The UBC T'Birds Are 2023 NAIA Champions - Photo Credit Dan O'Connor (UBC T'Birds Communications)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

For just the second time in program history, the University of B.C. men’s golf team has captured the NAIA national championship. The T-Birds surprised even their coach by winning the 72-hole tournament at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.

“To be honest it’s a big surprise and it’s a big upset,” said longtime UBC coach Chris Macdonald. “We were the 12th-ranked team coming in, so a lot of things had to go right.”

Summerland's Nathan Ward Is The 2023 BC Men's Mid-Amateur Champion - All Images Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — Every golf round seems to bring with it that moment of adversity when a player’s character and resolve are put to the test.

For Nathan Ward, that moment came on the par 5 13th hole during the final round of the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships at Sandpiper Golf Course.

Ward made a mess of the hole, walking off the green with a double-bogey seven. That very easily could have been the end of Ward’s chances, but the 37-year-old Summerland resident wasn’t about to give up.

Nanoose Bay Resident Shelly Stouffer Captured Both The B.C. Women's Mid-Amateur & Mid-Master Championships At Sandpiper GC In Harrison Mills - All Images Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — For those of us wondering what Shelly Stouffer was going to do for an encore, she provided an answer at Sandpiper Golf Course.

Apparently, the Nanoose Bay resident is going to just keep winning.

After a stellar 2022 campaign, Stouffer began her 2023 season by capturing both the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master titles at the scenic Harrison Mills layout.

Tina Papatolis Is The Leader After Two Rounds Of The BC Women's Mid-Amateur - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

HARRISON MILLS — Tina Papatolis wasn’t about to let a horrible ending to her round spoil what she had accomplished the previous 17 holes.

Papatolis, a Canadian who now lives in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, arrived at the 18th tee at Sandpiper Golf Course one-under for her round. But after driving her tee ball left into the trees and then dunking her third shot into the pond fronting the green, she had to settle for a triple-bogey seven.

Still, her two-over 74 is the low score posted through two rounds of the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championships. And it gave Papatolis a three-shot lead heading into Thursday’s final round. The event is being held concurrently with the B.C. Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championship.

Lauren Kim (L) And Gabriela Ruffels Were The Two Qualifiers For The U.S. Women's Open At VGC - Image Courtesy Golf Canada/Twitter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lauren Kim’s one and only visit to California’s Monterey Peninsula occurred a few years ago when she and her family were driving home from a junior golf tournament in the San Diego area.

Kim, all of 11 or 12 years old at the time, vividly remembers what a beautiful spot it was. “We went to all of the golf courses in the area and picked up every scorecard,” she says. “And then we went to the beach and dipped our toes in the water.

“I bought one of those bouncy balls that had a big Pebble Beach logo on it. And it had golf ball dimples on it. I thought this is really cool, I want that.” She also decided right there and then that she’d one day play Pebble Beach.

On Monday, that dream became a reality. Kim will not only play Pebble Beach, she’ll play it in this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Canada is home to some of the world’s finest public golf courses, but many go unrecognized in ScoreGolf's biennial Top 59 Public Courses ranking, which they are set to publish again later this summer.

That is where you come in. Submit up to 10 of your favourite public courses in your province by clicking on the link below.

SFU Red Leafs Men's Golf Team - Image Courtesy SFU/Sonoma State Athletics

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The solid play of senior Aidan Goodfellow (Centre In Team Photo Shown) and a pair of clutch 18th-hole birdies by Michael Crisologo and Jordan Bean helped the Simon Fraser University men’s golf team earn a spot in the NCAA Division II national championship tourney for the first time since 2015.

The Red Leafs tied for fourth at the West/South Central regional tourney in Rohnert Park, Calif., where the top five teams earned spots in the national championship tourney.

It was a nail-biter of a final round as only seven strokes separated the top nine teams.

Two-Time Marine Drive Club Champion Taylor Durham Shot 5-under 65 To Win The Regional Qualifier at Ledgeview Golf Club - Image Credit Golf Canada/Twitter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

ABBOTSFORD — When it comes to his golf, Taylor Durham has always been something of a late bloomer.

He wasn’t quite good enough in high school to get an opportunity to compete collegiately, but Durham’s passion for the game kept him playing and he got better. A lot better.

After a successful inaugural event last season, Marine Drive GC is excited for an even better event for year two! On June 27 & 28 Marine Drive will be hosting the second annual Marine Drive Junior Invitational.

The Invitational will be catered towards highly competitive golfers looking to test their skills at a premier golf club. They expect to have a larger field this year, so get your entries in early. If they are oversubscribed, players will be selected based on handicap and past tournament performance.

All Images & Editorial Courtesy Kaslo Golf Club

Kaslo Golf Course opened in 1923, when there were about a dozen golf courses in all of British Columbia. In Kaslo, which was a larger community than it is today, some enthusiasts formed a company, raised some capital and began to generate interest in creating a course locally.

Subscriptions provided enough capital to build 4 holes in 1923, and the following year a further 5 holes were carved out on the reasonably flat bench just south of the main area of the town, where the course is still located.

In the beginning, a ladies' membership cost $10 and men's $15.

It's Time to Celebrate! Women's Golf Day Celebrations begin May 30 and run through June 6th! You can participate in a number of ways! Don't miss your chance to be a part of the fun!

There are lots of ways to get involved - starting May 30th.

NextGen Pacific Champions Amy Seung Hyun Lee & Jerry Li - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The NextGen Championships put on by Golf Canada each year are what you might call 'junior majors'. Amy Seung Hyun Lee now has won two of them.

Lee, a 15-year-old Langley resident, captured the NextGen Pacific Championship at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club.

She went wire-to-wire and won by five shots against an elite field of B.C. juniors.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Thanks in no small part to the work of Ledgeview Golf Club General Manager Brad Clapp, a spot in next month’s RBC Canadian Open field will be up for grabs at a regional qualifier at the Abbotsford course on May 12.

Golf Canada rules stipulate that a minimum of 120 players must compete in a regional qualifier in order for that coveted pass into the Canadian Open to be made available to the winner.

Clapp, a former winner on the PGA Tour Canada circuit, made it his personal mission to see that the Ledgeview field cracked that magic number. He is happy to report that nearly 140 players have now committed to play in the regional qualifier.

In this first video of a series, Coach Shayain Gustavsp along with the assistance of adaptive golfer and former coach of Canada's Wheelchair Basketball Team, Joe Higgins, pass along some straightforward tips for new-to-the-game golfers as well as adaptive golfers who may need some information on 'getting around a golf course'.

Shayain is a certified LPGA Teaching and Club Professional since 2018. Joe's work with Paralympic athletes has resulted in gold medals for Canadian wheelchair athletes since the early 1990's.

In keeping with the tradition of offering top-level coaching and support for aspiring young golfers in BC, British Columbia Golf is pleased to present the latest additions to the High Performance team with British Columbia Golf. 

Debbie Pyne, BC Golf's Managing Director of Player Performance - and recent recipient of Sport BC's In Her Footsteps...Celebrating Women In Sport Award, identified a need for regional representation for the Performance Coach positions and as such now welcomes Patrick Lago as the Vancouver-based Performance Coach and Conner Kozak as the Okanagan-based Performance Coach.

Image courtesy pexels/pixabay

OTTAWA, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) launches its month-long Sun Awareness Month campaign, urging Canadians to learn about the causes and early warning signs of skin cancer.

“With melanoma being the 5th most common cancer type found in youth and young adults (15-29) and 4th most common cancer type found in middle-aged adults (30-49), it should be a priority for Canadians to learn how to conduct a skin cancer self-examination and know the warning signs,” says National Chair of the CDA Sun Awareness Working Group and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Sunil Kalia.

For the full month of May, the CDA is dedicated to sharing important sun awareness messages and resources for Canadians, including steps to conduct a self-examination and preventative actions across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, the CDA website, media, and more.

The 2nd Annual GolfBC GROUP BC WOMEN’S OPEN Presented by Boyd Autobody & Glass is a 36-Hole Stroke Play Championship contested at Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club on June 10 & 11th, 2023.

The event is open to both Female Professionals and Female Amateurs with a registered Golf Canada or USGA handicap of 26.0 or less.

A tremendous opportunity for female golfers of all abilities, the event features very generous prizing expected to be over $10,000 in value for both the professional and amateur divisions (based on full field entry for both divisions).

See below for more details and how to enter.

Vancouver's Adam Fine Found Golf Helped Him Through A Life-Threatening Illness - YouTube Photo Capture

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Adam Fine grew up not far from Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park, where he and his buddies were regulars at the local pitch and putt course. “It is possible I played there a thousand times,” Fine says.

Yet he didn’t consider himself a golfer.

“Pitch and putt I always loved, golf itself was an absolute non-starter,” he says. Then golf helped save his life and everything changed for Fine. He’s now not only an avid golfer, but the game he embraced during a life-threatening illness provides him his living.

Spring is here and we are looking ahead to the 2023 CP Women’s Open. In its 49th playing, Canada’s National Women’s Open is coming to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver for the first time ever!

Delta, BC's Jace Minni - Image Courtesy Gonzaga University

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Gonzaga golf drought is over, thanks to Delta’s Jace Minni.

The former B.C. Juvenile Boys champion earned his first collegiate win in impressive fashion last week by capturing Seattle University’s Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., by four shots.

It was the first individual win by a Gonzaga University player since 2016 and Minni’s final-round 65 matched the low round in the history of the golf program at the Spokane school.