Oct 24, 2014

Jim Lee British Columbia Goilf

In this swing tip video from the Southern California Golf Association, you learn the bump and run shot using a hybrid.  With the way that some courses are now being maintained with drier and firmer conditions, this technique will be of increasing importance. Watch the video here.

October 23, 2014

Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

The British Columbia Golf High-Performance Camp for the province’s best and brightest under the age of 17 featured many drills designed to challenge the physical, mental and emotional games of each golfer.

But one drill in particular was a “Coach’s Favourite” and can be used by any club player who thinks they can succeed at the highest levels of golf.

“ 'Worst ball' is something I’ll sometimes play with my friends,” said Team B.C. coach Matt Palsenbarg.

In this delightful video by Rodrigo Rangel and Julia Gummo, Jim McDermott coaches members of the Victoria Disabled Golfers Association and shows their sheer pleasure in playing golf at Henderson Park in Oak Bay.  The members of his group show that they can get as much, if not more, pleasure from the game as the rest of us.  As Jim says, "Golf is a big part of their happy experience" Watch the video here. 

If you like the video, leave a comment on Youtube!

Three Of Canada's Great Career Amateurs From L-R: Doug Roxburgh, Gary Cowan And Graham Cooke - Images Courtesy Inside Golf/Golf Canada

By John Gordon, Golf Canada

What would it take to help you make the decision to remain an amateur golfer or turn pro?

For one Hall of Famer, it took a plane crash.

On a miserable December night 60 years ago, a young Marlene Stewart was returning to Toronto from college in Florida. The pilot undershot the runway and the plane careered into a field, shearing off a wing. A terrified Marlene and a friend escaped through the hole created when the wing was torn off. As they ran from the wreck, it burst into flames and exploded. Miraculously, no one was killed although there were some injuries.

August 22, 2014
Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

In this USGA video, a stimpmeter is used to show how a superintendent measures the speed of greens. For the golfer, the video provides information on how green speeds impact the speed of play by creating conditions which some golfers have difficulty with. Green speeds also help to determine hole locations, since more sloped portions of greens shoudn't be used with higher green speeds. 

The superintendent is looking for consistency across all greens and the practice putting surface. While green speeds of 10 and above are common at professional events, the average golfer will play better with slower speeds. Ask in the proshop what the green speeds are at your course, and see how they impact your putting. Click here to watch this video.

Aug 21, 2014

Reprinted with permission from Travel Underwriters, a member of the TU Group of Companies.

The Atlantic hurricane season starts in early June and can run as late as November. This raises a lot of questions for Canadians travelling to hurricane hot spots like the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and the East and Gulf coasts of the United States—in particular Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

Here are our top 5 tips for staying covered while travelling to at-risk hurricane zones:

Seymour Golf & Country Club (British Columbia Golf)

By John Gordon (Golf Canada)

The editor asked for a column on “par.”

My response?

“My good man, your ‘par’ is a deceitful harlot whose insidious false promises inevitably lead to broken dreams and shattered hopes.” (OK, so I just came up with that now, but that would have set him back on his heels, I bet. In any case, I accepted the assignment.)

July 31, 2014
Lisa ‘Longball’ Vlooswyk (Inside Golf)

August 13, 2014
Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

We all love what we see on television, especially a course like Augusta. But it is important for golfers to realize that for most championship events, a year or more of preparation has been devoted solely for that one week in a given year. The playing and, more importantly, the maintaining of championship conditions is much more difficult than it looks. It is hard on a course's wallet, and it can be even harder on golfers' egos! 

August 12, 2014
Jim Lee, (British Columbia Golf)

In the August 6 British Columbia Golf Newsletter, we included an article based on the ScoreGolf top 100 courses in Canada ranking, and provided the list of the top courses in BC. We asked for your feedback on the ranking of courses, as well as on some other related issues. We wouild have liked more responses, but following are the rankings and responses that you came up with.  If you would like to see the architects of each and the year they were constructed, click here.

Following is the list of courses, the ScoreGolf ranking in Canada (on the left) and the ranking provided by our readers of the BC courses.

August 5, 2014

Canadian Direct Insurance

Someone Just Stole Your Golf Clubs! What Should You Do? Here Are Some Common Scenarios!

• You bring your clubs into your hotel room and go out for dinner. While you are away, thieves break in and steal your clubs and other personal property.
• You leave your clubs in the Member’s Area storage at your Golf Club and overnight, thieves break in and steal your and several other members clubs.
• You leave your clubs in your garage for storage when you are not playing. Overnight, someone breaks in and steals your clubs.

• You are on a trip to go play Chambers Bay in Washington State before the US Open in 2015. You stop to get a meal and when you come back out, your car has been broken into and your clubs have been stolen!

(For more information on the special offer for British Columbia Golf members by Canadian Direct Insurance, click here.)

By Rob Houlding (Courtesy Inside Golf)

Your search for more consistency ends here!

August 4, 2014

Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

ScoreGolf released their list of the top 100 golf courses in Canada for 2014. Sixteen BC courses are in the top 100 – here’s the list, with the architect and the date built:

8 – Capilano (Stanley Thompson, 1937)

10 – Sagebrush (Rod Whitman, Dick Zokol, Armen Suny, 2009)

11 – Shaughnessy (AV Macan, 1961)

13 – Tobiano (Thomas McBroom, 2007)

23 – Greywolf (Doug Carrick, 1999)

25 – Predator Ridge, Ridge Course (Doug Carrick, 2009)

26 – Royal Colwood (AV Macan, 1913)

28 – Victoria (Harvey Coombe, 1893)

33 – Big Sky (Bob Cupp, 1994)

41 – Fairmont Chateau Whistler (Robert Trent Jones, 1993)

43 – Bear Mountain, Mountain Course (Nicklaus Design, 2003)

47 – Nicklaus North (Jack Nicklaus, 1995)

58 – Bear Mountain, Valley Course (Nicklaus Design, 2008)

86 – Predator Ridge – Predator (Les Furber, 1991)

87 – Tower Ranch (Thomas McBroom, 2008)

92 – Eagle Ranch (Bill Robinson, 2000)

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July 21, 2014

Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

In 2011, I was thinking about golf in BC for a newsletter article, and what kind of course best represented the essence of golf in the province.  This got me to thinking about who had designed what courses and whether any one architect had captured best the spirit of golf in the province.  I did some research on the courses in the province, going to websites to track down designers.  This wasn't always easy.

By John Gordon (Golf Canada)

I’m giving up driving. Cars are too expensive.  Look, I just read that a new Bugatti goes for about $2.5 million. Who can afford that?

And I now realize I will never own my own house. They just cost too much. For example, the newspaper just said there is a condo in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville selling for $12.9 million.

By AJ Eathorne (Courtesy Inside Golf)

VERNON - To some the phrase “swing like a girl,” could seem derogatory. That’s not the way we see it at Predator Ridge. To us, Swing Like a Girl is about freedom and fun – to learn and play golf in a unique and compelling way.

Most of all, Swing Like a Girl has become the description for our instructional programs designed to involve more women in the game of golf.At Predator Ridge Resort, we’re very proud of the program. For those that don’t know about it, Swing Like a Girl is a series of five-hour clinics designed specifically for women of all skill levels, shapes and sizes.

July 18, 2014

Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

In this amusing video from the USGA, Rickie Fowler shows you how you can fit 9 holes into your busy day and still find time for family and friends.  It just takes a little organisation, lots of multi-tasking and of course, a little creative license.   View the video

Photo courtesy of pga.com

July 9, 2014

Jiim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

RICHMOND - The hole location on a green is something most golfers complain about, at least on occassion, but rarely think about.  What was the superintendent thinking about when she put it here?  Few of us are at the golf course early enough to witness this daily ritual, but it is extremely important to both the quality of the experience of the golfer and to the health and conditioning of the green.

This new video from the USGA shows how the superintendent selects hole locations on a green and what the factors are that (should) influence the hole location.  I had always wondered how they managed to cut so precise a hole, take out the plug and put the new plug back in the old hole.  This video shows how its done.

Watch the video

Image courtesy of wn.com

June 23, 2014

Jim Lee (British Columbia Golf)

RICHMOND, BC - A few years ago, we surveyed readers of our newsletter about what they spent on golf.  Naturally, the  largest expenditures were on memberships, green fees and golf travel.  Unfortunately for many of us, not very much was spent on golf lessons.  Fourty four percent said they spent nothing on lessons and twenty eight percent said they spent less than $100 the previous year (2012).

I'm probably like a lot of high-handicappers, I'm afraid what a professional might say about my swing.  I'm sure they wouldn't laugh.