FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 24, 2023 - RICHMOND, BC (PGA of British Columbia) – The PGA of BC is proud to announce its 2023 tournament schedule. After returning to a full schedule slate for the 2022 season, all eight of the Association’s traditional championship events will be held again this year.

We are excited to return to the Kootenays for both the Pro-Assistant Championship, as well as the PGA of BC Championship. This will mark the first time since 2019 that the region has hosted an Association tournament event.

Bell Let’s Talk Day is Wednesday, January 25. We are joining in and committing to take meaningful action to create positive change.

Since 2011, Canadians and people around the globe have joined in the world’s largest conversation around mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Together we have taken big steps to reduce the stigma around mental health issues, inspire one another to take action, and help create a Canada where everyone can access the mental health support they need. But it is clear more needs to be done.

Tower Ranch GC - Image Courtesy BCGMA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Vernon businessman Gurjit Jhajj’s timing could not have been much better when he got into the golf business by purchasing Sunset Ranch in Kelowna about five years ago.

The ensuing COVID-19 pandemic gave golf a boost and brought new players to the game. Sunset Ranch, like most other courses, has benefitted.

That got Jhajj, owner of Durali Properties Ltd., thinking about adding a second course to his company’s portfolio. He did not have to look much farther than just down the road.

British Columbia Golf would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

This year, the Chinese new year, also known as Chinese Lunar new year falls on Sunday, 22 January 2023.

According to the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese new year is always associated with the animals of the 12 zodiac signs. This year, Chinese New Year falls on Sunday, 22 January 2023 and the animal is rabbit. That is why the Chinese Lunar Year 2023 is the 'Year of Rabbit.'

Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2023 is the year of the Rabbit; 2022 the year of the Tiger.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, two weeks after Chinese New Year, another important traditional Chinese festival, the Chinese Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Jie or Yuanxiao Festival (元宵节), is celebrated.

It marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) period. Chinese Lantern Festival 2023 will be celebrated on February 5th in 2023.

Don't miss the opportunity to be part of Team BC, including the golf squad, for the North American Indigenous Games 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia!

Please note that each sport has a different registration deadline. All athletes must be registered for their selection process before their deadline.

Read more below!

Media Advisory – January 16, 2023 – (Vancouver, BC)

Sport BC has announced the finalists to be celebrated at the upcoming 55th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East.

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 either the 2021 or 2022 season.

Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The sport of Golf is very pleased and proud to see no fewer than 5 finalists being recognized for their outstanding performances. 

The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.

Vernon, BC's Bryce Barker Cashed In Virtually For Real - Image Courtesy Bryce Barker

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Vernon’s Bryce Barker just earned his biggest payday as a tour pro and he didn’t even set foot on a golf course.

Barker was one of 250 players who signed up to compete in the first round of the inaugural NEXT Golf Tour, a virtual professional tour open to players with access to TrackMan’s indoor golf simulators. And when that round was completed, Barker’s six-under 66 left him in a nine-way tie for third place. He earned about $4,700 US.

Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan - Image Credit: Bernard Brault /Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When the harsh reality of losing his PGA TOUR card hit home, Roger Sloan acknowledges going through a period of mourning of sorts.

“When we lost our card, it got really dark there for several weeks,” Sloan said in a telephone interview from his Houston-area home. “You don’t know when you are going to get back out there. Your friends are out there, you hang out with a bunch of guys out there and it kind of just gets ripped from you.

“I still have dreams of winning on the PGA TOUR and it’s hard to win on the PGA TOUR when you are on the Korn Ferry Tour. So some dreams get ripped from you and that tugs at your heart a little bit. It does get dark. There is a period of time where you just have to let it sink in a little bit, know that it is going to pass and look forward to what opportunities you have right now.”

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

British Columbia is once again well represented on Golf Canada’s revamped national teams that were recently announced for 2023. A total of 57 players were named to the new Golf Canada squads and 17 of them are British Columbians...

(L-R) Mackenzie Huges, Brooke Henderson, Adam Svensson - Images Credit Golf Canada File Photos

Courtesy Golf Canada

John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press

There’s an argument to be made that 2022 was the most successful year in Canadian golf.

Brooke Henderson, Mackenzie Hughes, and Adam Svensson’s combined four wins between the LPGA and PGA Tours were highlights of the season. But the achievements of Canadian golfers were not limited to those victories.

Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith became the first two Canadians to compete in the Presidents Cup at the same time, Mike Weir was named the first-ever Canadian captain of the International team for the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club, and the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open both returned after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click HERE for complete story...

Courtesy Adam Stanley/Golf Canada

If you happened to miss the big-time moments and stories that unfolded in Canadian golf this year, not to worry! We’ve got nine collected right here – plus a handful of honourable mentions, too.

image courtesy flickr/TheBlackHour.com

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day.

It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. 

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors.

Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa."Joyous Kwanzaa" may be used as a greeting during the holiday.

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast of faith (Karamu Ya Imani).

The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?, which is Swahili for "How are you?"

Record-breaking 57 athletes to be supported in 2023 including 35 Team Canada (amateur and professional) along with 22 Team Canada – NextGen golfers

The national team program features a broadened roster of athletes, coaches, and integrated support staff along with an increased focus on talent identification at younger ages

Driven by philanthropic support, new strategic framework for high-performance to accelerate Canada’s position in the global professional golf landscape to advance 30 Canadians to the LPGA and PGA TOUR by 2032

Nanoose Bay's Shelly Stouffer Celebrates Her U.S. Sr. Women's Title With Son Brett - Image Courtesy Steve Gibbons/USGA

British Columbia golfers scripted some great stories in 2022. Here, courtesy of British Columbia Golf’s Brad Ziemer, is a look back at 10 of the best:

Chilliwack Golf Club - Image Courtesy Facility

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

When Kaleb Fisher was appointed course superintendent at Chilliwack Golf Club just over a year ago, he was asked to come up with a long-term plan for the golf course. 

“I took over last November and at the first board meeting I went to, the board and (general manager) Bryan Ewart said to me, we need to think forward and we want to task you with some long-term planning goals and try to figure out what we want this golf club to look like in the future,” Fisher recalled in an interview.

So Fisher went to work coming up with a plan and a year later, that future is now in focus.

Image Attribution: Yair Aronshtam from Israel, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah”) is an eight-day winter “festival of lights,” which begins each year on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates of Jewish holidays according to the Gregorian calendar change from year to year. For this reason, the beginning of Hanukkah can range from late November to late December.

In short, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying Greek armies. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and of spirituality over materiality. 

In 2022, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, December 18, and continues through Monday, December 26. The first candle is lit on the Chanukiah (menorah) on the first night of Hanukkah.

Courtesy Press Release

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida — PGA TOUR Canada announced Wednesday it will hold six Qualifying Tournaments to determine Tour membership for the 2023 season, with registration beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, at noon EST.

The Tour will hold five Qualifying Tournaments in the U.S., beginning in late-February, and conclude with its final qualifier in Canada at BC's Crown Isle a week before the Tour’s regular season, its ninth in history, begins.

By Karen Kloske

Women’s Golf Project contributor Karen Kloske recently spoke with Shelly Stouffer, who has been winning tournaments in both Canada and the USA this year, to gather some personal insights into the woman behind the trophies...

The Trans Mountain Pipeline Project Continues At Langley's Redwoods GC - Image Courtesy Redwoods

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A closure that was anticipated to last six months could drag on for two years as work on the Trans Mountain pipeline project continues at a snail’s pace at Redwoods Golf Course in Langley. 

When the last shots were struck at Redwoods on April 18 of this year, the hope was the popular course would be back up and and running this fall. But managing director Doug Hawley’s worst fears are now being realized....

The Trans Mountain Pipeline Project Continues At Langley's Redwoods GC - Image Courtesy Redwoods

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A closure that was anticipated to last six months could drag on for two years as work on the Trans Mountain pipeline project continues at a snail’s pace at Redwoods Golf Course in Langley. 

When the last shots were struck at Redwoods on April 18th of 2022, the hope was the popular course would be back up and and running by fall. But managing director Doug Hawley’s worst fears are now being realized....