Some of the new Rules of Golf appear to have confused people.

This may help, a video highlighting the main changes with the new 2019 Rules of Golf.

Abbotsford, BC's Adam Hadwin Has His Eyes On A Presidents Cup Spot This Year, Among Other Goals For The New PGA TOUR Season - Image Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Adam Stanley/Courtesy Golf Canada

With the Presidents Cup in his sights and high hopes to return to major championship fields, Adam Hadwin knows a strong start to 2019 is essential.

The Abbotsford, B.C., golfer was in the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii (where he finished T57) – the first full-field event of the 2019 portion of the PGA TOUR season – alongside fellow Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor, and Corey Conners, (who qualified for the event late on Monday and parlayed that into a T3 finish after back-to-back weekend 64's).

Hadwin, who notched two top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR and represented Canada at the World Cup of Golf with Taylor (they tied for fourth) during the fall of 2018, said he’s excited to get back into the heat of competition again.

Golf’s new Rules have been published by the The R&A and USGA in partnership with Golf Canada with the effective date of Jan. 1, 2019.

For the first time, a new Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf is being introduced to provide a shorter, more user-friendly version of the Rules for golfers at all levels of the game.

Canada's Own Brooke Henderson Won Her National Open With Sister Brittany On The Bag At Regina’s Wascana Country Club - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Written by John Gordon/Courtesy Golf Canada

What a year it was for Canadian golf.

Our pros won literally around the world and on just about every tour imaginable. Our amateurs of all ages made Canada proud at home and abroad. And, off the course, there were significant moments that are well worth memorializing as 2019 looms on the horizon.

The BC Sport Leadership Conference brings together a diverse collection of organizations, teams, and individuals with the singular purpose of improving their craft.

The conference also provides opportunity to share previous experience, successes, and best practice with those of a familiar mindset.  Speakers are entrusted with delivering engaging content in their areas of expertise. They’ve also been asked to present you with usable material and key takeaways.

Partners have enriched the BC Sport Leadership Conference experience by planning additional sport specific symposiums, clinics, and educational opportunities.

Over 140 Women Celebrated This Year’s Success At The 15th Annual Golf Fore The Cure National Event At Thornhill Golf Club In Thornhill, Ont. - Image Courtesy Golf For The Cure Facebook

Via Golf Canada

The season of giving has another reason to be cheerful. Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru raised over $425k for breast cancer research in 2018 thanks to the efforts over 13,000 participants at 175 events across the country, including two interior locales in BC who were among the top 20 fundraisers, Fernie GC and Chinook Cove Golf & RV in Barrière.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, upwards of 120,000 women have raised over $6.7 million to date with all proceeds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Brian McDonald claimed his first national title at the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy Thursday as he closed with a 5-under-par 67 for a five-shot victory.

The Director of Golf and General Manager at Fairview Mountain in Oliver, B.C., featured five birdies in his final round at The Gold Course at Wigwam Golf Club, coming from behind to raise a PGA of Canada national championship trophy for the first time in his career.

With the recent celebration of International Volunteer Day (IVD) across the globe, British Columbia Golf would like to take this opportunity to both acknowledge and sincerely thank the many women, men and young people who regularly give of their time and expertise to help make the championship events held in our province run smoothly and efficiently and indeed, allowing them to take place at all.

By John Gordon (Courtesy Golf Canada)

If asked the question “How has technology impacted your game?”, most golfers automatically think of their adjustable driver, game-improvement irons, a ball that promises both distance and accuracy, foul-weather gear and footwear that protect them from the elements and, perhaps, a distance-measuring device that takes the guesswork out of approach shots or an electric trolley that saves wear and tear on their bodies during a round.

But we got some revealing and unexpected answers when we asked experts from various sectors of the Canadian golf industry what technology they thought was most impactful on golfers.

By RYAN HERRINGTON, Golf Digest

As January 1, 2019, approaches, it’s time to consider what New Year’s resolutions you’ll be making to help your golf game in 2019.

For those who haven’t come up with any, here’s a suggestion: Learn the Rules of Golf. (No, really learn them this time.)

Perhaps you’ve tried, only to find that by February, the copy of the rules book you picked up is covered with as much dust as that Peloton you bought to get into shape.

Yet here’s the thing: There’s no better time than now to give it another shot because a new, modernized version of the rules goes into effect on New Year’s Day.

Click here for the full story...

In this week's Golf Canada Top 10 rankings, Abbotsford's Nick Taylor picked up 13 spots in the OWGR thanks to his T9 in the Australian PGA Championship.

Taylor remains at number 4 in the Men's Pro rankings in Canada, with fellow Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin continuing to be this country's top ranked male professional, a place he's held for nearly two years running, and sits at number 68 in the world.

Vancouver's Seann Harlingten Is One Of Four Canadians Vying For Web.com Tour Status In The Final Stage Of Q-School This Week - File Photo

Courtesy Golf Canada

The final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament gets underway Thursday at the Whirlwind Golf Club (The Cattail and Devil’s Claw) in Chandler, Ariz., where four Canadians will look to secure or improve their status for 2019.

Brian Youell image credit: Chad Hipolito

Brian Youell Fins 2018 Leo Feser Award From GCSAA

Brian Youell, the golf course superintendent at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Leo Feser Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

Now in its 41st year, the award is presented annually to the author of the best superintendent-written article published in Golf Course Management, the association’s flagship publication, during the previous year.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is busy preparing for another strong season, announcing on Thursday the dates and sites for its six 2019 Qualifying Tournaments, events that determine the membership of the Mackenzie Tour.

The six sites will be: TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, TX (February 25-March 1), Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howie-In-The-Hills, FL (March 4-8), Carlton Oaks Golf Club in Santee, CA (March 25-29), Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, AZ (April 1-5), TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (April 22-26) and Crown Isle Resort & Golf Club in Courtenay, BC (April 29-May 3).

Each event is a 72-hole, no-cut qualifying tournament, with fields of 120 players.

Courtesy Cordova Bay Golf Club

Laurie Carroll - June 20, 1929 - November 14 2018

Victoria's golf community has lost an icon. After more than 7 decades involved in the world of golf, Laurie has walked his final fairway. He passed away peacefully on November 14, predeceased by his wife of 54 years Doreen in 2011 and his brother Richard in 2015. He will be lovingly remembered by his son Scott (Chris), daughter Susanne (Shawn) Quast and grandchildren Nicole and Adam.

Laurie's career had stops as the Assistant Professional and later the Head Professional at the Victoria Golf Club. Later he became the owner and operator of Douglas Golf Lands, a driving range and par 3 course that started on Vanalman Avenue but ended up occupying Cordova Bay's current driving range and parts of hole 1,9,10, and 18. Laurie spent his days there dispensing his vast knowledge on golf and life from the lesson tee. Generous with his time, particularly with young people, he taught and he taught and he taught. Always quick with a story, we listened to stories about Hope, Crosby, Nelson, Player and others that he encountered over his career. We were captivated to hear about a life in the game.

In the early days of Cordova Bay Laurie transitioned to our lesson tee, some 75 yards away. Laurie Carroll taught Victoria how to golf. To this day, all you have to do is work in the pro shop for one week and you will be convinced that there is not a single golfer in Victoria over the age of 40 that has not taken a golf lesson from him, usually their first.

As Cordova Bay's first Director of Golf he was relied upon heavily for advice by the developers of the course and is directly responsible for much of Cordova Bay's current success. After 10 years or so Laurie "retired" from teaching but he did not leave the lesson tee. Laurie was a fixture at the driving range, dispensing advice and encouragement as he walked past. "Here give me that G'd' thing... watch... now hit it like this". "Did I tell you the story about...".

Please join us for a celebration of Laurie's life at Bill Mattick's Restaurant on Sunday, December 2nd from 12 -3 pm.

All members are welcome to attend and spend the afternoon remembering Laurie and all his stories.

British Columbia Golf members and staff would like to offer sincere condolences to the family and friends of Emily Mae Beauchamp (Ringheim) following her passing in September. There is a celebration of her life being planned for July 27th, 2019.

The Kimberley, BC native was heavily involved in junior golf in our province and was a tremendous influence in the community volunteering her time in many capacities. 

Below is an excerpt from her obituary posted by Thompson Funeral Service in Nelson, BC.

Marine Drive Golf Club's Leah John, Seen Here Teeing Off At Her Home Course In The Canadian Women's Amateur This Summer, Is Headed To The University Of Nevada In Reno On A Full Ride Golf Scholarship - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Nevada Wolf Pack Women's Athletics

RENO, Nev. – Nevada women's golf coach Kathleen Takaishi signed three young players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, with Vancouver's Leah John being one of them.

"I am very excited about this recruiting class," said Takaishi. "Their hard work and dedication exemplify the values and culture we have built over the past few years. Each of them brings a unique aspect to our team. I anticipate this class making a big impact on our success moving forward."

One Of BC's Most Decorated Golfers, Procter's Jackie Little, Has Been Recognized By The Global Golf Post As A First Team All-Amateur Selection - Image Courtesy Global Golf Post

Global Golf Post has named their 6th Annual Global Golf Post All-Amateur Teams. Selections were made for Men & Women's Amateur, Mid-Amateur and Senior categories with some 199 players from 24 nations being honoured.

Guided mostly by the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the selection committee also put in a lot of hours scouring results and national rankings to come up with who they consider had the best years as amateur players around the globe.

No Stranger To Winning Titles, Karen Pultz Has Added A 7th Sweeny Cup Trophy To Her Mantlepiece - Image Credit Bob Potter/Sweeny Cup

Courtesy Sweeny Cup

Karen Pultz of Peace Portal GC in South Surrey, BC has captured the Sweeny Cup title as the season-long leader of the prestigious competition named after and started by B.C. and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Violet Pooley Sweeny.

Pooley Sweeny started the Sweeny Cup competition in 1936, organizing the best female golfers from a variety of clubs to participate in a competitive golf environment.

The Sweeny Cup is a season-long golf competition open to ladies living in the Lower Mainland who are 19 years of age or older, are members in good standing of British Columbia Golf (Zone 3 or 4), and have a current handicap factor of 10.0 or less. The Sweeny Cup season typically runs from March until October with a series of one-day events at both private and public golf courses across the Lower Mainland.