BC Golf Senior Contributor Brad Ziemer recently spoke with Michelle Collens who has sat on the British Columbia Golf's board since 2013, the last two years as President...

Let's face it, almost all of us are if not openly, at least 'closet' rules freaks, when it comes to golf. Some of the most fascinating discussions and heated arguments in the game come about from the unlimited variety of situations and circumstances that present themselves during a round of golf due to the very nature of where the game takes place...in nature. 

Please click HERE to learn about taking the LEVEL 1 online workshop. If you wish to take your knowledge of rules even further, Provincial Rules Seminars (requiring Level 1 certification online) are a great next step.

To that end, whether you're just curious about how to properly apply the rules to your or your playing partner's predicaments, or would even consider taking your knowledge to a higher level of application...golf tournaments and associations are always in need of accredited 'rules officials'...anyone with a Level 1 rules certification can register to take part in the upcoming British Columbia Golf rules seminars, which begin on February 1st.

"At the start of every championship season, it is a series of family reunions for the referees, tournament officials and players as we prepare and work our championships. Volunteering at a championship is hard work, however, it's very rewarding to pay it forward for the love of the game.”

- Michael Cook, BC Golf Rules Official and Board Member

Information and registration for online sessions can be found HERE

Courtesy Golf Canada

OAKVILLE – (Golf Canada) – Some golfers claim their favourite aspect of the game is recanting highlights (and maybe even some lowlights) with friends following a round of golf.

Now, members of Golf Canada and their respective provincial golf association who track their games with Golf Canada Score Centre can do just that… digitally.

Introducing Golf Canada #MyGolfYear – a retrospective of a member’s golf year generated by the scoring data posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre in 2021.

The LPGA Amateur Golf Association is the recreational arm of the LPGA family. They are the largest women’s amateur golf community in the world dedicated to growing access to the sport and creating golf opportunities for women across their 118+ chapters worldwide.

With three chapters established in British Columbia, including LPGA Amateurs – Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley, LPGA Amateurs – Vancouver Island, and LPGA Amateurs – Okangan /Kamloops/ Shuswap, we feel as though membership to the association would be the perfect gift for the female golfer in your life.

Image Credit Chuck Russell/Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada via R & A

(St. Andrews, Scotland) – New research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) show golf has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity worldwide since 2016 with over five-and-a-half million additional golfers taking up the sport.

The number of total golfers globally has increased from 61 million to 66.6 million in a five-year growth period, surpassing the previous high mark of 61.6 million set in 2012.

The measure includes club members and non-member independent golfers playing nine or 18 holes and users of driving ranges in markets where course availability is limited.

The Charles Schwab Challenge Grant is providing a transformational opportunity to help First Tee – Canada deepen your impact by matching funds raised until the end of 2021!

First Tee is an internationally recognized grassroots life skill development program that builds character, instills life-enhancing values and promotes healthy choices for young people through the game of golf.

In 2021, Golf Canada launched three inaugural First Tee chapters in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

Our goal is to have 5,000 participants in each of our launched chapters by the end of 2022 and add new chapters serving all provinces by the end of 2023.

Great news, this year your tax-deductible gift will be matched 1:2 ($1 is matched for every $2 raised) through the Charles Schwab Challenge Grant! With your support, we can help deliver exceptional life-skills programming through the game of golf.

By John Gordon/ Courtesy Golf Canada

This time of year, we are inundated with “gift guides for the golfer in your life.” I’m here to tell you I am that golfer and I don’t want most of that stuff.

Why the greatest game has the cheesiest accessories is beyond me. You’ve seen them: Caddyshack gopher head covers, ugly sweaters and those visors with the fake hair sprouting out the top.

Note to my family: Buy me one of those and the next time you see one while walking through the local thrift store and remark, “Hey, that’s just like the one we got Uncle John for Christmas,” rest assured it is the same one.

So here’s the real stuff the golfer in your life (and likely you) want for Christmas.

British Columbia Golf members could win $1,000 from belairdirect, our group home, condo, and renter’s insurance partner! 

There are two prizes awarded monthly in the Win More $$$$’s @ belairdirect contest, and there are still lots of prizes up for grabs as the contest runs until February 28^th, 2022!

To enter the contest, simply complete the entry form at belairdirect.com/winmore - be sure to select British Columbia Golf as your group.

BONUS PRIZE DRAW EXCLUSIVE to BC Golf members – WIN a pair of CANUCKS vs LEAFS tickets!!!

L-R: Savannah Grewal, Salimah Mussani (Assistant Coach) And Noémie Paré - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

via Golf Canada

Together with the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada is excited to announce the continuation of the National Women in Coaching program and formally open applications for the 2022 cohort.

The Women in Coaching program is an initiative started in 2021 with nine participants, that strives to reach a stronger gender balance among high-performance coaches.

Each participant receives in-depth career development support that is focused on four main areas: individualized learning plans, virtual and in-person coaching education, hands-on training experiences with coaches and top players, and new for 2022, integration with the PGA of Canada mentorship program.

Courtesy GOLF CANADA

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the group of 46 junior and amateur athletes selected as part of the Team Canada player development program for 2022.

Professional players who will be part of Team Canada in 2022 will be determined and announced in January.

British Columbia Golf is looking for a few internet-savvy golf enthusiasts to do some part-time research and writing…

Approaching The Fourth Green At Jericho Country Club Golf Course (circa 1908) - Image via City of Vancouver Archives

British Columbia Golf is pleased to share an article that will be published in the November 2021 Vancouver Historical Society newsletter, accompanying the promotion for renowned Pacific Coast golf historian Michael Riste’s lecture on Thursday, November 25th at 7:00 pm on Zoom. 

Readers are welcome to join the lecture, they would need to email the VHS (Vancouver Historical Society) to ask for the link. Instructions to register can be found at the end of the article.

(OCTOBER 26, 2021)

Golf’s new Rules of Amateur Status have been published by The R&A and the USGA ahead of coming into effect on January 1, 2022.

The work was the latest step by the governing bodies to make the Rules easier to understand and apply, and follows the modernization process of the Rules of Golf in 2019. The new Rules were informed by golfer and golf industry feedback as a part of a comprehensive review, to ensure they continue to reflect how the modern game is played by millions of golfers around the world.

Longtime British Columbia Golf board member and volunteer, Helen Steeves, passed away Thursday, October 7th, 2021.

British Columbia Golf would like to join the entire golf community in expressing our sorrow with this loss and also extend our sincerest condolences to her many friends and to her family at this unfortunate time. 

Just a few of Helen's contributions to the provincial golf association, the zone level and to her home club are outlined in this passage below as submitted by her friend and colleague, Susan Kennedy, a past ladies captain at Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club, at the time of Helen's Volunteer Service Award in 2013.

The R&A

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The R&A and the USGA have announced that a new Model Local Rule (MLR G-10) will be available beginning on 1 January 2022 to provide those running professional or elite amateur golf competitions with the option of limiting the maximum length of a golf club (excluding putters) to 46 inches.

The proposal was announced in February 2021, which opened a notice-and-comment period to allow the industry the opportunity to provide feedback as part of the equipment rulemaking procedures. The comments received from the golf industry, including players, professional tours and equipment manufacturers, were carefully considered before the decision to proceed with the new MLR was reached.

British Columbia Golf would like to offer our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Lynne Marie Jeannette Powlik who passed away peacefully on the afternoon of September 27th,  at the age of 77. 

Obtaining her National Status as a golf rules Official, her valuable rules knowledge was an asset to many BC Golf tournaments. Lynne was given the Volunteer Recognition Award in 2011, and certainly was deserving for her work with British Columbia Golf. Lynne was also a member of the Fort Langley Golf Ladies Club for years, and was very giving of her time and support to the club.

Motorized carts have ferried golfers from hole to hole for 50 years, but more players these days are walking their rounds, and some courses have shunned carts entirely - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski

By Bill Pennington/NYTimes

There is a new movement afoot in recreational golf: walking.

In swelling numbers nationwide, golfers are spurning the motorized golf cart — a standard-bearer of American golf rounds for more than 50 years — and instead choosing to stride or stroll from shot to shot.

It has contributed to a substantial rise in rounds played and spawned another novel phenomenon: The verifiable notion that golf, when a round is walked, is exercise that can supplement a fitness regimen since golfers routinely burn 700 calories or more in an outing that can traverse up to six miles.

Scott Vannatter (L) Is Seen Here With Fellow Volunteer Ray Flynn. Scott Was A Long Time Volunteer & Rules Official For BC Golf 

British Columbia Golf was saddened to hear of the passing of long time volunteer official, Scott Vannatter, at Peace Arch Hospital on the afternoon of Thursday, September 30th, 2021.

Scott was a tremendous supporter of the game of golf, especially junior golf. He acted as a BC Golf and Vancouver Golf Tour (VGT) rules official, was a Zone 3 Director for British Columbia Golf as well as a Board Member for the Player Development Trust Fund.

A good player in his own right, Scott was the 2002 Zone 3 Senior Men's Champion.

Condolences go out to Scott's family and friends at this difficult time, he will be missed. 

Please visit the Zone 3 website here to see a more detailed background of Scott's contributions to the game. Click here to see the official obituary for Scott. 

The LPGA Amateurs Vancouver Island Chapter is excited to announce a two-player women's best ball event taking place at Duncan Meadows GC on Friday, October 22nd. Lots of on-course games and prizes and a welcoming environment for LPGA Amateur members and guests.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, October 19th. See the poster below for more details.