FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, BRITISH COLUMBIA GOLF

VICTORIA, B.C. (October 28, 2024) - Victoria Golf Club in Victoria has been selected by BC Golf as the host site for the 120th B.C. Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur, and Mid-Master Championship from June 23rd to June 26th, 2025.

“We are excited to host the Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championship at Victoria, which is one of British Columbia’s strongest and most historic golf courses,” said Jerome Goddard, BC Golf Director of Rules & Competitions. “Our long-awaited return to Victoria will be a memorable week for the membership and for British Columbia’s top female players.”

The Victoria Golf Club, founded in 1893, is the oldest 18-hole golf course in Canada in its original location, and second oldest in North America. Victoria Golf Club was recently ranked #13 in Canada in The Score Golf’s Top 100 ranking.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, BRITISH COLUMBIA GOLF

VICTORIA, B.C. (October 16, 2024) - Highland Pacific Golf in Victoria has been selected by BC Golf as the host site for the 2025 B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championship from June 2nd to June 5th.

“We are excited to return to Highland Pacific, which is a fantastic golf course and boasts a strong community of pass holders and public players,” said Jerome Goddard, BC Golf Director of Rules & Competitions. “We are looking forward to this event and know that Highland Pacific will be an excellent host for British Columbia’s top Mid-Amateur Men.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

KELOWNA, B.C. (October 14, 2024) - The UBC-Okanagan men’s team didn’t just win the Canada West Golf Championships, they dominated the competition. The Heat capitalized on home-course advantage to post a team total of 24-under par and beat the field by 17 shots at Okanagan Golf Club’s Bear Course in Kelowna.

Second-year player Ryan Gillis led the way, winning the individual title with a 36-hole score of nine-under par. UBC-Okanagan teammates Thomas Lemay and Andrew Rouble joined Gillis on the podium. Heat coach Clay Stothers was obviously delighted with the performance of the men’s team.

“I couldn’t imagine us winning by 17 shots and having three players on our team coming first, second and third,” Stothers said. “It was a surreal, magical couple of days when everything kind of lined up nicely.”

(October 8, 2024) - British Columbia Golf is a member of the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA) and as such are very involved with initiatives that promote and support golf as an activity that should be accessible to all seeking the health and wellbeing benefits that this wonderful game has to offer. 

One of the barriers that people with disabilities often encounter in the pursuit of golf's benefits, is the issue of basic accessibility itself.

(October 7, 2024) - Youth on Course supporters from across the globe take on the formidable challenge of playing 100 holes of golf all in an effort to help ensure young people have affordable access to golf and the life-changing opportunities that come with playing the sport.

Are you ready to take on the challenge? Register today!

Via Golf Canada

MISSISSAUGA, ON (October 5, 2024) - The 15th edition of the Junior Skills Challenge National Event wrapped up on October 5th in Mississauga after 30 of the top Canadian junior golfers showcased their skills in one of Golf Canada’s signature junior events.

The event took place at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club which also played host to the World Junior Girls Golf Championship from September 30 – October 5.

The National Event culminates a year-long program consisting of 92 qualifying events across Canada and 1,600 participants who competed at the local level.

(September 22, 2024) - Successful teams from the BDO National Golf League (NGL) Provincial Championships in B.C. have been established. The BDO National Golf League regular season is a net Stableford points competition culminating in Provincial Championships to identify who will play in the National Finals.

For more information on the concept and how the NGL works, click HERE.

Provincial finals were held last week at Cordova Bay GC in Victoria (B.C. West) and at Tobiano GC (B.C. East) to determine who would receive an exclusive merchandise prize pack and an all-expenses-paid trip to play in the BDO National Golf League Championship, taking place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley right before the 2025 RBC Canadian Open.

There, 52 two-player teams will go head-to-head over 18 holes in a best ball net Stableford format to seize glory on the national stage.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

SEATTLE, WA (September 26, 2024) — Shelly Stouffer found herself in an unfamiliar position in the final of the 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Broadmoor Golf Club.

After playing with the lead all week, Stouffer was forced to play catch-up for most of her match with Australian Nadene Gole.

Stouffer had emerged earlier in the week as the stroke-play medalist and then played like the No. 1 seed as she breezed through her first five matches. The Nanoose Bay resident seemed to have momentum on her side heading into the final, but simply could not find any of it in the final before losing 3&2.

Courtesy R&A via Golf Canada

St Andrews, Scotland & Oakville, Ont. (September 25, 2024)  – The R&A announced new participation figures that show an increase of more than three million adult golfers playing the sport.  

According to new research undertaken for the governing body, there are now 42.7 million on-course golfers (9 and 18-hole) in R&A affiliated markets (outside the USA and Mexico).

The research figures for 2023 indicate a growth of 3.1 million on-course golfers since 2022. The growth trend began before the onset of Covid-19 and is now accelerating faster than the 2020-2022 pandemic period when there was an average of 2.5 million new on-course golfers per annum. The sport continues to increase in popularity, now up 44% from 29.6 million on-course players in 2016.

The new data is provided by national federations in The R&A’s affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BURNABY, B.C. (September 25, 2024) - A super summer for Julia Alexander-Carew looks like it’s going to be followed by a fabulous fall. The UBC-Okanagan sophomore won her second tournament in three days as she captured the individual title at the True North Classic at Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby. The 54-hole NCAA Division II event was hosted by Simon Fraser University.

The 19-year-old Alexander-Carew finished the tournament at one-under par and won by five shots over UBC’s Grace Bell. It follows her win this past weekend at the Saint Martin’s University Grisham Memorial tourney in DuPont, Wash., which was her first NCAA victory. Now the Oakville, Ont. native has two.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

MACTIER, ON (September 17, 2024) - The significance of what he had accomplished was not lost on Austin Krahn after he survived a gruelling eight-hole playoff and won the Team Canada NextGen selection camp tourney in MacTier, Ont.

The 17-year-old Christina Lake resident — the reigning B.C. Junior and B.C. Indigenous champion — is now officially a member of Team Canada.

“It’s a huge honour to represent your country,” Krahn said in a telephone interview.

“It is something I don’t take lightly. I want to represent them well. It’s not all about the golf, I understand, it’s a lot about how you act on the course and I want to show them that I am more than just a good golfer. I am a good person and I want to show that to the country. And of course it’s the highest level of golf in Canada and it’s an absolute privilege to be part of that.”

Seattle’s Paul Hogben Surprises Himself By Winning Senior Championship

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

In these waning days of summer, Jim Shaw really enjoyed his final day at the Beach. Make that Beach Grove Golf Club. Shaw played a near-perfect round of golf, a bogey-free two-under 69, to win the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s Super Senior Men’s Championship at the Tsawwassen layout.

“Two birdies and 16 pars,” Shaw said proudly of his closing round in the 54-hole championship for players aged 65 and over. The Sooke resident, a longtime member of Mission Golf Club, was proud of the way he battled down the stretch to secure his two-shot win over Michael Johnson of Sammamish, Wash. Shaw finished his round with 12 straight pars.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia retained bragging rights after winning its second straight Indigenous Challenge Match with Ontario at the Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria.

Team B.C. outscored Ontario 9-7 in the two-day match-play event at Bear Mountain’s Valley and Mountain courses.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

PRATTVILLE, AL (September 09, 2024) - Leah John seems to be getting the hang of this professional golf thing.

The 24-year-old Vancouver native, who only graduated from college this past spring, headed out on her pro golf journey this summer not quite knowing what to expect.

The two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur Champion hoped she could prove to herself that her game was ready for the next level.

Mission accomplished.

Taylor, Svensson, Sloan in field for fall season opener; Stouffer on to match play at U.S. Swomen’s Mid-Amateur; UBC men, women open their seasons

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The PGA Tour Americas season ended in the worst possible way for Stuart Macdonald. The Vancouver native’s final round turned into an absolute nightmare as he dropped from seventh to 11th on the Tour’s points list and missed earning exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour by one spot.

Macdonald shot an eight-over 43 on the front nine of his final round of the Fortinet Cup Championship at TPC Toronto. And although he played even-par golf the rest of the way, it wasn’t enough to keep him inside the top 10 on the points list.

Juvenile champ Tim Hachey commits to UBC; Stouffer third at Canadian Seniors: Jenny Guo second, Tyson Valk third at Canadian U15 Championships

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(September 2nd, 2024) - Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald took a big step toward securing a promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour with a tie for 12th finish at the PGA Tour Americas’ CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minn.

That finish moved Macdonald up two spots to seventh on the Fortinet Cup points list. Just one event remains on the PGA Tour Americas schedule — this week’s Fortinet Cup Championship at TPC Toronto —and if Macdonald can remain inside the top 10 on the points list he will have full Korn Ferry Tour status in 2025.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BOWEN ISLAND (August 29, 2024) - It was not a question of whether Maggie Zhang would win the B.C. Bantam Girls Championship at Bowen Island Golf Club, but rather what her margin of victory would be.

The 13-year-old Richmond resident had opened up an eight-shot lead following a first-round 73 and when she opened her final round with a birdie, it became clear that everyone else was playing for second place.

A very distant second place, as it turned out.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BOWEN ISLAND (August 29, 2024) — Noah Reddicopp had a big lead and then suddenly he didn’t. Not just once, but twice.

The 14-year-old Abbotsford resident earned the B.C. Bantam Boys Championship the hard way, bouncing back from a pair of triple-bogeys to win the title for players aged 14 and younger by one shot.

“I feel quite relieved that it is finally over,” Reddicopp said with a smile after his final round at Bowen Island Golf Club.

Crisologo birdies last three holes to tie for fifth; Taylor knocked out of PGA TOUR playoffs, while Hadwin moves on; 18th edition Vancouver Open set for City of Vancouver courses

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(August 19, 2024) - In one week, A.J. Ewart has gone from relying on sponsor’s exemptions to get into PGA Tour Americas events to now being tantalizingly close to earning Korn Ferry Tour status.

The 25-year-old Coquitlam native changed his professional golfing life in a big way with an impressive wire-to-wire win at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open. That victory moved Ewart up to 14th spot on the PGA Tour Americas’ Fortinet Cup points list.

Three events remain and the top 10 on the points list at season’s end earn Korn Ferry Tour status for 2025.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

QUALICUM BEACH (August 13, 2024) - For the last several years, every step Walter Vanderrijst takes is accompanied by considerable pain due to a debilitating ankle problem.

There have been times when the 66-year-old Victoria resident has felt sorry for himself. But that hasn’t happened nearly as often since competing in B.C. All Abilities Championships.