For Release April 20, 2020

On March 26, 2020, the BC Government issued the following:

“The Provincial Health Officer has ordered some types of businesses to close. Any business or service that has not been ordered to close and is also not identified on the essential service list may stay open if they can adapt their services and workplace to the orders and recommendations of the PHO.”

With over 300 golf courses in all areas of the province, it is critical that all golf operations in British Columbia immediately align with COVID-19 orders, direction and safety protocols mandated by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and regional health authorities.

Where governments have not mandated the temporary closure of golf courses, such as in BC, golf operators choosing to open must take every health and safety precaution for their team members and customers.

Please click HERE to view Allied Golf Association (AGA) Best Practices Manual For BC Golf Courses.

TO: All Member Clubs; All Member Club’s Handicap Committees

Posting of Scores during COVID-19 Lockdowns

The information below provides guidance in response to questions received from golf course owners, administrators, tournament organizers and golfers. It is not the intended purpose of the below guidance to either encourage or discourage anyone from playing the game, but rather, in our role as administrators, to help golf course operators, committees and golfers better understand how the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping apply to the various questions we have received.

Contest Created by BC Golf Staffers Elizabeth Dunn & Tyler McKay

Attention Junior Golfers! British Columbia Golf would like to challenge you to get creative, have some fun, and show off your skills in the form of a trick shot contest!

Contest Description:

Take a video of your trick shot, post the video on YouTube and send us the link. Sort of like this one:

We will post all the videos on our website for people to have a look and everyone who submits a trick shot will get a shout out on British Columbia Golf’s Instagram page!

Our judges will be the readers of our digital newsletter and they will be judging the contest on one thing and one thing only: creativity. The top three most creative trick shots will receive a prize when the contest is over at the end of May.

Get creative, have fun, and good luck!!!

British Columbia Golf would like to wish a Happy Passover (Pesach) to all of BC's Jewish Community beginning with sunset April 8th until Thursday, April 16th. “Chag Pesach Samech.”

Passover or Pesach is a major Jewish holiday and one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. Together with Shavuot and Sukkot, Passover was one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals during which the entire population of the kingdom of Judah made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. 

Following the recently completed Annual General Meeting, British Columbia Golf would like to welcome the three newest members of their Board.

Now on 'Board' as directors are Shayain Gustavsp, Joe Higgins and Michael Cook. Each brings with them a unique set of skills and experience that will only add to the quality of the existing Board Members. Below you'll find short bios of each of the new directors.

Click HERE or below to see a video of the AGM as presented online following social distancing protocol.

 World Handicap System Online Training Seminar

On behalf of British Columbia Golf, thank you for your interest in the World Handicap System!

The following four-part Online Training Seminar is being provided to help educate and authorize golf clubs in British Columbia to administer the World Handicap System. However, individuals are also permitted to view this content for their own knowledge.

Courtesy Golf Canada

With heightened uncertainty and global concern related to COVID-19, Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business to operate and make informed and responsible decisions within the best interests of our athletes, staff, volunteers, host clubs, partners and other stakeholders health and well-being.

Today (March 30, 2020), Golf Canada is announcing its decision to cancel or postpone the events listed below.

Presented By Tyler McKay/British Columbia Golf, Manager - Participation

The following 7 drills are adapted drills from British Columbia Golf’s Playground 2 Fairways (P2F) school golf program and can easily be done at home.

In fact, we call this program “Home to Fairway” or H2F. Each drill comes with a written explanation on this page along with a video demonstration which will be linked here next to the explanation.

There are also written reasons on why each of the skills focused on in these drills will help with golf and other sports.

Re: Email Regarding Golf Travel Sent Earlier Today

British Columbia Golf would like to issue a sincere apology for the email communication sent earlier today promoting golf travel.

After the closure of all facilities earlier this month, we implemented a hold on all communications like this.

This one, however, had been auto-scheduled to distribute today prior to this decision and, in a clerical error, was not subsequently "unscheduled."

We fully appreciate the inappropriate nature of this transmission given the current situation and members can be assured no other emails of this nature will be sent until conditions change.

Again our sincere apologies,

British Columbia Golf

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During this time of uncertainty and disruption to our regular routines both at home and in the community, we'd like to make this space available for readers to access the many fitness tips on line that are useful for golf as well as everyday life. 

We'll search for informative and hopefully entertaining articles and share the links with you in this section. Check back regularly to see what's been newly posted to help get you ready for when we head back out to the golf course.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO/OTTAWA (March 22, 2020) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.  

The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community.

Courtesy GOLF.com editors

There are lots of questions about the state of the world these days. While we can’t provide answers to some of the more important questions, we can answer some questions about how golf can exist in our current reality.

Here are a few common questions and our best answers on how recreational golf will be affected in the coming weeks and months.

Should I feel safe playing golf right now?

With the information we have available at the moment, yes. But there should be some extra precautions taken when out on the links.

According to one expert, “Being in a wide-open, outdoor space is the least at-risk scenario.” But there are still certain cautious measures to take when on the course.

The World Handicap System (WHS) consists of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System.

The World Handicap System (WHS) will bring major changes to the fabric of our handicap system. This new World Handicap System aims to bring the game of golf under a single set of handicapping rules and provide a more consistent measure of players’ ability between different regions of the world.

Every Golf Facility Throughout The Entire Pacific Northwest And B.C. Has Been Touched By The Hand, And Voice, Of Larry Gilhuly - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

by Paul Ramsdell

(As seen in the pages of Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine)

You can call it a farewell tour, or a thank-you tour, but whatever you call it, it wasn’t something Larry Gilhuly had planned.

After 36 years with the USGA Green Section, helping Northwest golf courses and their superintendents constantly adapt to changing landscapes and climates, both natural and political, Gilhuly retired in 2019 at the age of 67.

At one of their meetings, which over the years Gilhuly was a regular attendee and speaker, superintendent groups from British Columbia to Hawaii to the Dakotas said thank you with various honors and presentations.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan Has Made A Statement Regarding Play On The PGA TOUR And The Coronavirus Issue Going Forward - Image By Screen Capture

Let me preface my remarks by reinforcing that the health and safety of our players, employees, partners, volunteers, fans and everybody associated with the PGA TOUR is our top priority.

I’ve spoken to President Trump this morning, and I spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis a few hours ago as well.

Our team is in constant communication with local health authorities in each market in which our tournaments are played, and we are tracking and monitoring the health information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization in addition to the travel advisories provided by the U.S. State Department.

Both the White House and the Governor’s office have been and are supportive of the precautionary measures we have taken to this point.

There will be a Provincial Level Rules Seminar taking place at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver Friday March 27th - Sunday, March 29th

Provincial level rules seminars are conducted by the provincial golf associations (PA), in this case British Columbia Golf, and the curriculum will begin to look at the more important playing Rules in detail. Some of the complexities that are found in the Rules of Golf book or the Official Guide to The Rules of Golf.

(March 5th, 2020) - The President's Awards are presented annually to volunteers from Sport BC member organizations who represent the spirit of volunteerism, and whose dedication, energy, and commitment contribute to the development of their sport or organization.

Sport BC member organizations are eligible to recognize one volunteer per year. This year British Columbia Golf is pleased and proud to announce that Trail, BC's Loretta Bulfone will be a Presidents Award recipient at the annual dinner and awards presentation taking place Thursday, March 12th at the Vancouver Convention Centre. 

Below is a write-up outlining the background and dedication to the sport of golf that led to Loretta being so deservedly recognized for this award.

Based on deep consultation with nearly 250 youth and over 100 inclusion experts, viaSport’s All Youth Matter: Inclusion Training was developed to equip sport and recreation leaders to make a difference in the lives of diverse youth in their community. 

Through the four-hour workshop, participants learn about the factors that contribute to an inclusive environment, how to identity and address barriers and biases, and steps to take to intervene and stop discrimination.

ALL YOUTH MATTER: INCLUSION TRAINING
March 8th, 2020 - 9:30am to 2:00pm

In addition, participants are provided with tools, techniques and best practices to create inclusive sport, recreation and physical activity experiences for youth from underserved or marginalized populations.