Image Courtesy Golf & Health

At Health and Social Care Questions in the House of Commons, All-Party Parliamentary Golf Group Co-Chair, Craig Tracey MP, raised the benefits that golf delivers to participants, following research from the Golf and Health Project, supported by The R&A.

“As the Minister may be aware, I currently Co-Chair the All-Party Group on Golf, a sport sometimes unfairly labelled as a good walk spoiled.

“Would the Minister agree with me that there are many positive health benefits associated with participation in golf, especially for those people with long term conditions?”

The Minister responded “I certainly will, as somebody who used to work in the golf industry before coming to this place.

The Shot Clock Masters 2018 Cover Photo - Image Courtesy European Tour

In this week's edition of the Globalgolfpost.com, contributing writer Lewine Mair's column The Take, offers an eye-opening perspective on some of the European Tour's efforts at addressing slow play, a topic that has become a very hot issue in recent years. 

A major proponent of 'actions speak louder than words' Canada's Keith Pelley, the European Tour's Chief Executive, has put into action some new ideas to test the waters as far as effecting change in the way the game of golf has appeared to slow to a snail's pace. Case in point is the recently played Shot Clock Masters at the Diamond Country Club in Austria. 

Mair goes in depth in her story on not only the event itself but the overall reaction and possible ramifications of golf tournaments where players are timed in 50 seconds or less for each shot, depending on certain circumstances, with the threat of an immediate penalty hanging over them should they fail to pull the trigger in time. 

Read the complete story HERE.

Click HERE to see a video of Keith Pelley discussing the effects of this type of event. 

BC's Phil Jonas Has Played His Way Into The U.S. Senior Open For The Second Straight Year - Image Courtesy PGA of BC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Phil Jonas is getting another crack at the U.S. Senior Open. Jonas played his way into the event for the second straight year, winning the lone spot up for grabs at a qualifier Monday in Sequim, Wash.

The 56-year-old Jonas, who runs a golf academy in his name at Hazelmere Golf Club in Surrey, shot a three-under 69 at The Cedars at Dungeness to beat a field of 51 players by two shots. 

“I played decently today after playing so poorly last week at the PGA of B.C. Seniors tourney,” Jonas said in a telephone interview. “I was happy with the way I played.

Sam Fidone Holds The Winner's Trophy From The Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist - Image Credit Kevin Light/Mackenzie Tour

Courtesy Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—After his third round, Sam Fidone mentioned he would likely be feeling some nerves on his stroll up to the first tee Sunday at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist.

Fidone appeared to make that stroll with all the confidence in the world, striping his first tee shot down the Uplands Golf Club fairway to begin his march toward a bogey-free 65 and commanding five-stroke victory.

For only the second time, the World Deaf Golf Championships will be played in Ireland after the IDGU won the bidding process to host the championships in July 2014 at the Grand Traverse Resort, Michigan, USA.

The Championships will be held July 21st-28th,  2018at the Carton House Golf Club. The Men’s Individual/Team Championships will be playing on the Montgomerie Course while the Ladies’ & Senior’s Individual/Team Championships will be playing on the O’Meara Golf Course.

Team Canada will compete in the Men’s event, Senior Men’s event and Ladies’ event.

Scott Kerr (L) And Ziggy Nathu (R) Are Headed To Mexico To Represent British Columbia In The 2018 Mexican International Amateur - Images BC Golf/VGT

British Columbia Golf has announced that Vancouver's Scott Kerr and Zaahidali (Ziggy) Nathu of Richmond will be BC's representative team at this year's prestigious Mexican Amateur taking place this week, June 7-10th in Mexico City at the Club de golf México.

The event is a 72 hole stroke play championship with a cut after 36 holes. It draws an international field from North, South and Central America.

Speakers Chyloe Kurdas (Golf Australia), Hazel Irvine (BBC), Sarah Stirk (Sky Sports), Nick Pink (England Golf), Liz Dimmock (Moving Ahead) and Martin Slumbers (The R&A) At The Launch Of The Women In Golf Charter Staged At The View From The Shard, London - Image Courtesy R&A/Twitter

The R&A today unveiled a new Women in Golf Charter as part of the organization’s drive to increase the number of women and girls participating in golf and to encourage more opportunities for women to work within the golf industry.

The Women in Golf Charter aims to inspire an industry-wide commitment to developing a more inclusive culture within golf around the world and to enable more women and girls to flourish and maximise their potential at all levels of the sport.

Team BC Poses With The North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches Trophy For The Third Straight Year - Image Courtesy Jennifer Greggain/Instagram

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Coach Chris Bertram is not about to discount the home course advantage his University of the Fraser Valley Cascades will enjoy at this week’s Canadian University/College Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club.

The Cascades know the Chilliwack layout inside and out, having regularly practised at the course for many years. “We have called that our home course for 12 or 13 years and it is always going to be an advantage playing at a place that you are familiar with,” says Bertram. “We get to play there regularly so there aren’t too many shots out there that we haven’t seen.

“But Chilliwack isn’t the kind of place that has a lot of blind tee shots or tricky green complexes. The course is out in front of you and players can figure the course out fairly quickly, I would say. But I don’t discount the fact that being out there every day the last few weeks is a big advantage for us.”

Mission Native Kevin Stinson Has A Spot In The Season-Opening Mackenzie Tour Event At Point Grey, But Is No Longer Chasing The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Credit Mike West/VGT

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Much is made of the considerable success the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit has had in developing players and helping them move on to the Web.com and PGA TOURs.

We hear less about the many others who don’t make it to golf’s promised land. Mission’s Kevin Stinson is one of those and he’s okay with that.

Canadians Gail Graham (L) From Kelowna, BC And PEI's Lorie Kane (R) Will Be On Hand For The Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup presented by Boeing At The White Horse Golf Club In Kingston, WA - Golf Canada Images

For Immediate Release

BOSTON, May 24, 2018 – The Legends Tour has announced its 30-player tournament field for next month’s inaugural event at the Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup presented by Boeing. The event is set for June 8-10, at the White Horse Golf Club in Kingston, WA.

The tournament will feature LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members JoAnne Carner, Pat Bradley, Betsy King and Hollis Stacy, as well as numerous former LPGA tournament winners, including past champions of the former Safeco Classic.

“It was always my favuorite time of the season on the LPGA Tour when we played in the Pacific Northwest,” said Nancy Scranton, winner of the last Legends Tour tournament staged in Washington in 2013, outside Kirkland. “I won my first LPGA tournament in Vancouver, so I have very fond memories of the area.

Vancouver, BC's Kevin Li, A Senior On The Men's Golf Team At Brown University In Providence, R.I., Has Been Recognized By The College Sports Information Directors Of America Being Named To The 2017-18 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large Team - Images Courtesy Brown Athletics

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown seniors Kevin Li (Vancouver, B.C.) and Peter Tarwid (Lake Forest, Ill.) and junior Amy Tarczynski (Oakland, Calif.) were named to their respective 2017-18 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large Teams on Thursday as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom, as only student-athletes who maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and are significant contributors to their team's success are eligible for nomination.

Distance Has Become A Major Topic Of Discussion In Golf Over The Recent Years, Not Only As It Affects The Pros, But At All Levels Of The Sport - Image Credit Sue Sapp (Labelled For Reuse)

For Immediate Release

(15 May 2018, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, NJ, USA): The R&A and the USGA have launched a comprehensive project to analyse distance in golf and gather perspectives from the worldwide golf community.

The Distance Insights project will examine distance through a multi-pronged approach that includes global stakeholder engagement, third-party data review and primary research. Focus groups and discussion forums will play an important role in the project, to secure a broad range of perspectives throughout golf.

Beginning today, anyone interested in the topic can provide feedback by visiting randa.org/distanceinsights or usga.org/distanceinsights or by emailing either organisation directly.

Pete Jawl From The Victoria Golf Club Won Two Of His Three Matches At Seattle Golf Club As B.C. Finished Second In The 13th Annual PNGA Cup - Image Credit PNGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SHORELINE, Wash. -- As a PNGA Cup rookie, Pete Jawl acknowledged battling some butterflies as he walked the first few fairways of historic Seattle Golf Club. Then Jawl remembered he had more than a solid golf game to rely on. He also had an experienced player and good friend by his side in partner Craig Doell. 

To say Doell is a PNGA Cup veteran would be an understatement. While Jawl was playing in his first PNGA Cup, a Ryder Cup-style competition featuring top players from the British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and Oregon golf associations, Doell was playing in his 12th. Doell has missed only one PNGA Cup since the annual competition began in 2006.

Former B.C. Amateur Champion Jared du Toit Is Competing On The PGA Tour - LatinoAmerica Circuit - Image Courtesy British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Playing the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica circuit has been part golf, part adventure for Jared du Toit. The former B.C. Amateur champion from Kimberley acknowledges he hasn’t yet played as well as he’d like, but repeatedly uses the same four-letter word to describe his experiences through the first four events: cool.

“The travel days can be pretty long, but a lot of places we get to go are really cool,” du Toit says in a telephone interview from Montego Bay, the site of this week’s BMW Jamaica Classic. “I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity or desire to go to a lot of these places if I wasn’t playing golf. So it is very cool to just have the opportunity to check out these places and see some new parts of the world. It has definitely been very cool.”

Federal Way, Wash. – The 2018 Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s (PNGA) championship season kicks off this week as 48 of the top amateur golfers in the region prepare to square off in the 13th PNGA Cup, to be held May 3-4 at Seattle Golf Club.

The PNGA Cup was created in 2006 by past PNGA President Dr. Jack Lamey as a way of continuing the friendship and partnership of the region’s allied associations under the PNGA umbrella – British Columbia Golf, Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association and Washington State Golf Association.

SFU Clan Men's Golf Team, The 2018 GNAC Champions Are Headed To The NCAA Super Regional Tournament - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS – For the fourth time in five years the Simon Fraser University men's golf team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Super Regional.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Simon Fraser will be the No. 6 seed from the West Region at the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Golf West/South Central Regional, which will be held May 7-9 in Amarillo, Texas. The Clan also participated in the Super Regional in 2016, 2015 and 2014.

The tournament will be held at the Tascosa Golf Club and will feature 20 teams and eight individuals. A total of 10 teams and four individuals comprise each region. Chico State represents the West Region as the No. 1 seed while UC Colorado Springs is the top seed in the South Central Region.

2017 B.C. Amateur Winner Jake DuVall Of Victoria Will Be Trying His Hand At The Crown Isle Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Q-School This Week - Images Courtesy Golf Canada/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Class will be in session once again at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay, where the last of five Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada spring qualifying schools is being held May 1-4.

It’s the last chance for players to earn a ticket to this year’s 13-stop Mackenzie Tour, which begins its season May 31-June 3 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. Victoria’s Jake DuVall, last year’s B.C. Amateur champion, and 2014 B.C. Amateur runner-up Mike Belle of Burnaby are among the field of 132 players who will compete in the 72-hole competition at Crown Isle.

All Images Courtesy African American Golfer's Digest

As We Move Closer To International Women’s Day, Here's A Great Example Of A Group Demonstrating How To Get More Women And Diversity Into The Game - (British Columbia Golf)

By James R. Beatty  (African American Golfer's Digest - reprinted with permission)

If you are even thinking about taking up the game of golf— and have found reason after reason to keep putting it off— then, you must read this story.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Many have either delayed or totally put off the one decision which can and will change your life. Read here about Clemmie Perry, founder and CEO of Women Of Color Golf (WOCG) and how she has helped to impact the lives of women in Tampa, Florida, forever by introducing them to all of the benefits that come with participating and enjoying the game.

Pay particular attention to the reflections of one of these women, who put it in perspective in her own words.

For many of us trying to squeeze in the last few rounds of the season, or for those planning on heading south during the winter, it’s important to note the “active season” in the region, province or country you’re playing in.

Golf Canada’s Handicap System stipulates every player is responsible for returning all acceptable scores into one’s scoring record from rounds played on courses observing their active season, which is part of the golf season when courses have acceptable playing conditions.

Canada's Brooke Henderson Picked Up LPGA Career Win Number 6 In Hawaii Over The Weekend - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.