By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BALFOUR — Amy Lee had quite the experience playing in last month’s LPGA Tour-American Junior Golf Association event at Liberty National in New Jersey.

The AJGA held its own event alongside the LPGA Tour’s tournament so Lee, the reigning B.C. Junior Girls champion, got to rub shoulders with some of the game’s greats.

That included fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson. Each AJGA player at the New Jersey tournament was assigned a LPGA mentor and Lee got Henderson as hers.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

BALFOUR — There’s a poster on the wall outside the entrance to the pro shop at Balfour Golf Course thanking the corporate sponsors who stepped forward to support the B.C. Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships.

It’s a rather long list as more than 20 businesses have pitched in to make contributions to the event, which began on Tuesday. That corporate support, along with an army of about 50 keen volunteers from the golf club and Balfour area have truly made this a community-driven tournament.

And that makes Jackie Little smile. Little, of course, is a bonafide B.C. golfing legend. Her numerous provincial and national titles have earned her a spot in the British Columbia and Pacific Northwest Golf Association Halls of Fame.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A She Plays Golf festival designed to get women and girls feeling more comfortable about getting out on the golf course is being held in Metro Vancouver the week of June 17.

The festival features four Women’s Try Golf clinics and two Junior Girls Tee It Up sessions that are open to women and girls who have little or no golf experience. The festival made its debut last summer in Calgary and is now being rolled out in the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto markets.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Austin Krahn was about 10 years old when his parents bought the local par 3 course in Christina Lake. It was a dream come true for a kid who had already caught the golf bug.

“You think, oh, man, how nice would it be to live on a golf course and all that and then they go buy a par 3 course,” Krahn said. “For me, if I’ve got 15 minutes of free time I can just get out there and hit some chips, hit some putts. You’re always practising and it keeps you in a groove.”

All that practice and playing on the family’s Cascade Par 3 Course the past few years is paying dividends for Krahn, who has developed into one of British Columbia’s top junior golfers. He’s also now a two-time winner of the B.C. Indigenous Championship.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

She began the final round four shots back and as Kylie Jack contemplated the challenge ahead of her, she thought of words her mom had drilled into as a junior golfer.

“I had 18 holes and 18 chances,” Jack said. “You never know. My mom always told me anything can happen in golf.”

Turns out, her mom was right, anything can happen and sometimes it happens in a most dramatic fashion.

Austin Krahn & Christina Proteau Are The Leaders In The 2nd Indigenous Championship BC

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The second B.C. Indigenous Championship is being played this week at University Golf Club in Vancouver and Christina Proteau will tell you it feels a lot different than last year’s inaugural event.

Proteau was absolutely immersed in last year’s tourney at NK’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in Oliver. She was the tournament chair, helped organize the event, recruited players and handled numerous media requests.

“This year, I have not done anything,” Proteau said. “It was nice in a sense not to have to do a bunch of radio interviews this morning and do a CBC video in the middle of my round like last year. But at the same time it is really nice to see that even without all the fanfare of the inaugural event, we still have a solid field and a lot of participants here this week.”

Leah John Is Set For Her Pro Debut On The Epson Tour  

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

With a kinesiology degree in her back pocket and loads of great memories of her time at the University of Nevada, Vancouver’s Leah John begins a new chapter of her golfing life this week as she makes her first start as a professional.

“I am really excited,” says the two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur champion. “It’s kind of like the feeling you have before going to the best concert of your life.”

(Vancouver, BC, May 21, 2024) – Registration is open for She Plays Golf Festival, a citywide celebration of golf for women and girls taking place across the Greater Vancouver Area alongside the GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open from June 17 – June 22, 2024.

The weeklong festival features inclusive programming for women and girls who are recreational golfers or exploring the sport for the first time. Host partners include First Tee BC, and Province of British Columbia, supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters.

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It has been a tough few years for Bald Eagle Golf Club, the Point Roberts layout that was forced to close during the Covid pandemic, then re-opened in 2022 only to close again for the 2023 season.

It is now scheduled to re-open sometime early this summer with a new, but familiar name and a new owner. The course is returning to its former name, Point Roberts Golf & Country Club, and has targeted June 15 as a re-opening date, although there is a good chance it could be a week or two after that.

- New Economic Impact Study Released -

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA, May 23, 2024 – After a four-year pause due to COVID-19, the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) are on Parliament Hill leading National Golf Day and discussing with Parliamentarians the many positive benefits of golf for Canadians.

The golf industry representatives are also releasing the results of a new Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study highlighting golf’s financial contributions and incredible popularity as the number one participation sport in Canada.

National Golf Day also celebrates golf’s physical and mental health benefits, its safe sport attributes, social merits, environmental stewardship, diversity, life skills for youth, and economic value to the business community.

National data indicates that hundreds of thousands of Canadians have entered the sport since Covid-19, totaling six million Canadian golfers and further strengthening golf’s status as the number one participation sport in the country.

The 2024 Women's Golf Day celebration, with events being held in various locations from May 28th - June 4th this year, is now underway.

British Columbia Golf is pleased to direct anyone wishing to take part at a facility event to the posters below. We will add more as they become known.

Meanwhile, everyone can find out information on the WGD website HERE.

Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota - Image Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The Latin American portion of the PGA Tour Americas circuit concludes at this week’s Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia, where Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota must make the cut to secure his playing privileges for the tour’s North American swing.

Sihota enters the tournament ranked 61st on the Fortinet Cup points list. The top 60 players after this week’s event will be exempt for the nine Canadian events and one U.S. tournament on the North American swing that begins next month in Victoria.

Matthew Wilson File Photo - Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Matthew Wilson wants to end his junior golf career on a high note and the Nanaimo native is off to a terrific start. Wilson kick-started his final round with a pair of chip-in eagles on his front nine at Summerland Golf Club and won the NextGen Pacific Championship by one shot over Joshua Ince of Surrey.

“I have put in a lot of work this off-season and one of the things I really wanted to do, especially with this being my last year of junior golf, is get my game in a good spot to win a lot of golf tournaments,” Wilson said.

Team BC Practices Prior To The 2023 North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches

This year will be the 36th edition of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches (NPJLTM) and represents an opportunity for BC to win their 7th consecutive event, equalling a record set many years ago by the Washington Golf Association.

The competition had been cancelled for 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team BC having won the previous five events played, from 2016 - 2019 and 2022, 2023.

The Oregon Golf Association will be playing host this year as the tournament is being held at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Oregon. 

British Columbia's Gary Pike - Image Courtesy PNGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Gary Pike made his PNGA Lamey Cup debut last year and is delighted he will be back for a second opportunity to play in the annual Ryder Cup-style competition featuring teams from the British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho golf associations.

“It was a blast,” says Pike, a Victoria resident who won the B.C Mid-Master Championship last spring. “You are representing British Columbia and it’s a pretty cool experience. The event was very well run and meeting other players there was fun. It was a real privilege to play.”

BC's Stuart Macdonald And His Caddie, Father Rob, With The Diners Club Peru Open Trophy - Image Courtesy PGA TOUR Americas

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When it was over, after Stuart Macdonald had tapped in a short putt to win the Diners Club Peru Open, he accepted congratulations from his two playing partners and then hugged his caddie. And wouldn’t let go.

Macdonald’s caddie was his dad, Robert, who after battling a serious illness, had travelled from Vancouver to South America to carry his son’s bag.

Stu Macdonald will never forget that emotional father-son embrace that followed a win that could change his professional golfing life.

The Okanagan Golf Club, Quail Course - Image Courtesy GolfBC/Okanagan GC: Bear & Quail

British Columbia Golf is holding a Player Development Camp at The Okanagan Golf Club on May 19th and 20th, 2024.

For details and a link to registration, please click on this link: 2024 Regional Interior Camp at Okanagan Golf Club 

The UBC Men's & Women's Golf Teams Were Both Victorious In The Warrior Invitational - Image Credit Toby Kerr (UBC Communications)

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Officially, the University of B.C. women’s team has won two straight NAIA golf championships. But factor in the two years UBC was forced to miss the national tournament because of Covid, the Thunderbirds have won the last three national titles they have been able to compete in.

Don’t bet against them making it four straight when the NAIA Championships go May 14-17 at TPC Deere Run in Silvas, Ill.

Images Courtesy: BC Sports Hall Of Fame 

Help Us Open The Door For The Next eneration Of Indigenous Athletes & Coaches With A State Of The Art Virtual Reality Experience

For immediate release
April 15, 2024

Vancouver, BC – The Indigenous Sport Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame is the largest known permanent gallery in the world dedicated to Indigenous sport and with the unveiling of one of the most comprehensive digitization projects in sports history, it can now be experienced through virtual reality by visitors from across British Columbia and across the world.

The Digital Indigenous Sport Gallery (DISG) is designed to increase the accessibility of the Indigenous Sport Gallery and highlight the accomplishments and contributions of Indigenous athletes, coaches and builders who have had a profound impact on sport history and culture – and bring their stories to life.