The 2018 Chinese New Year begins on Friday, February 16. Chinese New Year takes place on a different date each year, because it is based on the lunar calendar.

New Year's Day normally falls between January 21 and February 20.

The global celebrations are an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances. Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad fortune on New Year's Day.

Traditionally, kids would be given red envelopes stuffed with 'lucky money' and positive wishes on New Year's Day.

2018 is a Year of the Dog. In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle. 2018 is an Earth Dog Year.

Years of the Dog include 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, and 2030... The Dog occupies the eleventh position in the Chinese zodiac, after the Rooster, and before the Pig.

For more information on Chinese New Year please CLICK HERE

Courtesy PGA of Canada

The following countries are tentatively committed to play in the 2019 Women’s PGA Cup: Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, Sweden and the United States.

The PGA of America announced recently the formation of an international event, the Women’s PGA Cup – a first-of-its-kind team competition for Women PGA members from around the world.

The PGA of Canada is pleased to be taking part in this landmark event. The inaugural competition will be played October 21-26, 2019 in the United States.

The Venerable Victoria Golf Club, The Oldest 18-Hole Golf Course In Canada Still On Its Original Site, Celebrates Its 125th Anniversary This Year - Images Courtesy Victoria GC

It's the 'Year of the Anniversary' in the Pacific Northwest with no fewer than 30 golf facilities recognizing significant milestone anniversaries in 2018. 

Courtesy of the hard work and dedication of curator Mike Riste, The BC Golf House Society has identified more than 30 PNGA courses celebrating an anniversary this year.

Image credit (Michael Schroeder/ Golf Canada)

By John Gordon/Courtesy Golf Canada

“Bifurcation” is a word we’re hearing more and more in the world of golf. It means to divide into two parts. But don’t let that simple definition fool you. It’s an increasingly controversial concept that strikes at the heart of the game as we know it.

The first area of the current bifurcation debate relates to the Rules of Golf. Should there be one set of guidelines for recreational golfers and another for elite amateurs and professionals?

The second bone of contention, which has set off near panic among many of my colleagues in the golf media and some golf administrators, is this: Are golf courses too short? Do we need to stretch them to 8,000 yards? Do we need to rein in the ever-advancing ball and club technology?

No. And no.

Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan, Seen Here Getting Set To Tee Off At Bear Mountain GC In Victoria, Finished 4th In The Web.com Tour's Panama Championship - Image Credit Alfie Lau/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

PANAMA CITY, Panama – The Canadian trio of Roger Sloan, Ryan Yip and Adam Svensson all finished inside the top 10 on Sunday at Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship.

Sloan, from Merritt B.C., paced the Canadians with a final-round 66 to climb into sole possession of 4th place at 4-under par for the tournament. The finish marks his first top-10 finish early into the 2018 season (he collected four in 2017).

Richmond's Chris Crisologo Became The First Canadian Male To Win The South American Amateur With His 4 Stroke Victory In Buenos Aires - Image Courtesy Argentina Golf Association

By Golf Canada

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Chris Crisologo hoisted the South American Amateur trophy on Tuesday following a four-stroke victory at the Martindale Country Club.

The Richmond, B.C., native struggled early in the final round, going 4-over par through his first five holes before recovering on the back nine with four birdies. Crisologo, 23, recorded the tournament’s two lowest rounds (64-66) to hold a lead as large as seven.

He went on to close the event at 13-under par, four strokes clear of runner-up Alejandro Tosti of Argentina.

BCer's Stuart Macdonald (L) And Seann Harlingten (R) Both Survived The Pressure Of Q-School To Obtain Solid Status On The Web.com Tour For 2018 - Images Courtesy PGA TOUR Mackenzie-Tour Canada

Calgary's Ryan Yip And Toronto's Albin Choi Also Earned Status As All Four Canadians In The Final Stage Of Web.com Q-School Finished Inside The Top 45 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If there were any doubts about whether he could make birdies when it mattered most, Stuart Macdonald erased them on the back nine of the fourth and final round of the Web.com Tour qualifying school.

With the butterflies in his stomach in full flight, the 23-year-old rookie pro from Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf & Country Club, calmly made six birdies on his final nine holes to earn Web.com Tour status for 2018.

No sweat? Not really.

Vancouver's Stuart Macdonad, Shown Here Competing In The Pacific Coast Amateur, Will Be Looking To Punch His Ticket To The Web.com Tour On A Full-Time Basis This Coming Week - Image Courtesy PCGA

By Brad Ziemer/British Columbia Golf

Qualifying schools are supposed to be golf’s ultimate pressure-cookers, but so far they haven’t fazed Stuart Macdonald. The 23-year-old rookie pro from Vancouver has sailed through the first and second stages of the Web.com Tour qualifying school to earn a spot in the finals.

“Getting through first and second stage isn’t exactly the easiest thing to accomplish,” Macdonald said in an interview. “So to get to the finals and have a chance to play on the Web.com Tour is good. I am excited to get there and see what I can do.”

Vancouver Islanders Aidan Goodfellow (L) And Shirin Anjarwalla (R) Are Set To Join The Simon Fraser University Golf Program Next Season - Images Credit British Columbia Golf

BURNABY, BC – Matthew Steinbach has signed five student-athletes during the NCAA early signing period in his second recruiting class as head coach of the Simon Fraser University golf programs.

Shirin Anjarwalla of Nanaimo is set to join the women’s golf program in September 2018, while Aidan Goodfellow (Parksville), Sylvain Ruest (Winnipeg), Jordan Bean (Canmore), and Isaac Lee (Seoul, South Korea) have signed their National Letters of Intent to compete for Canada’s NCAA men’s golf team next season.

Surrey, BC's Susan Xiao Added The Junior Girls PNGA Player Of The Year Award To Her 2017 Trophy Case Which Includes The Hardware Shown Here From The Canadian Junior And Juvenile Girls Titles - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Federal Way, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) announced its 2017 Players of the Year for the region and among those winners is Susan Xiao of Surrey, B.C., who topped the Junior Girl’s category.

In 2017, Xiao captured the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the AJGA UA Canadian Championship and the MJT Vancouver Season Opener. She had top-5 finishes in four other events.

Team Canada's Joey Savoie (L) And Josh Whalen Pose With The Tailhade Cup - Image Courtesy (Argentina Golf Association)

Courtesy Golf Canada

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad duo of Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen marched to an emphatic 16-stroke victory on Sunday to win the Tailhade Cup at the Los Lagartos Country Club.

The Canadians were led by Savoie of La Prairie, Que., who fired his lowest round of the tournament with a 5-under 66 en route to capturing medallist honours. The 23-year-old finished at 8 under par (69-73-68-66), two strokes ahead of runner-up Machado Herik of Brazil.

Surrey Native Susan Xiao Is To Be Honored By Rolex And The AJGA As One Of Junior Golf’s Best - Image Courtesy AJGA

BRASELTON, Ga. – Susan Xiao of Surrey, British Columbia, was named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association, establishing herself among the top tier of current and former junior golfers from around the world.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor has his 2018 PGA TOUR season off to a fast start. After finishing tied for ninth at the season-opening Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., Taylor followed up with a tie for 13th place Sunday at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia.

Taylor closed with a seven-under par 65 to finish at 12-under par. That was 12 shots behind winner Pat Perez, who beat runner-up Keegan Bradley by four strokes. Taylor has made $292,450 in the first two events of the 2018 season and stands ninth on the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup points list.

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons Finished Her 3rd Round With Four Consecutive Birdies To Set A School Record For The Inidana Hoosiers Women's Golf Squad - Image Credit IU/Brian Tirpak

Courtesy IUHoosiers.com

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Freshman Mary Parsons set a new school single round score of 66 in the third round as Indiana Women's Golf finished seventh overall at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational on Saturday.

Parsons's third round score was one stroke better than the previous school record which was set five previous times, most recently in 2015 by Ana Sanjuan and Camille Chevalier (67).

Courtesy Bob Vokey & Golf Canada

Canadian Bob Vokey was born in Verdun, Quebec in 1939. His father, Walter, was a precision tool and die maker, an avid golfer and constant tinkerer of golf equipment. Bob did not necessarily share his father's passion for golf as a child, but he observed and assisted in his father's club creations.

Bob, at 25 left Montreal for the United States and settled in Carlsbad, California. Despite his earlier feelings toward golf, he became smitten with the game and wanted to become involved in some way. He lived near a golf course, and started to play competitively, eventually developing his father's passion for "tinkering" with golf clubs.

Roseburg, Oregon's Anita Wicks (L) And Vancouver, BC's Holly Horwood (R) Are The 2017 PNGA Senior And Super Senior Women's Champions - Image Courtesy PNGA

Medina, Wash. - Anita Wicks of Roseburg, Ore. survived a two-hole playoff to successfully defend her title at the 31st Pacific Northwest Senior Women's Amateur; while Holly Horwood of Vancouver, B.C. won the 6th Super Senior Women's Amateur, shooting the low round of both championships in the final round to claim the title.

Both championships were contested over 36 holes of stroke play and were held concurrently at Overlake Golf and Country Club in Medina, Wash. They were conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).

Canada's Brooke Henderson Holds The Trophy After Her Fifth Career LPGA Tour Win At The McKayson New Zealand Open - Image Credit: Photosport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canadian Brooke Henderson made light of the challenging conditions on Monday to run away from the field and claim the MCKAYSON New Zealand Open by five shots.

Henderson, the world No. 12, had looked the class act of the field all week in Auckland. The 20-year-old claimed her fifth LPGA title – and second of the year - with sizzling rounds of 65, 70, 67 and a remarkable 69 in extremely challenging conditions over Sunday and Monday as stormy weather sent the tournament into a fifth day.

Picking up her round Monday after competing just six holes on Sunday as rain and thunderstorms lashed the Windross Farm course, Henderson made light of the still gusty conditions to see off challenges from China’s Jing Yan (-12) and Korea’s Hee Young Park (-11).

Medalists In The Golf Competition At The Invictus Games In Toronto Include 5 Canadians - Image Courtesy Invictus/Twitter

Written by Terry Lenyk/ Golf Canada

TORONTO – The inaugural adaptive golf competition of the Invictus Games took place Tues, Sept. 26, at St. George’s Golf and Country Club, where Canadians claimed five medals.

The competition was contested over 18 holes using modified Stableford scoring using Handicap Factors/Index.

Claiming gold in the men’s competition with a 38-point total was David Scott of the United Kingdom. Canada’s Étienne Aubé claimed silver with 37 points. Canadians Dan Graham and Jay Nickol earned bronze with 35 points, as did American Josh Lindstrom.

SFU's Scott Kerr (L) And Chris Crisologo (R) Finished One - Two In The Annual WWU Invitational At Bellingham Golf & Country Club - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

By Steve Frost/ SFU Athletics (sfrost@sfu.ca)

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Sophomore Scott Kerr fired a final round six-under-par 66 to edge teammate Chris Crisologo for medalist honours, helping Simon Fraser University capture the 46th Annual WWU Invitational Tuesday at Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

Kerr won his first career tournament by two strokes over Crisologo with a three-round score of 10-under-par 206. Kerr birdied the par 3 18th hole, one of seven birdies in the round, to finish at 6-under par at the 54-hole tournament. Kerr recorded rounds of 71, 69 and 66.

BC's Gudmund Lindbjerg (L) From Port Moody & Parnter John Gallacher (R) Of Burnaby Were Among The Champions Crowned At The PNGA Senior Team Championships - Image Courtesy PNGA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2017

Bremerton, Wash. - At the 35th Pacific Northwest Senior Team Championships, Erik Hanson of Kirkland, Wash. and Craig Larson of Tacoma successfully defended their Men's Senior Team title; Gudmund Lindbjerg of Port Moody, B.C. and John Gallacher of Burnaby, B.C. won the Men's Super Senior Team; Ginny Burkey and Leilani Norman, both of Eugene, Ore., won the Women's Senior Team title; and Mary Ryan of Renton, Wash. and Sun Douthit of Steilacoom, Wash. successfully defended their title in the Women's Super Senior Team with the defending champion pair of Jackie Little and Kathryn McGarvey from B.C. coming in T2nd.