Langley, BC's Sue Kim Who Will Be Competing On The LPGA's Symetra Tour Is A Member Of Team Canada's Young Pro Squad For 2016 - Twitter Image 

Courtesy Golf Canada

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six athletes – two female and four male – who have been selected to the 2016 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.

Comprising the team for 2016 is: Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.); Augusta James (Bath, Ont.); Albin Choi (Toronto); Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.); and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.).

The focus of the Young Pro Squad – now in its third year – is to bridge the gap for top graduating amateurs transitioning into professional golf. The program was developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and is generously funded by founding partners Canadian Pacific and RBC, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.

West Vancouver's David Rose Has Earned Full Status On PGA Tour Latinoamérica For 2016 As He Tries To Work His Way Toward The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Courtesy PGA Tour Latinoamérica

Courtesy Herb Fung/Golf Canada

MAZATLAN, Mexico — West Vancouver, B.C., native David Rose shot a final-round 70 to claim medallist honours and earn full status on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2016.

The 26-year-old began the day with a two-stroke lead over American William Kropp. Rose finished at 15-under, posting under par scores all four days to claim a one-stroke victory over Mexico’s Gerardo Ruiz. Rose – a former Lynn University Fighting Knight and the 2011 B.C. Amateur champion – becomes the second Canadian in as many weeks to finish atop the leaderboard at PGA Tour Latinoamérica Q-School.

by Jeff Sutherland/Inside Golf

See Victoria's Dale Jackson playing at his home course of Royal Colwood and you would not be remiss to think you are watching just another solid club level amateur golfer.

In this case appearances would be deceiving.

Jackson has been involved in giving back to the game as a rules official since becoming interested in this vocation more than 15 years ago. Since then he has risen through the ranks to become a Level Four Rules Official and serving as Managing Director of Rules and Competitions for British Columbia Golf from 2003 to 2007.

More recently, Jackson has been active at the national level and since 2013 has been the Chair of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status Committee for Golf Canada.

Johannes Grames of Vancouver has been nominated for the 2015 Sport BC Master Athlete of The Year award. Winners of the various categories are announced at the awards dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Federal Way, Wash. - The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) will introduce several beneficial changes to the PNGA Championship schedule for the 2016 season.

First, the PNGA Junior Boys' Amateur and the PNGA Junior Girls' Amateur will now be conducted concurrently at the same site. Second, the field size of the PNGA Senior Men's and Super Senior Men's Amateur championships will be reduced from 192 to 156.

Third, the PNGA will introduce a Men's and Women's Super Senior Team Championship. Finally, hosted exemptions will be given to the defending champion and the current champion of the equivalent championship at each of the associations that make up the PNGA (WSGA, IGA, OGA, BC Golf).

The Freedom 55 Financial Open will take place at the prestigious Point Grey Golf & Country Club the week of May 23 – 29, 2016.

They are looking for people that are interested in volunteering time to assist on implementing this great event. This year’s charity recipient is the Canucks for Kids Fund.

Surrey's Hannah Lee Is In Lima Peru With Her Team Canada Teammates For The South American Amateur This Week - Image Courtesy BC Golf

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

LIMA, Peru – Four members of Team Canada’s Development Squad are set to play in the 11th edition of the South American Amateur this week from Jan. 21–24 at the Lima Golf Club—a three-time host of the event.

The 2016 Vancouver Golf & Travel Show is taking place from February 13 - 14, 2016 at the Pacific National Exhibit (PNE) in the Forum Building.

Be sure to mark it on your calendar and save the date.

There will as always be some great deals available for show visitors, some of which are shown below.

Surrey, BC's Adam Svensson Warmed Up For The Pending Web.com Tour Season With A Win On The Minor League Golf Mini-Tour In Florida - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

PALM CITY, Florida (Tyler Costigan/Golf Canada) — With the Web.com Tour season opener just two weeks away, Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson added another trophy to the shelf with a win at the Palm City Classic—a Minor League Golf mini tour event.

AJ Ewart of Coquitlam has been nominated for the 2015 Sport BC High School Male Athlete of The Year award. 

Winners of the various categories are announced at the awards dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Jared du Toit (Photo/Alfie Lau, File)

Weekly Top-10 Rankings For Week of January 11, 2016

courtesy Golf Canada

Eric Banks lost ground in the world rankings this week, but the No. 4 ranked amateur player in Canada was the only Top-10 golfer to get his 2016 campaign underway. The Golf Canada National Team member from Truro, N.S., finished in a tie for 52nd at the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship.

For the 10th straight week, Jared du Toit holds down the No. 1 amateur ranking in Canada.

Outside the Top-10, Tony Gil and Andrew Harrison slipped down the rankings by four and 54 spots, respectively. No new players entered the Top-20 this past week.

Ted McIntyre (Golf Canada Magazine)

It is an inspired program that has the power to change lives—to send youngsters on a path to golfing stardom or to simply introduce them to a previously unforeseen athletic pursuit; to nurture confidence in a withdrawn individual and to instill the game’s greatest virtues at a key time in a student’s personal growth.

The (GIS) program has signed up more than 2,700 schools representing more than 315,000 students, but there are gaps that need to be filled as the program prepares for its next stage of evolution, the most prominent being with the end user.

For most of the year—and in many cases for years following a program’s initial implementation—equipment and teachers’ manuals sit dormant in gymnasium storage rooms. That’s not to say the responsibility lies entirely with the schools.

Weekly Top-10 Rankings Fo Week of January 4, 2016

courtesy Golf Canada

In the first week of the new 2016 world rankings, Justin Shin moved past Canadian Masters champion Mike Weir and into No. 11 in the Canadian rankings. That was the only significant change among the top 20 pros in Canada as the new golf season gets set to tee off.

Over the Christmas break, Lindsay Renolds climbed from No. 19 up to No. 15 in the Canadian rankings, gaining 80 places in the world after concluding the 2015 Asian Tour schedule with a 10th place finish in the Philippines.

The 2015 golf season was a very good year for David Hearn, as a final review of the world rankings show. The Brantford, Ont. golfer gained 64.81 world ranking points last year, by far the biggest gain among Canadian pros. However, the net gain for Canada’s No. 1 ranked golfer over the course of a year was just 2.14 points.

The first-ever Americas Masters Games is taking place in the spectacular city of Vancouver.

Celebrating 'sport for all', participants from a variety of skill sets and ages come together in the name of healthy living to compete, socialize, and conquer personal goals. With 25 official sporting events, there is something for everybody, including you!

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, BC has been nominated for the Sport BC Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award for 2015. Winners of the various categories are announced at the awards dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

There is no doubt Golf Canada is proud of the many accomplishments by Canadian golfers in 2015. But the over-arching mandate of the association was succinctly summarized by Scott Simmons in his year-end message to members across the country.

“Golf Canada is committed to investing in the growth and overall health of the game,” said Simmons, the CEO of Golf Canada.

In 2015, perhaps more so than in any other previous year, Golf Canada demonstrated that long-term commitment through an initiative called “One Vision.”

Surrey's Michelle Kim Has Been Recognized By The CJGA For Her Outstanding 2015 Year On And Off The Golf Course - Image Credit Alfie Lau

courtesy CJGA

Richmond Hill, Ont. (December 18, 2015) - The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is pleased to announce Michelle Kim as the recipient of the 2015 Helena Harbridge Sportsmanship Award.

Kim, an 18-year old CJGA member living in Surrey, B.C. is the first British Columbian to earn the honourable distinction for an award that recognizes sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment in the game of golf.

The award is named after Helena Harbridge, an outstanding junior golfer and CJGA alum that passed away in 2006 during her freshman year at West Georgia University.

Jaya Rampuri, A Two-Time Vancouver Golf Club (VGC) Player Of The Year, Has Signed National Letters Of Intent To Compete For The SFU Clan Women’s Golf Program - Image Courtesy SFU Athletics

by Steve Frost - Sports Information Director (sfrost@sfu.ca)

BURNABY, BC – Simon Fraser University golf coach John Buchanan announced today that Jaya Rampuri of Coquitlam has signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to compete for the Clan women's golf program.

"SFU has always been one of the top universities on my list," said Rampuri. "It has an excellent academic reputation, and I am interested in attending the Beedie School of Business."

courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

While it is undeniable that golf in Canada, like any other business in these unpredictable economic times, continues to face challenges, there were encouraging indicators in 2015 for cautious optimism.

In July, the Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report was published by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada in cooperation with the U.S. National Golf Foundation. The bottom line was that the game remains popular and accessible, with almost six million people playing at least one round annually. In total, almost 60 million rounds are played in Canada each year.

Brooke Henderson Became An Instant Star When She Arrived In Vancouver For The CP Canadian Women's Open At The Vancouver Golf Club After Winning The Cambia Portland Classic On The LPGA Tour - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski

Courtesy Golf Canada
by John Gordon

For Canadian golf, 2015 certainly was a year to celebrate

When David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., held the 54-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, we held our breath in the hope that he might be the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win our national Open. Alas, it was not to be, as Australian Jason Day birdied the last three holes on Sunday to claim the title on his way to becoming the top-ranked player in the world.

While kudos go to Hearn, it was a teenager from Smiths Falls, Ont., who was the undisputed player to be celebrated this year.