Dear Masters Athlete,

Spring is arriving the way one would hope as it's gracing us with its beauty here in Vancouver – the host city for the inaugural Americas Masters Games. The Americas Masters Games wants to let you know of a special registration incentive courtesy of their great partners.

WestJet is giving everybody who has registered by April 30th a chance to win two flights for anywhere they fly in Canada. Plus, you’ll get four free nights at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel where you will be right in the heart of the action. What do you need to do?

image credit Bryan Outram

USGA Agronomist Larry Gilhuly Rebuked Many Of The Vicious Reports Regarding The Condition Of The Greens At Chambers Bay During The 2015 U.S. Open

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nearly 10 months later, Larry Gilhuly remains adamant that Chambers Bay did not get a fair shake. 

Gilhuly, the west region agronomist with the United States Golf Association, told the recent annual general meeting of British Columbia Golf that there was a lot of misinformation from the media about the condition of the greens at the 2015 U.S. Open.

image courtesy BCGSA via Twitter

Bid On Rounds Of Golf To Support A Great Cause With Rounds 4 Research 

Bid now to get great deals on great golf! Whether you choose to bid on courses that have challenged the greatest players in golf or whether you just want a great deal on a local gem, you are supporting the future of the game by funding turfgrass research programs.

image courtesy GNAC (Great Northwest Athletic Conference)

Simon Fraser University Sophomore Chris Crisologo Has Been Named To The British Columbia Golf Morse Cup Team For The 50th Pacific Coast Amateur 

British Columbia Golf has named its Morse Cup team for the 50th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship being held at the Seattle Golf Club in Washington State from July 26-29. 

The Morse Cup Team Competition has been held as part of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship since 1967. The last team from British Columbia to claim the title was in 2013 when the event was hosted by Capilano Golf & Country Club.

Golfers Should Get Used To Seeing Less Green Grass On Golf Courses In The Near Future - For The Good Of The Game 

by Brad Ziemer (British Columbia Golf)

The Mark Twain quote most often repeated in golf circles is the one about the game being a good walk spoiled. But there is another quote from the noted American author that seems especially apropos for the golf industry these days: “Whiskey’s for drinking; water’s for fighting over.”

Larry Gilhuly, the colourful west region agronomist with the United States Golf Association, has no doubt about what the biggest issue facing golf will be in the coming years. “It’s water,” Gilhuly said in a lively presentation to the annual general meeting of British Columbia Golf at Tsawwassen Springs.

Team Canada Member And Coquitlam Native, A.J. Ewart Narrowly Missed A Playoff By One Shot After 18 Straight Pars In The Final Round - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

(with files from AJGA & Golf Canada)

Ricky Castillo of Yorba Linda, California, won the 18th annual AJGA Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic hosted by Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona in a three-man sudden-death playoff.

Castillo defeated overnight leader, Jaewook Lee, of Langley, British Columbia, and Brock Goyen of Gilbert, Arizona, to claim his first AJGA victory since the 2015 BBCN Bank Junior All-Star.

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA – Americas Masters Games organizers are pleased to announce that the full Athletics schedule is now finalized and available on line.

Organizers are encouraging masters from across the country and around the globe to register early to take advantage of special discounted hotel rates until the deadline of March 31st.

Up to 10,000 athletes aged 30 or older, supporters, coaches, spectators, family and friends are expected to attend the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver for the nine-day fun and festive event that runs from August 26th – September 4th.

Inaugural Event To Host Up To 10,000 Athletes From Around The Globe

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA – Be part of history as Vancouver welcomes up to 10,000 masters aged athletes to the first ever America's Masters Games. Relive the thrill of hosting a major international sport competition from Aug 26 to Sept 4 2016.

2500 volunteers are needed to stage this spectacular event of inspiring ceremonies and celebrations in Canada Place (Jack Poole Plaza), exciting competition in 24 different sports at venues across the city and memorable social interactions with people from around the world.

SAN JACINTO, California — Young Pro Squad member August James of Bath, Ont., captured a two-stroke victory at the National Women’s Golf Association (NWGA) event at the Soboba Springs Golf Club.

James, 22, caught fire on the back nine of Thursday’s final round, posting four straight birdies to draw even on the day, leading her to victory over long-time friend and five-time Team Canada member Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.

Courtesy Golf Canada

ADELAIDE, Australia – Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian sweetheart Brooke Henderson seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open.

Kim’s bogey-free opening round came after starting on the 10th hole of The Grange’s West course. She had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course.

West Vancouver's David Rose Has Earned Full Status On PGA Tour Latinoamérica For 2016 As He Tries To Work His Way Toward The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Courtesy PGA Tour Latinoamérica

Courtesy Herb Fung/Golf Canada

MAZATLAN, Mexico — West Vancouver, B.C., native David Rose shot a final-round 70 to claim medallist honours and earn full status on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2016.

The 26-year-old began the day with a two-stroke lead over American William Kropp. Rose finished at 15-under, posting under par scores all four days to claim a one-stroke victory over Mexico’s Gerardo Ruiz. Rose – a former Lynn University Fighting Knight and the 2011 B.C. Amateur champion – becomes the second Canadian in as many weeks to finish atop the leaderboard at PGA Tour Latinoamérica Q-School.

by John Gordon/Golf Canada

The mechanics and philosophy of handicapping are a mystery to the majority of golfers. A mystery vital to our enjoyment of the game and equitable competition with other golfers, but a mystery nonetheless.

To compound that, let’s get metaphysical.

We are all familiar with the centuries-old conundrum, “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Substitute “unaccompanied rounds” for that hypothetical tree and that may help you understand the recent decision by the USGA and Golf Canada to disallow solo round scores for handicapping purposes.

by Jeff Sutherland/Inside Golf

See Victoria's Dale Jackson playing at his home course of Royal Colwood and you would not be remiss to think you are watching just another solid club level amateur golfer.

In this case appearances would be deceiving.

Jackson has been involved in giving back to the game as a rules official since becoming interested in this vocation more than 15 years ago. Since then he has risen through the ranks to become a Level Four Rules Official and serving as Managing Director of Rules and Competitions for British Columbia Golf from 2003 to 2007.

More recently, Jackson has been active at the national level and since 2013 has been the Chair of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status Committee for Golf Canada.

Federal Way, Wash. - The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) will introduce several beneficial changes to the PNGA Championship schedule for the 2016 season.

First, the PNGA Junior Boys' Amateur and the PNGA Junior Girls' Amateur will now be conducted concurrently at the same site. Second, the field size of the PNGA Senior Men's and Super Senior Men's Amateur championships will be reduced from 192 to 156.

Third, the PNGA will introduce a Men's and Women's Super Senior Team Championship. Finally, hosted exemptions will be given to the defending champion and the current champion of the equivalent championship at each of the associations that make up the PNGA (WSGA, IGA, OGA, BC Golf).

Surrey's Hannah Lee Is In Lima Peru With Her Team Canada Teammates For The South American Amateur This Week - Image Courtesy BC Golf

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

LIMA, Peru – Four members of Team Canada’s Development Squad are set to play in the 11th edition of the South American Amateur this week from Jan. 21–24 at the Lima Golf Club—a three-time host of the event.

SEBRING, Florida (Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners fired a 2-under 70 to earn medalist honours in the rain-delayed final of PGA Tour Lationamérica Qualifying School at the Sun ‘N Lake Golf Course.

The first-ever Americas Masters Games is taking place in the spectacular city of Vancouver.

Celebrating 'sport for all', participants from a variety of skill sets and ages come together in the name of healthy living to compete, socialize, and conquer personal goals. With 25 official sporting events, there is something for everybody, including you!

The 'Real Wongster' As Eugene Wong's Twitter Handle Reads,  Is Looking To Improve His Status On The Web.com Tour In Final Stage Q-School Starting Dec. 10th - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

Eugene Wong is off to the Web.com Tour in 2016. The No. 7 ranked professional golfer in Canada from North Vancouver finished tied for 27th at the season-ending PGA Tour China Series event in Dongguan. The result was good enough to keep him inside the Top-5 on the Tour’s Order of Merit, giving him status on the Web.com Tour next year. The result also saw Wong pick up two places in the world rankings.

Justin Shin, the No. 12 ranked Canadian pro, was sitting fifth on the PGA Tour China Order of Merit at the start of the tournament. Despite shooting back-to-back 69s on the final two days, his 27th place finish wasn’t enough to retain his position. Shin slipped to No. 6 on the money list, but the native of Maple Ridge, B.C., will have a chance to earn status on the Web.com Tour through the qualifying tournament from December 10-13.

Canada's Marlene Stewart Streit Has Accepted An Invitation To Become An Honorary Member Of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Two of North America’s most successful women amateur golfers have become Honorary Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Canadian Marlene Stewart Streit, the only player to win the British, Canadian, U.S. and Australian women’s amateur titles, and America’s Judy Bell, a former Curtis Cup captain and player and United States Golf Association president, accepted invitations to become Honorary Members.

Carlsbad, California - (December 6, 2015) - Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted members of CJGA Team Canada as they prepare for the 15th annual Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

The event, which is hosted by PGA Tour professional Aaron Baddeley, will have over 90 juniors competing from around the world including Australia, Asia, and North America.