SOAR — Which Stands For Sharing Our Activities And Resources—Combines Curl BC's Capital One Rocks And Rings, British Columbia Golf’s Playground To Fairway And Tennis BC’s Tennis For Schools Programs, Bringing A Three-Day Snapshot To Elementary Schools Across The Province - All Images Courtesy SOAR

Three Provincial Sport Associations Have Collaborated To Reach Elementary Students In The Province’s More Remote Communities

by Haley Cameron  

“Left on what?” prompted Maureen Blaseckie to a gymnasium full of grade threes at Duncan, B.C.’s Alex Aitken Elementary School earlier this spring.

“Lemon!” came the resounding response from the excited group of eight year olds. “And right on what?” asked Blaseckie, holding up an oversized golf club to show its colour-coded grip to the class.“Raspberry!” they replied. “The grip is the hardest part of the game,” Blaseckie explained. “But you guys are experts now, so the rest is easy.”

Blaseckie, an avid curler out of the Archie Browning rink in Esquimalt, was in Duncan for three days at the end of March to lead the local SOAR delivery.

Comox Golf Club's Edith Albrecht (R) Is Welcomed By Club Captain Sharon Crowe At The Zone 6 Spring Captains’ Meeting - Image Courtesy Comox Golf Club/Sharon Crowe

by Sharon Crowe, Comox Ladies Club Capt. 

Recently, Edith Albrecht celebrated her 90th birthday. She started her golfing career at age 25, hitting balls in her brother-in-law’s blackberry field. She was hooked by the game and started participating in tournaments in Zone 6, all over Vancouver Island and BC.

The CN Future Links Mobile Golf Clinics are FREE and they're coming to Eaglequest Golf Centres in Coquitlam and Coyote Creek in Surrey.

The XXVIII Campeonato Internacional De Afficionados sees Brent Wilson and Craig Doell representing British Columbia at the Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru. In this tournament, the “Manuel Prado Cup” is played by two-player teams with aggregate scores, and the “Carlos Raffo Cup” is awarded to the best individual score.  

The 2016 PNGA Cup is being held this year from May 4-6 at the Richmond Country Club in Richmond, British Columbia.

This Ryder-Cup style championship features some of the most notable amateur golfers in the Pacific Northwest region with 12-member teams representing the regional golf associations that makeup the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, which includes British Columbia Golf, Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association, and Washington State Golf Association.

Teams play four-ball, foursome and singles matches to select a champion.

British Columbia Golf is a leader and steward of golf, building participation and supporting the sport by providing resources, education and competition for British Columbians.

Thanks to the continued support from viaSPORT British Columbia and the Province of B.C.'s Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, the programs delivered by British Columbia Golf can continue to be made available throughout the province. The funding put forward from the Province of British Columbia is vital to these programs.

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?

For the first time in history the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada is coming to the Okanagan Valley. Now is your chance to get your tickets and be a part of history.

The GolfBC Championship runs the week of June 6th - 12th, 2016 with competition days taking place June 9th - 12th at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna.

Four-day Championship Tournament Passes are now on sale online for a limited time offer of $25. This represents a savings of $15 off the Day Pass admission price. The Championship Pass is valid all day for all four days of tournament play June 9th - 12th.

image courtesy SFU Athletics

SFU Clan Sophomore Chris Crisologo Fired Three Rounds In The 60's To Earn Medallist Honours At The Mustang Intercollegiate In Arizona

courtesy Steve Frost, SFU Athletics

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Simon Fraser University sophomore Chris Crisologo had an eagle on the fifth hole to move to 5-under-par 67 on the final day to come-from-behind and win the Mustang Intercollegiate on Tuesday at the Palm Valley Golf Club.

Crisologo, ranked No. 20 in NCAA Division II, shot rounds of 69, 67, and 67 for a 203 total at the par 72, 7015 Yards Palm Valley Golf Course to share medalist honours with Brent Grant of BYU Hawaii. Grant fired rounds of 65, 69 and 69.

Jared du Toit (Photo/Golf Canada Archive)

Josh Whalen moves from No. 11 up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings after picking up 28 spots in the world rankings. The junior from Napanee, Ont., finished tied for 20th at the Aggie Invitational that included an opening-round 69 which had him tied for first place after the first day. It was his second Top-20 result of the season.

The only other player in the Top-10 to move up in the world rankings this past week was Alastair Tidcombe, who finished tied for 16th at the Azalea Invitational.

Jared du Toit, who carries the No. 1 ranking in Canada for the second straight week, finished tied for 17th at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. It was his seventh Top-20 finish of the season.

A.J. Ewart (Photo/Golf Canada)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — Development Squad member A.J. Ewart birdied his final two holes to earn a one-stroke victory in the U19 division at the Canadian Junior Golf Association’s (CJGA) B.C. Junior Open presented by Pacific Rim Intercollegiate Golf.

Holding the 18-hole lead, the Coquitlam product kept up the pace in Sunday’s final round to close out the wire-to-wire victory at 4-under par (70-70). The Team Canada rookie fended off the battling Henry Lee of Coquitlam, who closed the tournament one-stroke back of Ewart at 3-under. Both competitors ended as the only two athletes to finish under-par at the University Golf Club.

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.

Image Credit Alfie Lau

BC Provincial Coach Jody Jackson (Left) Will Help Lead The Vancouver Island Provincial ID Camp

courtesy British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf will be hosting a Provincial-Regional ID Camp on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 at Arbutus Ridge Golf Course, home of the 2016 BC Junior Boys Championship.

The training/ID camp will be led by two BC Provincial Golf Coaches, Jody Jackson and Matt Cella and is designed to identify juveniles and juniors on the competitive pathway for the "Introduction to Competition" and “Learn to Compete” stages of development under the Long Term Player Development Guide For Golf. The LTPD Guide can be found at www.golfcanada.ca

By Brad Ziemer

The golf industry in British Columbia has managed to get the attention of government by speaking with one clear voice. That was the message Kris Jonasson, executive director of British Columbia Golf, delivered to the association’s annual general meeting at Tsawwassen Springs.

Jonasson, who is entering his 20th year as executive director of B.C. Golf, spoke about the success the Allied Golf Association of British Columbia has had working with government. That association represents a broad cross-section of the industry, from club pros to course superintendents, course owners and club managers.

images courtesy Golf Burnaby

Over The Past 15 Years, Golf Burnaby Has Worked With The Burnaby School Board To Introduce The Game Of Golf To Grade 5 & Grade 10 Students Throughout Burnaby

Golf Burnaby is growing the game of golf through their 'Reach Out' school-based program. 

Faced with declining numbers in golf participation, fifteen years ago Golf Burnaby’s Operations Department decided to take matters into their own hands and offer an introduction to golf in the community. The goal was to offer an opportunity for the children to experience various aspects of the game, all within an environment of fun.

The Golf Burnaby Elementary School Lesson Program was developed and the ball started rolling to introduce elementary school children to the game of golf. In conjunction with the Burnaby School Board, Golf Burnaby introduced the game of golf to students at the grade 5 and grade 10 levels throughout the City of Burnaby via the schools’ physical education classes.

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.

(Richmond, BC - April 1, 2016) - British Columbia Golf is very pleased to announce the addition of Brad Ziemer to their staff in the capacity of writer/reporter. If ever there was a person in their field who needed 'no introduction' it would be Mr. Ziemer, however we are going to take great pride in doing so.

(Golf Canada/Claus Andersen)

Nick Taylor made the biggest move among the Top-10, gaining 52 spots in the world rankings with a tie for fifth at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open – his second-best career result, behind only his first PGA Tour victory last year. It was his first Top-10 result of the season and was worth 4.96 world ranking points – his third points-paying finish in the last seven weeks.

No. 1 ranked Graham DeLaet climbed two spots after finishing in a tie for 11th at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open. The result was worth 2.76 world ranking points for his third straight points-paying finish in as many tournaments. The Weyburn, Sask., native has climbed 40 spots in the world rankings over the last four weeks.