Chelsea Truong Is The 2023 BC Women's Amateur Champion - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

(June 23, 2023) COBBLE HILL - Chelsea Truong needed to play the round of her life and it didn’t start particularly well. The 17-year-old from Victoria opened her final round of the 118th B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship with a bogey.

Considering she started the final day at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club seven shots back of the lead, it would have been easy for Truong to hang her head and concede that this wasn’t going to be her week. But Truong isn’t wired that way. The words give up are not in her vocabulary.  There was lots of golf left, she told herself, and as it turns out it would be some very special golf.

British Columbia Golf hosted their inaugural All Abilities Golf Championship at McCleery Golf Course from June 12 - 13, 2023.

The Vancouver Parks Golf (@VanParksGolf) course proved to be an outstanding host and as Tournament Chair and British Columbia Golf Director Joe Higgins said as players prepared to tee off, "The event will be a celebration of adaptive golf, and what’s possible when so many work for a common goal. We have lots of work ahead and we’re excited for what’s to come."

The video below was produced by event liason and BC "Golf Fore All" committee member Shayain Gustavsp.

Jennifer Gu Leads At The Halfway Mark Of The BC Women's Amateur - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

COBBLE HILL — Jennifer Gu’s second round of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship started smoothly enough with six straight pars. Then things got interesting.

“The rest of the round was a little bit of a roller-coaster,” Gu said with a laugh. “I had almost every number from two through seven.”

That included an eagle three on the par 5 18th hole that capped off a round of two-under 70 that left the West Vancouver native with a three-shot lead at the halfway mark of the 118th playing of the Women’s Amateur.

Image Credit Shayain Gustavsp

On June 21, for National Indigenous Peoples Day, we recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada.

For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on June 21 or around that time of year because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

National Aboriginal Day, now National Indigenous Peoples Day, was announced in 1996 by then Governor General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc, through the Proclamation Declaring June 21 of Each Year as National Aboriginal Day.

To find out was is happening throughout British Columbia to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, click HERE.

Coquitlam, BC's AJ Ewart Made His Pro Debut In Victoria After A Stellar College Career - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

VICTORIA — A.J. Ewart will remember some good shots and some not so good shots, but the one thing he will remember most about his first event as a golf pro was that feeling of knowing he belongs.

The 24-year-old Coquitlam native tied for 37th at the PGA Tour Canada season-opening Royal Beach Victoria Open at Uplands Golf Club. His first pro cheque was worth $940. Not as big as he’d hoped, but it’s a start.

“I am happy with how I played,” Ewart said after closing with a one-over 71. “Every day I had it going. All in all, I am happy. I made a couple of silly mistakes I will learn from, but I also learned that my good golf can play with these guys. I just need to clean some things up and move on to next week.”

BC's Victoria Liu Will Play In The CPKC Canadian Women's Open In August - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

A record-setting round helped Victoria Liu play her way into the CPKC Women’s Open and the 20-year-old is more than a little excited about teeing it up in her first LPGA Tour event an her home course.

“I play out of Shaughnessy so it’s very exciting,” Liu said after winning the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary. “I was really hoping to get to play in that tournament and so I’m happy I have earned a spot.”

Liu, who just finished her second year at Princeton University in New Jersey, opened the Glencoe with a course record eight-under 64 that she called the round of her life.

Although volunteer spots have been filling up for the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, BC, taking place August 21-27, 2023, there's still time to sign up and be a part of a great event and see the best women golfers in the world, including our very own Brooke Henderson. 

Men's Overall Stroke Play Champion, Matthew Hallat Tees Off At McCleery GC - All Images Credit BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Like all good golf tournaments, this one came down to the 18th hole.

Matthew Hallat of North Vancouver won the inaugural B.C. All Abilities Championship at Vancouver’s McCleery Golf Course with a clutch par on the final hole.

Hallat, a former Paralympic skier who is now high performance director, para-alpine, with Alpine Canada, said events like the B.C. All Abilities Championship are an important first step in growing the sport and improving access for people with health conditions or impairments.

Former PING Golf Sales Rep Brad Thomas Is Playing In The Inaugural British Columbia All Abilities Championship - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was Jan. 22, 2014 and Brad Thomas was at home, chatting on the telephone, when he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

“It just came out of nowhere,” Thomas says. “I had a really weird feeling, like pins and needles, that went right up my body. Then 15 seconds later, I was unconscious on the floor.”

Thomas’s life changed forever that day, a month before his 60th birthday. The massive stroke he suffered should have killed him, doctors have told him.

Jake Lane Of Charlie Lake, BC Earned His PGA Tour Canada Card At Crown Isle Q-School - Image Credit PGA Tour Canada (used with permission) 

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jake Lane’s golf journey began in the northern B.C. community of Charlie Lake and continued in Qualicum Beach before heading south to Florida and North Carolina.

It will now resume on the PGA Tour Canada circuit after Lane made it through last week’s qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay.

The 24-year-old fired a five-under 67 in the final round of Q-school and then had to survive a four-man playoff for one of the final two exempt spots. He’s in the field for this week’s tour opener at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria and could not be happier.

2023 RBC Canadian Open Champion Nick Taylor Reacts To His Dramatic 72-Foot Eagle Putt Dropping In For The Win - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

To that list of great Canadian sporting moments, we can add three words: Nick Taylor’s putt.

Yes, that 72-footer for eagle that won the 35-year-old Abbotsford product the RBC Canadian Open on the fourth extra hole Sunday will be discussed in the same breath as Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal, Joe Carter’s World Series-winning home run and Mike Weir’s Masters win of 20 years ago. It was that big.

And no longer will we have to listen to that phrase that has been repeated ad nauseam for decades. You know the one, about no Canadian having won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Nick Taylor - Image Credit Bernard Braultt/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Goolf

Like much of the rest of the country, Jay and Darlene Taylor were glued to their television as their son Nick made Canadian sports history.

Alone in the family room of their Abbotsford home, the Taylors hugged one another and cried when Nick’s 72-foot putt dropped on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the RBC Canadian Open.

They were still crying half-an-hour later when reached on the telephone. “We are super proud, we are super pumped,” said an emotional Jay Taylor.

British Columbia Golf and the entire golf community were saddened to learn of the passing of long time official and volunteer Bill Klein after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Bill had been designated as an Honorary Host Chair for the BC Amateur. A tireless volunteer in many roles with both Golf Canada and British Columbia Golf, Bill was a very familiar face to many and in particular at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. 

All of us join in sending our heartfelt condolences to Bill's family and friends. Please take a moment to read the In Memoriam on the Pheasant Glen Resort website which so eloquently chronicles what Bill contributed and meant to not only the game of golf but the people in and around it. 

In Remembrance Of William ‘Bill’ Klein: A Great Friend And A Good Man

Sport organizations in British Columbia are committed to creating a sport that is accessible, inclusive, respects their participant's personal goals and is free from all forms of Maltreatment.

As part of British Columbia Golf’s commitment to Safe Sport, our staff and board have completed “Commit to Kids” training.

British Columbia Golf has approved and adopted the British Columbia Universal Code of Conduct (BC UCC).

The code can be found here:

BC Universal Code of Conduct

Golf Canada is committed to Safe Sport. Their commitment can be found here:

https://www.golfcanada.ca/safe-sport/

Shelly Stouffer Wins Her Fourth Straight BC Senior Women's Trophy - Images Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — Shelly Stouffer is not just winning golf tournaments, she is making a little history along the way.

Stouffer became the first player to win four straight B.C. Senior Women’s Championships and she did it in style, winning by eight shots at Christina Lake Golf Club.

That eight-shot margin was the exact same cushion she started the final round with. Stouffer felt like she had the tournament in hand, but couldn’t help think about what happened at this same tournament in 2021 at Revelstoke Golf Club.

Image via Instagram Screenshot

BC's Adam Hadwin and his wife Jessica started a non-profit organization in May of 2020, The Hadwin Family Foundation following the successful IVF (In vitro fertilization) that produced their daughter Maddox. The two felt they could help assist other couples struggling to conceive a child and thus started the foundation and Maddy’s Miracle Grant. Canadian golf writer Adam Stanley has a wonderful story on how it all came to be and an update on where things are now. 

Written by Adam Stanley
@adam_stanley

Jessica Hadwin looked out a plane window in the spring of 2019 to see a unique double rainbow. There were two vertical strips of colour coming out of a collection of clouds, straight toward the ground – a bright splash through the darkness. She needed that. She wondered if it was a sign.

About a year later – nine months, to be exact – that double rainbow represented their baby girl Maddox. Their fighter. A glimpse of light after years of darkness.

A “Rainbow Baby” is a term for a child born to a family after experiencing previous child loss.

Click HERE to read full story. 

Head Pro And GM At Christina Lake, Kevin Maffioli - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — Life for many club pros can be a transitory existence that involves bouncing from one course to the next.

Kevin Maffioli considers himself one of the lucky ones. He’s been at Christina Lake Golf Club for 27 years and counting. He’s had opportunities — good ones — to move on to greener pastures, but chosen to stay put.

Maffioli, the club’s head professional and general manager, lists multiple reasons why he has never been tempted to leave Christina Lake. “It’s a beautiful golf course and the membership is fantastic,” he says in an interview.

Shelly Stouffer Stretched Her Lead From Six Shots To Eight Following The Second Round Of The BC Women's Senior Championship - Image Credit Kathryn Riley/USGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf 

CHRISTINA LAKE — For a while, it looked like Shelly Stouffer had run out of birdies. The back nine changed that.

Stouffer recovered nicely from a shaky start to her second round with three birdies on the back side of Christina Lake Golf Club that helped give her a hefty eight-shot lead heading into Wednesday’s final round of the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship.

Nanoose Bay's Shelly Stouffer Is At It Again As She Leads After Round One Of The BC Senior Women's Championship At Christina Lake - Image Credit Kathryn Riley/USGA

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

CHRISTINA LAKE — As players sit down at the scoring table after their rounds at the B.C. Senior Women’s Championship, many of them are asking the same question.

“What did Shelly shoot,” they want to know. The answer Monday was a three-under 70 at Christina Lake Golf Club that included seven birdies.

Shelly Stouffer shows no signs of slowing down after a record-setting 2022 season. In fact, she thinks she may be even playing better than last year.

In this video, from Coach Shayain's YouTube site, we're thrilled to share clips & interviews from B.C.'s first-ever Indigenous golf tournament.

This groundbreaking event brought together golfers of all ages from across the province, showcasing the inclusivity and progressiveness that the sport is striving for.

Traditionally seen as an elitist sport with limited access, golf is now embracing a new era of openness. Over 100 Indigenous golfers representing 80 different nations gathered at the beautiful Nk'Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course in the southern Okanagan Valley for this historic tournament.

To see Brad Ziemer's wrap-ups and interviews with the inaugural tournament champions click HERE and HERE.

Check out Coach Shayain's video, interviews and overview below.