SFU's Chris Crisologo (L) Is The GNAC POY For 2017-18 While His Coach, Matthew Steinbach (R) Was Honoured By His Peers As The GNAC Coach Of The Year - Images BC Golf/SFU(Gabe Lynn)

PORTLAND, Ore. – Ending his career as arguably the most dominant player in conference history, Simon Fraser senior Chris Crisologo is once again the Great Northwest Athletic Conference  Player of the Year, headlining four selections to the 2017-18 GNAC Men’s Golf All-Conference Team.

Crisologo, now a three-time GNAC Player of the Year, is the first four-time First Team All-GNAC men’s golf selection. The senior was named the GNAC Player of the Week on four occasions this season and leads the conference with a 70.6 stroke average.

He had seven top-five finishes, which includes a tie for fifth at the GNAC Championships and a first-place finish in October’s Concordia Invitational. Crisologo will also make his fourth appearance at the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional next week in Amarillo, Texas.

Attention all golfers who'd like the opportunity to test out and be fitted for Titleist golf clubs. Titleist will be holding complimentary fittings at two different BC locations.  Over the next 7 Thursdays at Northview Golf & Country Club in Surrey as well as 4 of the next 5 Thursdays at the Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna.

Check the schedule below, then go to the Titleist website for more information and to book online.

British Columbia Golf members and staff would like to join in offering condolences to the Western Canada Turfgrass Association, its members and friends and most particularly the family and friends of longtime WCTA Executive Administrator Viola Greer who passed away on April 25th. 

She is remembered and honoured in the following letter from WCTA Executive Director Jerry Rousseau.

Dear WCTA Members and Friends,

We were very saddened to learn yesterday that Viola Freer, Executive Administrator of the WCTA for nineteen years retiring in 2012, passed away on Wednesday, April 25th in Prince George.

Left with loving memories of Viola’s kindness, sincerity and selflessness are husband Roger and son Douglas, and of course all WCTA members and friends who knew her during those formative years for the association.

Viola’s careful attention to our members’ needs and good-hearted demeanour with everyone she served within the turfgrass community helped imbue a positive and friendly culture that has carried on to this day. We’ll remember Viola for this gift and hope we can continue to learn and grow from such a wonderful example of ‘how to be’.

On behalf of the WCTA, we would like to offer Roger, Douglas and all of Viola’s family and many friends, our sincere condolences.

Unfortunately we have no information regarding a service or celebration of life at this time but will pass along any further information we receive.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jerry Rousseau
Executive Director
Western Canada Turfgrass Association

Former B.C. Amateur Champion Jared du Toit Is Competing On The PGA Tour - LatinoAmerica Circuit - Image Courtesy British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Playing the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica circuit has been part golf, part adventure for Jared du Toit. The former B.C. Amateur champion from Kimberley acknowledges he hasn’t yet played as well as he’d like, but repeatedly uses the same four-letter word to describe his experiences through the first four events: cool.

“The travel days can be pretty long, but a lot of places we get to go are really cool,” du Toit says in a telephone interview from Montego Bay, the site of this week’s BMW Jamaica Classic. “I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity or desire to go to a lot of these places if I wasn’t playing golf. So it is very cool to just have the opportunity to check out these places and see some new parts of the world. It has definitely been very cool.”

Langley's James Allenby Took The Vancouver Golf Tour's JM Media Group Masters With Consecutive Rounds Of 64 This Past Week - Image Courtesy VGT/Fraser Mulholland

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

James Allenby dominated the Vancouver Golf Tour in 2017 and the Langley pro has sent an early message that 2018 might be more of the same.

Allenby shot back-to-back rounds of eight-under 64 to win the JM Media Group VGT Masters at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey. Allenby’s 36-hole total of 16-under 128 was seven shots better than Riley Wheeldon of Comox.

Allenby earned $3,000 for the win and now leads the VGT’s Order of Merit. Wheeldon, who is competing in this week’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Club in Courtenay, made $1,800 for his runner-up finish. Kevin Stinson of Mission finished third at four-under par and took home $1,200.

SFU Clan Men's Golf Team, The 2018 GNAC Champions Are Headed To The NCAA Super Regional Tournament - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS – For the fourth time in five years the Simon Fraser University men's golf team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Super Regional.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Simon Fraser will be the No. 6 seed from the West Region at the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Golf West/South Central Regional, which will be held May 7-9 in Amarillo, Texas. The Clan also participated in the Super Regional in 2016, 2015 and 2014.

The tournament will be held at the Tascosa Golf Club and will feature 20 teams and eight individuals. A total of 10 teams and four individuals comprise each region. Chico State represents the West Region as the No. 1 seed while UC Colorado Springs is the top seed in the South Central Region.

2017 B.C. Amateur Winner Jake DuVall Of Victoria Will Be Trying His Hand At The Crown Isle Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Q-School This Week - Images Courtesy Golf Canada/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Class will be in session once again at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay, where the last of five Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada spring qualifying schools is being held May 1-4.

It’s the last chance for players to earn a ticket to this year’s 13-stop Mackenzie Tour, which begins its season May 31-June 3 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. Victoria’s Jake DuVall, last year’s B.C. Amateur champion, and 2014 B.C. Amateur runner-up Mike Belle of Burnaby are among the field of 132 players who will compete in the 72-hole competition at Crown Isle.

The 2018 BC Summer Games are being held in the beautiful Cowichan Valley this year from July 19 - 22nd. As part of the BC Summer Games lead-up, the golf competition holds zone qualifying events and the first one is set to get underway this weekend, on Sunday April 29th at the Squamish Valley Golf & Country Club.

All Images Courtesy African American Golfer's Digest

As We Move Closer To International Women’s Day, Here's A Great Example Of A Group Demonstrating How To Get More Women And Diversity Into The Game - (British Columbia Golf)

By James R. Beatty  (African American Golfer's Digest - reprinted with permission)

If you are even thinking about taking up the game of golf— and have found reason after reason to keep putting it off— then, you must read this story.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Many have either delayed or totally put off the one decision which can and will change your life. Read here about Clemmie Perry, founder and CEO of Women Of Color Golf (WOCG) and how she has helped to impact the lives of women in Tampa, Florida, forever by introducing them to all of the benefits that come with participating and enjoying the game.

Pay particular attention to the reflections of one of these women, who put it in perspective in her own words.

Golf Canada President Leslie Dunning Headed An Industry-Wide Working Group That Established A Ground-Breaking Initiative, The “Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Policy.” - Image Credit Golf Canada

By John Gordon/Golf Canada

Kris Jonasson is many things. All of them good, although I can’t speak to his golf game. 

Blunt is one of those admirable qualities.

When asked about the push for inclusivity in golf, he summarized it thusly: “Golf has bucked a bad reputation forever. Some of it is justified. We need to be a game for all of the people, not just rich white men.”

Since 1996, Jonasson has run British Columbia Golf, that province’s amateur association. In 2004, he led the successful movement to meld the separate men’s and women’s amateur associations into one entity.

For Immediate Release – Vancouver, BC (April 18th, 2018)

Maui Jim Canada Elevating BC Women's Golf In 2018

British Columbia Golf along with the Vancouver Golf Tour welcomes MAUI JIM CANADA as a Major Partner in developing BC Women’s Golf. Through the partnership British Columbia Golf has with the VGT, Maui Jim Canada has elevated their sponsorship to include a Presenting Sponsorship Role in all 7 of British Columbia Golf’s Women’s Championships in 2018.

The BC Golf Women's Championship events begin June 18th with the Women's Senior, Super-Senior and Net-Stableford Championship and conclude with the Juvenile Girls Championship August 23rd. At the same time the VGT will launch the MAUI JIM WOMEN’S SERIES.

CALLING ALL CADDIES
Carry a bag for a future PGA TOUR Professional!

WHAT – 1st stop of the Mackenzie tour PGA TOUR Canada – FREEDOM 55 FINANCIAL OPEN
WHERE – POINT GREY GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB, VANCOUVER
WHEN – MAY 30 – JUNE 3RD
WHO – Anyone that can carry a bag for 18 holes (training provided)

(Golfers from approximately 14 different countries compete. Over 20 past players currently have PGA TOUR cards including Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, and Nick Taylor)

To sign up or get more information:
www.freedom55financialopen.com/caddie.html

_______________________________________________________________________________________
BE A VOLUNTEER!!
AMAZING GOLF -- AMAZING VENUE

Mackenzie Tour- PGA TOUR Canada’s first stop across Canada is here in Vancouver with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey.

May 28 – June 3rd
Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver

The Volunteer package includes the following:

• Official Tournament golf shirt as part of the volunteer uniform
• All meals and snacks included during volunteer shifts
• Volunteer appreciation party
• Free parking and transportation to and from course from designated parking lots
• Two tickets to a Vancouver Canucks regular season home game
• Short shuttle to parking; easy access by public transportation

(Golfers from approximately 14 different countries compete. Over 20 past players currently have PGA TOUR cards including Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, and Nick Taylor)

sign up or get more information at :
www.freedom55financialopen.com

For many of us trying to squeeze in the last few rounds of the season, or for those planning on heading south during the winter, it’s important to note the “active season” in the region, province or country you’re playing in.

Golf Canada’s Handicap System stipulates every player is responsible for returning all acceptable scores into one’s scoring record from rounds played on courses observing their active season, which is part of the golf season when courses have acceptable playing conditions.

Pentiction's Kylie Jack (Far Right), Shown Here With Her 2017 NCAA Division II Champion Teammates, Juggles Her School Work, With Her Golf Game And Her Involvement In Her Community As She Also Takes On Being A Role Model For Indigenous Youth - Image Courtesy SFU

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It’s not easy being a university student-athlete, for whom it can often seem like there are not enough hours in the day to juggle the demands of academics and their chosen sport.

Kylie Jack knows all about that, yet the 21-year-old criminology major and member of the Simon Fraser University golf team also finds time to pursue another passion: being a role model for indigenous youth.

When she’s not hitting the books or banging golf balls at the driving range, Jack volunteers her time helping new indigenous students settle in at SFU. And when she’s back at her Kelowna-area home, Jack can often be found doing volunteer work for both the Penticton and Westbank Indian bands.

Richmond, BC's Chris Crisologo Has A Bright Future In Front Of Him - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

By Steve Ewen Province Sports Reporter

Chris Crisologo gets it.

There aren’t many people in this country more skilled with a golf club in their hands and a golf ball at their feet than Crisologo.

The SFU Clan senior star knows that it’s going to give him opportunities, like when he took part in the South American Amateur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, back in January.

Crisologo won the tournament. He also found the time to get out, to see the sights, to have an experience. The way he can plunk a golf ball down exactly where he wants from 220 yards away with the wind whipping and assorted foliage encroaching will take him places he may not normally visit. He wants to take advantage of that.

To read complete story by Steve Ewen please CLICK HERE

Recently, Kelowna's Gail Graham was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame along with renowned course architect A.V. Macan. (See story by Brad Ziemer HERE).

The two will be formally introduced to the hall during the RBC Canadian Open week at Glen Abbey in July.

Prior to that date Graham has announced the inaugural Gail Graham & Friends Hall of Fame Pro-Am taking place Sunday, June 3 and Monday, June 4, 2018 at the Kelowna Golf & Country Club where her brother Rob Anderson is the Head Golf Professional. 

LPGA ‘Legends’ currently committed to the event are: Gail Graham, Lorie Kane, Elaine Crosby, Michelle McGann, Nancy Scranton and Patty Sheehan.

It is the intention of the Gail Graham & Friends Hall of Fame Pro-Am to direct ALL net proceeds to charity. 

A Volunteer Cleanup Crew Descended On Fairview Mountain Golf Course In Oliver, BC To Help Clean Up The Mess From A Recent Mudslide - Image Courtesy Global News

By Shelby Thom
South Okanagan Reporter Global News

An army of volunteers descended on the Fairview Mountain Golf Course in Oliver on Wednesday to finish off cleanup efforts after a destructive mudslide struck more than two weeks ago.

General Manager Brian McDonald (who can be seen working with the volunteersin the centre of the accompanying picture using the red-handled rake ) said the mudslide occurred overnight on March 23. 

It spread at least 2,000 yards and covered five holes. “The damage was extensive,” McDonald said. “There was a lot of debris here. In the end it was over 3,000 cubic tonnes that had to be removed from the site.”

CLICK HERE to see complete story.

The Team Canada Development Squad Used A Late Push To Tie Mexico For Top Spot In The Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Qualifier Held At Bear Mountain Resort In Victoria - Image Credit Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada’s Development Squad boys and girls teams both finished atop the leaderboards in Thursday’s qualifying event at Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa to secure a spot to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

In the boys division, Canada traded shots with Mexico through the 54-hole event but found themselves trailing heading into the final stretch. A late push by the four-man Canadian squad saw the contingent force a tie for the lead after going 5 under collectively on the final three holes. The two teams netted out tied at 23 over par, each grabbing one of two qualifying spots available on the boys side.

The Vancouver Parks Board trio of golf courses have announced their plans to take part in the upcoming International Women's Golf Day on Tuesday, June 5th, 2018.

Check out the information links below to see how you can join in on this important day of golf and camaraderie. 

WOMEN'S GOLF DAY

Join us June 5th to celebrate Women's Golf Day at Fraserview Golf Course with an evening of golf tips, great food and of course, some retail therapy at special rates. This is an event you don't want to miss!

All are welcome to participate. Registration opens at 5:30pm. Light snacks available upon arrival. Clinics start at 6:00pm. Limited Spaces Available.

Sign up at Fraserview , McCleery or Langara Golf Shops or call 604-257-6923 or contact golfspecialevents@vancouver.ca today!

Get more Women's Golf Day information.

BC's Trevor Yu Had A Solid Month For His Oregon State University Beavers Leading To An Athlete Of The Month Recognition - Image Courtesy OSU Athletics

Courtesy OSU Communications

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University Athletics is proud to announce Trevor Yu and Nicole Schroeder have been named April Scholar-Athletes of the Month.

Yu, a junior from Vancouver, B.C., has played in all nine tournaments this season and has a scoring average of 74.19. His best finish was 26th place at the Desert Mountain Collegiate and his best score was a 3-under 68 in the first round at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.