SFU Men's Golf Team Including Coach Matthew Steinbach Far Right (Twitter Image)

By Jacob Hall
Sports Information Manager, Marketing and Communications
Simon Fraser University

BURNABY, BC --- On Wednesday morning, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced their 2019- 2020 Men's Golf All-GNAC team selections, which included three SFU student-athletes, as well as Head Coach Matthew Steinbach.

Leading the way for SFU among All-GNAC selections was senior Scott Kerr. Kerr tied with Concordia senior Jaxson Daskalos with a 72.0 stroke average over 15 rounds, good enough for second lowest in the conference, finishing with six rounds of par or below and placing in the top-10 three times out of five events to earn his second first-team nod.

For Release April 20, 2020

On March 26, 2020, the BC Government issued the following:

“The Provincial Health Officer has ordered some types of businesses to close. Any business or service that has not been ordered to close and is also not identified on the essential service list may stay open if they can adapt their services and workplace to the orders and recommendations of the PHO.”

With over 300 golf courses in all areas of the province, it is critical that all golf operations in British Columbia immediately align with COVID-19 orders, direction and safety protocols mandated by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and regional health authorities.

Where governments have not mandated the temporary closure of golf courses, such as in BC, golf operators choosing to open must take every health and safety precaution for their team members and customers.

Please click HERE to view Allied Golf Association (AGA) Best Practices Manual For BC Golf Courses.

British Columbia Golf would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Anita Sharpe and the entire Sharpe family upon learning of the recent passing of Anita's husband Barry, on Sunday, March 29th.

Barry Sharpe was an integral part of the golf media community for many years and a major contributor when it came to covering golf at all levels and those involved in and around the game. 

Please find below the words of Barry's wife Anita honouring her husband and his legacy. 

TO: All Member Clubs; All Member Club’s Handicap Committees

Posting of Scores during COVID-19 Lockdowns

The information below provides guidance in response to questions received from golf course owners, administrators, tournament organizers and golfers. It is not the intended purpose of the below guidance to either encourage or discourage anyone from playing the game, but rather, in our role as administrators, to help golf course operators, committees and golfers better understand how the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping apply to the various questions we have received.

British Columbia Golf would like to wish a Happy Passover (Pesach) to all of BC's Jewish Community beginning with sunset April 8th until Thursday, April 16th. “Chag Pesach Samech.”

Passover or Pesach is a major Jewish holiday and one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. Together with Shavuot and Sukkot, Passover was one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals during which the entire population of the kingdom of Judah made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. 

Following the recently completed Annual General Meeting, British Columbia Golf would like to welcome the three newest members of their Board.

Now on 'Board' as directors are Shayain Gustavsp, Joe Higgins and Michael Cook. Each brings with them a unique set of skills and experience that will only add to the quality of the existing Board Members. Below you'll find short bios of each of the new directors.

Click HERE or below to see a video of the AGM as presented online following social distancing protocol.

 World Handicap System Online Training Seminar

On behalf of British Columbia Golf, thank you for your interest in the World Handicap System!

The following four-part Online Training Seminar is being provided to help educate and authorize golf clubs in British Columbia to administer the World Handicap System. However, individuals are also permitted to view this content for their own knowledge.

Courtesy Golf Canada

With heightened uncertainty and global concern related to COVID-19, Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business to operate and make informed and responsible decisions within the best interests of our athletes, staff, volunteers, host clubs, partners and other stakeholders health and well-being.

Today (March 30, 2020), Golf Canada is announcing its decision to cancel or postpone the events listed below.

^{image courtesy ISHA}

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2020

Vancouver, BC – The BC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Gala to celebrate the Class of 2020 has been officially postponed until the fall. The popular annual event, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 4, at the Vancouver Convention Centre, will now take place Thursday, November 12.

“In light of the quickly-evolving situation surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, we have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Induction Gala”, explains Nicholas Cartmell, CEO of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

Presented By Tyler McKay/British Columbia Golf, Manager - Participation

The following 7 drills are adapted drills from British Columbia Golf’s Playground 2 Fairways (P2F) school golf program and can easily be done at home.

In fact, we call this program “Home to Fairway” or H2F. Each drill comes with a written explanation on this page along with a video demonstration which will be linked here next to the explanation.

There are also written reasons on why each of the skills focused on in these drills will help with golf and other sports.

Re: Email Regarding Golf Travel Sent Earlier Today

British Columbia Golf would like to issue a sincere apology for the email communication sent earlier today promoting golf travel.

After the closure of all facilities earlier this month, we implemented a hold on all communications like this.

This one, however, had been auto-scheduled to distribute today prior to this decision and, in a clerical error, was not subsequently "unscheduled."

We fully appreciate the inappropriate nature of this transmission given the current situation and members can be assured no other emails of this nature will be sent until conditions change.

Again our sincere apologies,

British Columbia Golf

Cliquez ici pour lire la version française

Published Monday, March 23, 2020 12:03PM PDTLast Updated Monday, March 23, 2020 3:07PM PDT

VICTORIA -- The B.C. government has launched a COVID-19 support app to help provide residents with the latest information on the ongoing pandemic.

The app can be downloaded through the Apple Store or Google Play and is also available as a website online here. 

Besides acting as a platform for posting information and alerts, the app also features the B.C. government’s COVID-19 self-assessment tool that can help residents decide if they need to seek coronavirus testing.

The self-assessment tool can also be found as a standalone test online here. 

See complete article HERE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO/OTTAWA (March 22, 2020) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.  

The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community.

Courtesy GOLF.com editors

There are lots of questions about the state of the world these days. While we can’t provide answers to some of the more important questions, we can answer some questions about how golf can exist in our current reality.

Here are a few common questions and our best answers on how recreational golf will be affected in the coming weeks and months.

Should I feel safe playing golf right now?

With the information we have available at the moment, yes. But there should be some extra precautions taken when out on the links.

According to one expert, “Being in a wide-open, outdoor space is the least at-risk scenario.” But there are still certain cautious measures to take when on the course.

March 17, 2020 – 5:30 p.m. ET

The health and safety of everyone associated with the PGA TOUR and the global community is and will continue to be our No. 1 priority as we navigate the ongoing health crisis related to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

On March 12, the PGA TOUR made the announcement to cancel or postpone four weeks of events on all six Tours through the week of the Valero Texas Open (March 30-April 5). Augusta National Golf Club also announced the postponement of the Masters Tournament (April 6-12).

With the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the Office of the President of the United States, the PGA TOUR will now cancel four additional events: RBC Heritage (April 13-19); Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 20-26); Wells Fargo Championship (April 27-May 3); and AT&T Byron Nelson (May 4-10).

The World Handicap System (WHS) consists of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System.

Every Golf Facility Throughout The Entire Pacific Northwest And B.C. Has Been Touched By The Hand, And Voice, Of Larry Gilhuly - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

by Paul Ramsdell

(As seen in the pages of Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine)

You can call it a farewell tour, or a thank-you tour, but whatever you call it, it wasn’t something Larry Gilhuly had planned.

After 36 years with the USGA Green Section, helping Northwest golf courses and their superintendents constantly adapt to changing landscapes and climates, both natural and political, Gilhuly retired in 2019 at the age of 67.

At one of their meetings, which over the years Gilhuly was a regular attendee and speaker, superintendent groups from British Columbia to Hawaii to the Dakotas said thank you with various honors and presentations.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan Has Made A Statement Regarding Play On The PGA TOUR And The Coronavirus Issue Going Forward - Image By Screen Capture

Let me preface my remarks by reinforcing that the health and safety of our players, employees, partners, volunteers, fans and everybody associated with the PGA TOUR is our top priority.

I’ve spoken to President Trump this morning, and I spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis a few hours ago as well.

Our team is in constant communication with local health authorities in each market in which our tournaments are played, and we are tracking and monitoring the health information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization in addition to the travel advisories provided by the U.S. State Department.

Both the White House and the Governor’s office have been and are supportive of the precautionary measures we have taken to this point.

A Team Selfie For The OSU Beavers Women's Golf Team After Winning The Meadow Club Invitational. Delta, BC's Amanda Minni Is On The Right - Image Courtesy OSU

Courtesy OSU Beavers

FAIRFAX, Calif. – The Oregon State women's golf team rallied in the final round of the Meadow Club Invitational on Tuesday, March 10th to win its second title of the season. Senior Nicole Schroeder and freshman Issy Taylor both fired a 3-under 69 in the final round to lead the Beaver charge and help the team post a 4-under 284 effort on the day.

Oregon State concluded the two-day, 54-hole tournament with a 7-over 291-296-284--871 at the par-72, 6,157-yard Meadow Club to win the 13-team event by six strokes over second-place Washington State.