Make that brutal.

A bit of a morning breeze turned into an absolute gale in the afternoon. Throw in a little hail and unseasonably cool temperatures and Talking Rock presented an extremely stiff test.

BC's Lauren Kim Is Off To The U.S. Women's Open At Pine Needles In North Carolina - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The email informing Lauren Kim she has a spot in next month’s U.S. Women’s Open came in the middle of the night. Her dad, an early-riser, saw it first.

“My dad woke up really early and just looked through his email and was like, ‘oh my gosh, Lauren just got into the U.S. Open,’ a delighted Kim said Tuesday.

“But he didn’t say anything because I was sleeping. Then my mom woke up around 6:30 and she came into my room screaming, ‘you just got in!’ It was a nice wake-up call.”

The 2022 UBC Women's Golf Team -Image Courtesy Cascade Collegiate Conference

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It would have been easy for the UBC Thunderbirds to be a little upset with their No. 3 ranking heading into the upcoming NAIA Women’s Golf Championships in Oklahoma City.

All the Thunderbirds have done this season is win all 10 events they played in. What does a team have to do to be No. 1?

The Thunderbirds have decided to take the high road and let their clubs do the talking. The team’s attitude, quite simply, is we’ll show you how good we are.

Calling all golfers! Join us on Friday, June 24th at the Whistler Golf Club as we kick off the summer with a great day of golf, sunshine and fundraising! We already know you love to golf, but we want to know if you love to give back! Show us some love by registering your foursome today.

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program: Golf for a Good Cause June 24th, 2022 - see details below.

UBC Thunderbirds Golf Coach Chris Macdonald - Image Credit Wilson Wong/UBC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It shouldn’t take the UBC Thunderbirds men’s golf team long to find out where it stands at this week’s NAIA Championship tourney in Silvas, Ill. The sixth-seeded Thunderbirds are paired with top-ranked Keiser University of West Palm Beach, Fla., in the first two rounds of the tournament. 

“Keiser has been the best team in the NAIA all season, so it will be a great test for us,” said head coach Chris Macdonald. UBC has a young team and Macdonald is pleased with the way it has progressed this season. “I feel like our team has improved a lot this year,” he said. 

RICHMOND, British Columbia — The PGA of British Columbia is proud to announce the launch of a new Association initiative in 2022 that will help showcase the many elements of one of the fastest-growing areas of golf.

PGA of BC Women’s Golf Week presented by Dexim Golfwear will take place June 1-7, 2022, and will be an online-based platform for the Association to highlight various aspects of the game, specifically targeted at females in BC. From juniors to seniors and beginners to tournament players, Women’s Golf Week will dedicate seven days to showcasing the many people, programs, and upcoming events available to all female golfers across the province.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

She’s a senior golfer now, but Shelly Stouffer likes her chances as she prepares to tee it up with the ‘kids’ at the B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship at Talking Rock Golf Course.

Stouffer, the reigning B.C. and Canadian Senior Women’s champion, has never laid eyes on Talking Rock. But these days, her golf game is travelling well. She’s never felt more confident about her swing.

“I am feeling pretty good,” Stouffer says. “I like my chances. I don’t know if I have ever hit it this well. I have hit it farther before, but not as consistently straight and in play all the time. I feel like my swing is a lot better than it has been. And I am putting well. It’s great. I love where my game is at. I am just much more consistent.”

Via Marine Drive Golf Club

Marine Drive is set to host a new competitive Junior Tournament this coming summer. The Invitational will be catered towards highly competitive golfers looking to test their skills at a premier golf club.

Marine Drive Golf Club has long produced many talented players that have gone on to become accomplished professionals and amateurs. Today that spirit remains the same, with programs aimed towards nurturing top-tier golfing talent. 

With this new junior event we hope to give young aspiring golfers a chance to compete where some of the best in the region have mastered their games.

BC's NPJLTM Squad Are No Strangers To Success On The Golf Course. Clockwise From Top Left: Angela Arora, Yeji Kwon, Luna Lu, Martina Yu, Tina Jiang & Katherine Hao 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The long wait is over for Team British Columbia in its quest for a ‘five-peat’ in the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches. 

It was way back in 2019 that British Columbia won its fourth straight title in the annual competition that features junior teams from B.C., Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

B.C.’s drive for five was put on hold when the 2020 and 2021 matches were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, finally, the matches are a go and scheduled for May 28-29 at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash.

Coquitlam's A.J. Ewart Picked Up His 5th Win Of The Year Last Week - Photo/Ethan Lowe VSU)/Barry U

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A.J. Ewart is the top-ranked player in NCAA Division II golf and the Coquitlam native keeps showing us why.

Ewart won again, in most impressive fashion, at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional tourney in Valdosta, Ga. Ewart, a junior at Barry University in south Florida, closed with a six-under 66 on what was his 23rd birthday (on May 7) and beat the field by six shots with a 54-hole total of 13-under par.

Proctor, BC's Jackie Little - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jackie Little and Shelly Stouffer wouldn’t want to change a thing after their two matches Wednesday at the PNGA Lamey Cup team competition at Bellingham Golf & Country Club. Well, maybe one thing. 

Little and Stouffer won both of their matches in convincing fashion after something of a scare just prior to their morning four-ball match. That’s when a cart attendant plowed into Little’s push cart, which then banged her and sent the British Columbia Golf Hall of Famer flying into a rock wall.

Little, who now lives in the small Kootenay community of Procter, played both matches with a sore lower back, but you never would have known it.

Chilliwack Golf Clubis hosting a ParaGolf Canada adaptive golf clinic on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

There are a limited number of spaces available, so those interested should register through Chilliwack GC's website.

The cost is $25 and the clinic runs from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, followed by a “Trick Shot Show” by Todd Keirstead.

Participants are also welcome and invited to join CGC for a dinner banquet in the Canex Pavilion at 5pm. See more details in the poster below. 

Mid-Amateur Champions Craig Doell & Shelly Stouffer Head Up BC Golf's PNGA Lamey Cup Team

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The PNGA Lamey Cup is named in honour of Dr. Jack Lamey, a former president of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association who started the Ryder Cup-style team competition featuring players representing the Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia golf associations 16 years ago.

Kelowna’s Norm Bradley, a former B.C. Senior Men’s champion, considers it his good fortune to have played in nine of them. He’ll make his 10th appearance in early May when the Lamey Cup resumes after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus at Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

Kim Cowburn Plays A Shot During The Official Opening Of The Back 9 At Hirsch Creek Golf Club in 1991 - Image Courtesy Kim Cowburn-Evans

By Kim Cowburn-Evans

I grew up in Kitimat, a small, isolated town in Northwestern British Columbia. Winters were exceedingly long and gargantuan snowfalls were the norm. Summer seemed to stop by for a short visit and then disappear as quickly as it arrived.

I wasn’t quite 11 in the spring of 1978 when golf was introduced to me. I most definitely did not display any natural talent for the game at all, but it would soon become the centre of my universe.

I've never been the sun worshipping type. The pursuit of a tan was not conducive to my pasty, fair skin and blue eyes. As it happens, chronic sun exposure and playing golf go hand-in-hand. I have burned, blistered and peeled so many times that it’s a wonder that I have any skin left.

Riley Wheeldon Has Fully Exempt Status This Year On The PGA TOUR Canada - PGA TOUR Canada Image

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Riley Wheeldon will tell you it was a lot more than home course advantage that propelled him to his impressive performance at last week’s PGA Tour Canada qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Resort. 

Sure, his intimate familiarity with the Crown Isle layout that is located not far from his childhood home in Comox came in handy, but Wheeldon credits an attitude adjustment with his solid play. 

“My game has always been there,” Wheeldon said. “My attitude hasn’t. That was one thing I said to myself last summer, that if I was going to keep doing this, my attitude has to change. Having a little refresh this winter, I was able to come out and focus on attitude and let everything else fall into place and behold, this game is pretty fun.”