In Celebration of International Women’s Day, happening March 8, 2024 and recognizing women in sport and golf, we present a video from the 2023 Sport BC Athlete of The Year Awards dinner and presentation, where two very influential women were recognized and honoured with 'In Her Footsteps' awards.

The purpose of In Her Footsteps…Celebrating BC Women in Sport, is to name and honour women who have made a significant contribution to sport in BC. The athletes, coaches, officials, builders, pioneers, teams, officials, and members of the media who have been selected for this honour have helped shape sport in BC.

Sagebrush Golf Club In Quilchena, BC - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

If all goes as planned, the Sagebrush experience will cost a little less this season and taste much better.

The highly regarded Merritt-area layout is moving to a more traditional fee green-fee structure for the 2024 season and new general manager Chris Hood is also focused on upping Sagebrush’s food and beverage game.

“We did a survey at the end of last year of our players and one of things that came back from people is they wanted to see more simplified rate structure more in line with what other courses do,” Hood, a veteran of the B.C. golf industry, said in an interview.

Victoria's Royal Colwood Is A NGL Participating Club - Image Courtesy Royal Colwood

League registration is now open for the 2024 BDO National Golf League in support of First Tee – Canada! Make sure your league gets a spot by letting your league operator know about the opportunity!

The 2024 55+ BC Games will take place in Salmon Arm from September 10-14, 2024. Participants will be attending from all 12 zones within the province to compete in a possible 23 sports.

The 55+ BC Games is British Columbia’s premier annual sporting event for residents aged 55 years and over. 

In addition to high-quality competition, the Games experience includes social events, which highlight the host community, as well as Opening and Closing Ceremonies to give participants a full multi-sport experience of partaking in Games Culture.

Late last year British Columbia Golf sponsored a couple of golf pools free to our membership and we received some very positive feedback. So, for 2024 we are going to run the Majors Challenge for each of the four men's major championships, as well as three from the LPGA.

All those who entered last year will receive a Monday reminder the week of the event to choose their team and confirm an entry should you wish to participate. 

Once again, entry in these contests is FREE to BC Golf Members and there will be prizes for 1st - 5th place as shown below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce its full 2024 championship schedule, which includes amateur and professional competitions in addition to various qualifiers hosted at golf facilities across Canada.

The 2024 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s two signature National Open Championships — the RBC Canadian Open, returning to the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. May 28 – June 2, and the 50th playing of the CPKC Women’s Open to be held at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, July 23-28.

Golf Canada’s 2024 competition calendar also includes 11 National Amateur Championships presented by BDO, six NextGen Championships, and the World Junior Girls Golf Championship. Three new previously announced championships for the 2024 season include the BDO National Golf League Finals, the Canadian U15 Championship, and the Canadian Collegiate Invitational.

The 2024 golf season is upon us in many areas of BC and to help kick things off the Women's Golf Cloud Series events for April and May are now open for registration. See more information and the link for registration below. 

The Spring Tour Series is BACK!

Ezzabella Hernandez and Christine Wong have committed to their roles as the Zone 3 and Zone 4 Junior Girls Chair for 2024 and look forward to hosting the junior girls this year.

A big thank you to the Spring Tour Series hosts this year for supporting the Junior Girls - Richmond GCC, Quilchena GCC, Capilano GCC. Your support is greatly appreciated!

*They will be adding to the schedule in the next few weeks. The official schedule has now been shared to the public, click on the link below.

BRITISH COLUMBIA GOLF VOTING MEMBERS

SECRETARY/TREASURER OF British Columbia Zone committees

FIRST NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TAKE NOTICE THAT the 21st Annual General Meeting of British Columbia Golf will be a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. The meeting will use “Zoom” as the meeting platform and all voting members will be provided with a meeting link to log-in to the meeting.

All supporting documents can be located at the links found at the bottom of this page.

BC's Nick Taylor Putted Brilliantly At The WM Phoenix Open - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor did more than win the WM Phoenix Open in dramatic fashion by birdieing three of his final four holes and then adding two more in a sudden-death playoff with Charley Hoffman.

Taylor served notice that he is right now Canada’s best male player and, quite frankly, a world-class talent who seems to have that ability to rise to the occasion and perform at his best in the big moments.

Shayain Gustavsp Is In Scottdale To Experience The WM Phoenix Open -  Image Credit: Shayain Gustavsp

Editor's Note:This week, BC's Golf contributor, Shayain Gustavsp ('Coach Shayain' to many of her students and social media followers), has flown south to take in the very unique spectacle that is the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shayain will be posting daily observations from the 'Greatest Show on Grass' offering a wide-eyed Canadian's perspective on both the golf and the party-like atomosphere that surrounds the TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course.

By Shayain Gustavsp (Special To BC Golf)

Heading to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, I was buzzing with the excitement of a snowbird fleeing the chill, ready to soak up Scottsdale's desert sun. Yet, Mother Nature had a twist in store, swapping my sunhat for a tuque as Vancouver's signature drizzle followed me to Arizona.

Who knew the desert could feel like a brisk day by the Pacific? Thank goodness for my stash of Lululemon layers – a shoutout to my Canadian roots and a lifesaver for weather-whiplashed golf enthusiasts like me. Lesson learned: even in the land of cacti, layering is key!

The Golf Competition In The 2024 BC Summer Games Will Take Place At Meadow Gardens GC - Image Credit: Bryan Outam/BC Golf

After having the 2020 version of the BC Summer Games cancelled due to Covid-19, Maple Ridge will host the 2024 BC Summer Games, from July 18-21. 

“Maple Ridge is home to a number of famous athletes and will soon become the centre of sports in our province with the upcoming B.C. Summer Games,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Municipal Affairs.

As a prelude to the BC Summer Games there will be a number of qualifying events at various sites and that will hold true for golf as well. You can find general information and more details on zone qualifying for golf to take part in the games below. 

Lauren Kim (L) And Keri Moffat Are Finalists In The Sport BC AOY Awards For 2023

(Vancouver, BC) - Sport BC announced the finalists to be celebrated at the upcoming 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport in the 2023 season.

The BC West Regional Final Is Slated For Crown Isle Resort (Pictured) - Image Courtesy Crown Isle

(Acton, ON) - The PGA of Canada is pleased to announce that some of Canada’s top courses have been secured as host sites for the 2024 RBC PGA Scramble Regional Finals.

The program looks to build upon its biggest year yet in 2023, when over 12,000 amateur players participated at over 170 local qualifiers across the country. Players can once again look forward to the continued program improvements, including two guaranteed spots in the National Final at Cabot Cape Breton for all-female teams, low-gross qualifying positions and an increased emphasis on handicap integrity and verification.

In honour of Bell Let's Talk Day, British Columbia Golf is focussing on 'Self Care Activities'. See the poster below or visit https://letstalk.bell.ca/

Jared du Toit Tees Off In 2022 RBC Canadian Open - Bernard Brault/Golf Canada Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jared du Toit has his Asian Tour card and now just has to sort out what that means.

On the surface it looks like a terrific opportunity for the 28-year-old Kimberley product, who tied for 12th at the final stage of the Asian Tour qualifying school last week in Hua Hin, Thailand. “I think it’s a good opportunity,” du Toit said over the phone from Thailand.

“I don’t really know how it is all going to shake out.”

Preparation for the 2024 golf season includes the Provincial Rules Seminar which starts on March 5th and runs until April 12. Registration opened on January 16th. 

 Here's some of what is included in the seminar: 

• Over 13 hours of Instruction with a certified National Level Rules of Golf Referee
• Advanced review of the Rules of Golf, Definitions, Interpretations
• Full Rules of Golf book
• Official Guide to the Rules of Golf Book
• Provincial Level Examination
• British Columbia Golf Gift

Click HERE for registration and information page. 

BC's Jared du Toit (L) And Stuart Macdonald (R) Are Off To Q-School Finals - Golf Canada Player Photos

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was one of the toughest weeks of their golfing lives, but Jared du Toit and Stu Macdonald both survived to play another day.

Another week, actually, as both players have earned the right to play in the finals of the Korn Ferry/PGA TOUR qualifying school later this month. It did not come easy.

“It was probably the hardest week for me in my career,” Vancouver native Macdonald said of surviving a second-stage qualifier in Valencia, Calif.

In this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, show creator and host, Colin Weston, interviewed Amy Bockerstette who first came to prominence in the public eye during the moment that Colin describes below. 

"On Jan. 29, 2019 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s Dream Day on the famous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, Amy Bockerstette, who has Down syndrome, demonstrated to the golfing world what a determined athlete with self-confidence and a positive attitude can achieve.

While playing with PGA TOUR players Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar during the Tuesday practice round, Amy hit the par 3 tee shot 117 yards into a greenside bunker, splashed her sand shot to within 8 feet of the pin, and made her par putt in front of a roaring crowd."

The I GOT THIS Foundation was born out of this moment, which was captured on video and has since gone viral, receiving more than 54 million views on social media platforms.

SFU Red Leaf Stalwart Freshmen Golfers Dana Smith (L) & Denby Carswell (R) - BC Golf Photos

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Recruiting can be a hit-or-miss game for collegiate golf coaches, who are always on the lookout for promising juniors who can help replenish their teams.

Those new recruits often need time to develop before they are ready to play regularly and make an impact with their college squads. That is why Simon Fraser University coach Matthew Steinbach feels blessed after seeing how two of his freshmen have performed this season.

Dana Smith of Campbell River and Denby Carswell of Burnaby have led the women’s and men’s teams this fall.