Sean Richardson Had A Big Impact On Many Young Golfers In BC - Image Courtesy Predator Ridge/Facebook

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor and Jessica Wallace will tell you that Sean Richardson not only helped them become better golfers, but better people. 

Taylor and Wallace were among many in the B.C. golf community who paid tribute to Richardson, who died April 18 after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of 52. 

Taylor and Wallace, who both worked with Richardson as junior golfers, say he had a profound impact on their lives. “My career started with Sean and it wouldn’t be where it is without him,” Taylor, a two-time PGA Tour winner, said in a post on Twitter.

“I’m so appreciative of his help in the early days and so grateful I got to see him last year. He was a light in the golf world and he will truly be missed. RIP Sean.”

Richmond Native Christine Wong Was Recently Named A Titleist Brand Ambassador - Image Courtesy Titleist/FootJoy

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When she has a spare moment, which doesn’t happen often in her life, Christine Wong sometimes thinks about one final run at the LPGA Tour. But then she reflects on how happy she is with her life right now and wonders why she’d want to change a thing.

“I think for the next couple of years or so I will probably just keep doing what I have been doing,” Wong says. “I feel like I am in a really good place in my life right now and it’s kind of nice.”

Nice and busy. Wong, a two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur champion who is now nearly eight years removed from a successful collegiate golf career at San Diego State University, has a lot on her plate.

It's no secret that, whenever possible, getting custom fitted for golf equipment is a great way to help improve your game. That can be especially true when it comes to the putter.

Recently, adaptive golfer Dallas Smith had a session at Kayson Golf (see Brad Ziemer article on BC's Kayson Golf company HERE) and with the aid of a couple of tips from proprietor Danny Seifried, Dallas began rolling in putts like a PGA TOUR pro. 

Check out the video below. 

Sean Richardson, Seen Here Receiving The PGA of BC's Jack Westover Coach Of The Year Award In 2018, Passed Away Sunday Following A Long Battle With Cancer - BC Golf File Photo

Courtesy PGA of BC

APRIL 21, 2021

RICHMOND, BC (PGA of British Columbia) –- The PGA of BC regrets to share the news that Sean Richardson (The Harvest Golf Club) passed away Sunday at the age of 52.

One of the most accomplished coaches and instructors among the ranks of PGA of BC Professionals, Richardson had battled cancer for several years prior to his passing. He spent the entirety of his impressive career based at golf facilities in British Columbia.

Courtesy viaSPORT

The arrival of spring means a new group of sports and leagues are getting underway. The following reminders apply to anyone conducting or participating in sport activities in British Columbia.

Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

In a normal year, the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit would be just over a month away from starting its season with a three-event swing through British Columbia. 

Of course, nothing is normal these days, and Mackenzie Tour executive director Scott Pritchard is scrambling to put together a schedule. Pritchard promises we’ll get an idea later this week what that might look like, but it will likely include events in both Canada and the United States.

Courtesy Allied Golf Association of BC

With updates to travel restrictions and new enforcement measures being officially announced on April 23rd, the Allied Golf Association of BC will be working to clarify the information and will be providing resources to help BC's golf courses navigate the shifting landscape.

In brief, the new measures are aimed at reducing the rapid spread of variants of concern and are intended to abate the spread of COVID-19 by focusing on restricting the movement of people into and within the province.

OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Development Officer, First Tee, British Columbia
Reports to: Senior Director, Development Golf Canada Foundation
Location: Bear Mountain Office, Victoria, BC & British Columbia Golf Association Office, Vancouver, BC Status: Full-Time
Anticipated Start Date: May 17th, 2021

via Allied Golf Association - British Columbia

We have the great fortune to continue to play golf in British Columbia amidst COVID-19 as our provincial health authorities recognize the activity is performed outside and can be enjoyed with proper protocols in place and adherence to provincial health orders.

Our British Columbia golf course operators have been provided Best Practices for Responsible Operation of BC Golf Courses and we remind golfers in British Columbia to do their part in golfing responsibly for everyone’s continued enjoyment of the game.

Here linked are a pdf version and a word version for the British Columbia Golf Industry’s use.

In the latest edition of The ModGolf Podcast, creator and host, Colin Weston, interviews Andy Walker, the Director of The UGA Academy & Player Development.

Walker explains how the state-of-the-art facility in Florida he calls The Wakanda For Golf aims to teach this game at the highest level "...with resources that include biomechanics and short game area to learn how to score develop emotionally, physically and mentally.”

We will introduce players of African decent to the industry because not all of them are going to play on tour. We want to flood the industry with qualified professionals that go into the management side of the game, or golf architecture, club design, agronomy. All the different opportunities with the PGA and on The PGA Tour.”

Congratulations to the 2000/01 UBC Women's Golf Team on being selected to enter the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. See the background on this accomplished team of athletes and the video accompanying their induction below. 

In the latest edition of The ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host Colin Weston sat down with COBRA PUMA Golf VP of Innovation Mike Yagley to learn the 'how and why' behind the creation of the 3D printed King Supersport-35 putter.

Colin also explored other disruptive initiatives with Yagley such as their "Machine Learning / The Internet of Things" collaboration with Arccos Golf.

Maple Ridge, BC's Cecile Kwon Is Seeing Her Collegiate Career At UBC Come To A Close - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Her collegiate career is not ending quite the way she had imagined, but that won’t tarnish the many great memories Cecile Kwon has of her four years with the University of British Columbia women’s golf team.

“I had an awesome experience and I feel so lucky and honoured to have been a part of this program,” says the 21-year-old from Maple Ridge.

“The past year definitely has been unexpected and different from what I could have imagined my senior year being like. But looking back, I don’t have any regrets about my college career because I had such amazing experiences during my first two years of full competitive play and into my third year until last March.”

The RBC PGA Scramble is a national series of events taking place at more than 140 golf facilities around the country in 2021, culminating with Regional Finals and the RBC PGA Scramble National Championship in October.

The series of events expects to draw more than ten thousand amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players— from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in a Regional and hopefully National Championship in October with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team at some of Canada’s finest golf courses.

Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club's New General Manager, Mark Strong, Anticipates A Busy Re-Opening Season For The Facility - Images Courtesy Twitter/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mark Strong, the new general manager and head professional at Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club, figures to be a popular guy this summer. He knows everyone is going to want to play Sagebrush when it reopens after being shut down since the end of the 2014 season.

And Strong, a former general manager at Richmond Country Club and longtime member of the PGA of BC, also knows he probably won’t be able to meet the demand from golfers wanting to tee it up on the scenic layout above Nicola Lake near Merritt that not long ago was rated as one of the 10 best courses in Canada.

Working Out Of His Delta shop Danny Seifried Of Kayson Golf Has Designed A Set Of Custom-Made Clubs That He Says Are Game-Changers - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Like so many Canadian kids, Danny Seifried had a hockey stick in his hands long before he ever touched a golf club. 

Seifried played junior hockey in the Kitchener area of southeastern Ontario and liked to fiddle with his stick to try and get the most of out of his slap shot.

He wasn’t introduced to golf until the pro at one of the local clubs invited Seifried and a few of his teammates, who included future NHLers Don and Dave Maloney, Paul Reinhart and Gaston Gingras, out for a round.

He handed them sets of rental clubs and off they went.

Media Release

Golf Canada will tee it up in 2021 to conduct national amateur championships and is working with public health authorities in host communities to finalize operational protocols so that the competitions may proceed safely. 

Following a 2020 season that saw the cancellation of all Golf Canada competitions due to the pandemic, the 2021 schedule will feature nine National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen Championships for junior-aged golfers, and several USGA qualifiers which will be hosted at member clubs across Canada, starting with the NextGen Pacific Championship at Bear Mountain G&CC in Victoria, BC on May 5th.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Since losing his PGA TOUR status at the end of the 2018-2019 season, Surrey’s Adam Svensson has been on a mission to make a return visit to professional golf’s promised land.

The former B.C. Amateur champion took a huge step toward realizing that goal by winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga. Svensson rolled in a birdie putt from about seven feet on the second extra hole to beat American Max McGreevy.

Among The Awards Presented At The Sport BC AOY Virtual Event Was The Inaugural 'Delivering On Diversity' Award, Won By British Columbia Golf

For Immediate Release – March 25, 2021 – (Vancouver, BC) 

Sport BC celebrated the 54thAnnual Athlete of the Year Awards virtually on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The event was hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell recognizing the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.

Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.

For Immediate Release – March 19, 2021 – (Vancouver, BC)

Sport BC will be celebrating the 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards virtually on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

The event is a pre-taped show hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell and will recognize the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.