14-Year-Old Yeji Kwon Fired Rounds Of 70 And 74 To Win The Rain-Shortened Alberta Ladies Amateur By One Shot  - Image Courtesy @Alberta_Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Yeji Kwon says the COVID-19 pandemic has given her more time to practice and all that hard work paid off for the 14-year-old from Port Coquitlam who this week won the Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship.

“With school being out this spring for COVID I got a lot of practice time in,” Kwon says. “We would practice every day, sometimes from morning to night.”

It wasn’t all golf as Kwon had school work to do to complete Grade 8 at Summit Middle School in Coquitlam. 

The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open LPGA Event Will Return To Shaughnessy In 2021 - Image Courtesy Facility

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open has become another COVID-19 sports casualty and will not be played late this summer at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. 

Golf Canada made the announcement Tuesday. With the Canada-U.S. border remaining closed and strict self-quarantine restrictions in place, it simply was not feasible to play the event, which was scheduled for Sept. 3-6. There was some good news for Shaughnessy and Metro Vancouver golf fans, however, as the Southwest Marine Drive layout will play host to the event in 2021.

Vancouver Golf Professional Stuart Macdonald Recorded His Best-Ever Finish With A T27 At The Utah Championship Improving His Exempt Status - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Stuart Macdonald has conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour and knows that means he must take advantage of every opportunity he gets to play. So far, the Vancouver native is doing just that. Macdonald had his best-ever finish on the Korn Ferry Tour this past weekend when he tied for 27th at the Utah Championship.

Macdonald has drawn into three events this year on the Korn Ferry Tour and has made the cut in each tournament. That will help him when the tour reshuffles its priority rankings in late July.

Nick Taylor First Broke 80 On Ledgeview Golf Course, Then 70. Now He Is On A Quest For A Sub-60 Round - Image Credit Darren MacDonald/UFV Athletics

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Ledgeview Golf Club is as comfortable as a pair of old shoes for Nick Taylor, who feels right at home at the Abbotsford layout he literally grew up on.

It seemed fitting that as he prepares to head back to the PGA TOUR after a nearly four-month absence, Taylor dropped by Ledgeview to play one final round. He was there Friday, June 26th, as the host of his annual fundraiser for the University of the Fraser Valley -- the Nick Taylor Charity Pro-Am.

The 118th Playing Of The B.C. Amateur Championship Will Go July 28-30 At Okanagan Golf Club’s Bear Course In Kelowna - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The formal announcement of the easing of travel restrictions has allowed British Columbia Golf to salvage part of its championship schedule. Premier John Horgan has given British Columbians the all-clear to travel about the province and that means the 118th playing of the B.C. Amateur Championship will go July 28-30 at Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna.

Kris Jonasson, chief executive officer of British Columbia Golf, is delighted that tournaments will be played this summer.

“It is really pleasing that we are able to get part of our championship season in,” Jonasson said. “It only really happened because Golf Canada unfortunately had to cancel all of the national championships because we needed to move into those time slots to make it happen.”

Trail Native And Former Burnaby Mountain Assistant Kate Weir Is The New Head Pro At Rivershore, A Robert Trent Jones Sr. Layout In Kamloops - Image Courtesy PGA of BC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Ask Kate Weir how she got started playing golf and the new head pro at Rivershore Golf Links will tell you that she really didn’t have a choice. 

Her parents golfed and they were determined their daughter would, too, so Weir accompanied them to Rossland-Trail Country Club (now called Birchbank Golf Course). 

It wasn’t exactly love at first swing.

LPGA Commisioner Michael Whan & Canadian Golf Hall Of Fame Member Lorie Kane Will Be On Hand For The Online Announcement Of BC's LPGA Amateur Golf Association Chapters And Canadian Women's Open Champ Brooke Henderson Will Have A Recorded Message To Share - Images Courtesy LPGA and BC Golf/JKam photos

Recently, British Columbia Golf became one of the latest golf associations to affiliate with the LPGA Amateur Golf Association, with the creation of 3 'Chapters' in B.C., the Vancouver Island chapter, Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley chapter and the Okanagan/Kamloops/Shuswap chapter.

The LPGA Amateurs focus on creating opportunities for women of all ages to become involved in and enjoy the game of golf. Here is the 'About Us' message as taken from their website:

Walking A Golf Course Is One Of The Most Health Beneficial Activities We Can Take Part In - Image Courtesy wallpaperflare.com

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was another frustrating day on the golf course, where a round that had shown considerable early promise was derailed once again by sloppy play. But my numbers were not all bad. Despite my less than stellar score, there were some positives about that recent round at Peace Portal Golf Course in Surrey.

When I checked the step-counter on my phone, it told me that I had taken more than 13,000 steps during the round and walked about nine kilometres. (Clearly, I did not hit every shot straight down the middle).

I also climbed the equivalent of 23 floors, which is testament to Peace Portal’s hilly terrain. It is numbers like these, rather than the ones I mark on my scorecard, that have convinced me that golf is good for me.

- National Orders of Merit, a points-based ranking which recognizes top male and female amateur performance, will not be awarded for the 2020 championship season -

For Immediate Release

OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Due to continued health concerns as well as government restrictions on travel and group gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Golf Canada has cancelled all of its amateur golf competitions for the duration of the 2020 season.

The National Sport Federation had previously announced the cancellation or postponement of a number of its junior and amateur competitions scheduled through mid-June.

BC Golf Hall Of Fame Inductee Bill Hobbis Has Received The Highest Honour That Can Be Awarded From His Home Club, Royal Colwood GC 

Story & Image: Courtesy Royal Colwood Golf Club

Bill Hobbis, Lifetime Membership Announcement

The Board of Directors is very pleased to announce that Bill Hobbis has been selected to be awarded a Lifetime Membership. Our bylaws state, “The Board shall have the power to elect to Life Membership any Member who has given the Club unselfish and meritorious service.”

Bill certainly fills those criteria. Briefly, and for the sake of brevity, incompletely, here are the highlights of his golfing career.

Popular Padoda Ridge In Langley Has Come Up With A New Route For Their Back Nine - Image Courtesy Facility

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all golf courses to make significant changes in their operations in order to adhere to social distancing protocols, but none have made a bigger adjustment than Pagoda Ridge in Langley. 

Pagoda has changed the entire rotation of its back nine.

Abbotsford, BC's Nick Taylor Poses With His Wife Andie, Young Son Charlie, And The Pebble Beach Pro-Am Winner's Trophy From Earlier This Year - Image Courtesy @ntaylorgolf59/Twitter

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor has a plan for his return to the PGA TOUR and it has everything to do with his family. 

Taylor is not in the field for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Tex., as the PGA TOUR resumes play after a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Abbotsford native won’t be playing the following two weeks, either, at the RBC Heritage and Travelers Championship.

Taylor instead plans to return for the first of two events at Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio in early July. Then he plans to play every week through, hopefully, the Tour Championship on Labour Day weekend in early September.

Former Vancouver Canucks Colour Commentator Tom Larscheid (Inset) Is Missing Being Able To Play At His Home Club In Blaine, Wash. - Image Courtesy Facility & YouTube

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Tom Larscheid is missing the camaraderie as much as the golf at his home club. The popular former Vancouver Canucks colour commentator and his wife Leslie haven’t been able to visit Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine, Wash., since the Canada-U.S. border closed to non-essential travel in March.

“There’s no question we miss the many friends that we have made down there through the years,” says Larscheid, a member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. “We have been members since 2004 so that is a long time.”

Coach Shayain Leads Her Women's Golf Day Clinic In Their Warm-up Session - Image Courtesy Shayain Gustavsp

At this year's Annual General Meeting, British Columbia Golf welcomed 3 new directors onto their Board. One of those new directors is Shayain Gustavsp, who also happens to be an accredited LPGA Teaching Professional. 

In honor of Women's Golf Day, on Tuesday, June 2nd 2020, Coach Shayain hosted a Women's Golf Clinic in Richmond. She knew this clinic was going to be different than those she'd held in the past. Due to Covid-19 she would have to adhere to social distancing guidelines and yet still create an intimate environment for her students.

Jared du Toit Of Kimberley BC Is Intrigued By The PGA TOUR's Hint At Having Some 'Make-up' Events For Players Who Have Been Affected By The Shutdown. James Allenby Of Langley And Riley Wheeldon Of Comox Are Also Interested - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

This year was supposed to be a golfing adventure of sorts for Jared du Toit, the former B.C. Junior Boys champion who has exempt status on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica circuit.

But instead of visiting and playing in exotic locales like Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, du Toit has been playing all of his golf in the East Kootenays near his Kimberley home. He returned home from his winter base in Arizona in late March and has tried to keep his game in shape, which wasn’t easy at first with snow still on the ground.

Richmond Country Club, Along With Many Of BC's Private Golf Facilities, Has Seen A Big Jump In Demand Since COVID-19 Impacted The Province's Recreational Opportunities - Image Courtesy Facility

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mark Strong has never seen anything quite like it. Well, actually he has, but it was a long time ago.

Strong, the general manager of Richmond Country Club, says the current COVID-19 pandemic has helped create a demand for golf that is beginning to rival the days when a certain player began to dominate the professional game in the late 1990s.

“I honestly think right now it is one of the biggest shots in the arm for golf since the Tiger boom,” Strong says.

Matthew Steinbach Has Received Another Honour As Coach Of The SFU Golf Program - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

Courtesy Jacob Hall/SFU Sport Information Manager

NORMAN, Okla -- In his fourth year as head coach of the Simon Fraser golf porgram, Matthew Steinbach was named the Golf Coach Association of America, NCAA Division II, west region coach of the year.

This is yet another accolade for Steinbach as he was also named GNAC coach of the year for both the men's and women's team. It was quite the year for Steinbach and the program as they had many program firsts.

Join in Virtual Women's Golf Day - Digital Celebration, June 3rd!

Women's Golf Day, with events around the globe is planned for September 1st.

Meanwhile, here is the statement put out from Women's Golf Day with respect to the one day delay from June 2nd to the 3rd on the Virtual Celebration:

We have decided to pause our social media activity today. Join us JUNE 3rd in honouring the people that we work with in the 50+ countries where Women’s Golf Day takes place and we kindly ask you to post and share WGD content tomorrow as we unite to Support, Engage and Empower women and men around the world. #wgdUNITES

This engaging virtual experience will be hosted on the WGD website http://www.womensgolfday.com and will include ways to engage through social media, videos, content and an online charity auction.

Links to all of the WGD action can be found below.

The following is a release from viaSport

viaSport is pleased to release the Return to Sport Guidelines. 

We are all eager for sport to return to B.C. and bring our communities together. These guidelines will help sport organizations across British Columbia develop their own plans for a safe return to sport.

Due to the COVID - 19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health's safety regulations around travel and ViaSport's mandate that no competitive sport be played at this time, B.C. Golf has decided to not go ahead with the 2020 B.C. Junior Championship.

The Junior Championship was scheduled to be played at NK'MIP Canyon Desert Golf Course from June 30th to July  3rd. The B.C. Boys Junior was first played in 1946 and the B,C, Junior Girls had it's inaugural event in 1952.

Last year was the first year that the boys and girls played at the same venue, and we were looking forward to continuing that format this year. Both championships have a long list of very deserving champions, some of whom have gone on to great success, including winning on the PGA and LPGA Tours. This will be the first time for both events that they will not be contested. B.C. Golf looks forward to bringing these championships back in 2021.

This is not an easy decision to make and B.C. Golf would like to thank NK'MIP Canyon Desert Golf Course who were excited to hold this championship. No decisions have been made on other Championships for the 2020 season at this time.

Four weeks notice will be given for each event as to whether it will go ahead or not.