Canadian Golf Industry Partners With The PartcipACTION 150 Play List To Invite Canadians To Celebrate The Country And The Game Of Golf In Communities From Coast-To-Coast

OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) — With Canada 150 celebrations happening in communities from coast-to-coast all year long, the Canadian golf industry has partnered with ParticipACTION in designating Sunday, May 28th as Get Out and Golf Day.

The ParticipACTION 150 Play List — introduced this year in honour of Canada 150 — invites Canadians to participate in 150 activities throughout 2017 to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. As part of Get Out and Golf Day, avid players and new enthusiasts are encouraged to participate in a round of golf (No.14 on the Play List), learn more about the sport or take part in golf related activities at golf facilities in their community.

Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan (R) Shown Here At A Media Event At Bear Mountain Golf Resort In Victoria Last Year, Moved 84 Places Up The World Golf Ranking This Past Week - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

It was another stellar week for BC golfers in the Top 10 Weekly rankings as published by Golf Canada. Merritt's Roger Sloan and Victoria's Lawren Rowe both made signifcant gains in the OWGR while Abbotsford's Adam Hadwin, now solidly inside the Top 50 Professional Male Ranking in the world took some time off to get married ahead of his first appearance in next week's Masters at Augusta, GA.

Outside of the 'Top 10' some other very impressive gains by Canadians were also made, including Coquitlam's Euna Han whose victory in the CJGA Western Canadian Junior Championship in some very difficult conditions at Surrey's Northview GC vaulted her 315 places up the world standings for amateur women.

The 2017 Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Season Kicks Off At Vanvouver's Point Grey Golf & Country Club On May 29th - Image Courtesy Point Grey G&CC

(March 27, 2017) – Oakville, Ont. and Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada schedule will feature 12 events from May to September in 2017 as players look to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.

The season will once again begin in May with the Freedom 55 Financial Open (May 29-June 4) at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., with purses of $175,000 (CA$) for the first 11 events and a $200,000 purse for the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship (Sept. 11-17) at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.

St. Patrick's Day Saw These Four Plucky Players Finding Gold At The End Of The Rainbow In Some Rather Wet Conditions At Northview G&CC. (L-R): Bailey Bjornson, Euna Han, Jennifer Gu And Keaton Gudz - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski/ British Columbia Golf

courtesy CJGA

Surrey, BC (March 18, 2017) – Juniors from coast to coast gathered in British Columbia this past spring break for the Humber College PGM Western Junior Championship presented by Tour Performance LAB. The three-day event took place on Northview Golf & Country Club’s Canal Course in Surrey, B.C.

Vancouver, BC's Stuart Macdonald Is Tabbed By Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada Experts As One To Watch This Week At Q-School In California - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Brian Decker/ Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada

The quest to earn Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada status resumes this week at The Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, California, where 120 players will look to earn their cards to compete on the Mackenzie Tour this season.

Below are all the details from this week along with storylines to watch for from California:

Team Canada Members Jared du Toit From Kimberley, BC And Victoria, BC's Naomi Ko Model Some Of The New adidas Team Canada Apparel - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Golf Canada and adidas Golf announced an agreement that will see adidas Golf become the official apparel and headwear outfitter for Golf Canada’s National Team Program.

The adidas Golf performance products will be worn by Team Canada athletes, coaches and sport science staff in training as well as during competition at domestic and international golf championships.

by Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

Seven Byron Nelson Award nominees were announced on Tuesday, including Canadians Jared du Toit and Joey Savoie. The award is given to the graduating senior who excels in golf, the classroom, and the community.

Abbotsford, BC's Adam Hadwin Is Now Number 51 In The OWGR After His Victory In The Valspar Championship - Image Credit Kelly Murray/ British Columbia Golf

It was a big week for players from BC in the Canadian Weekly Top-10 rankings and in particular for Abbotsford's Adam Hadwin followin his dramatic first career PGA TOUR victory at the Valspar Championship in Florida. Hadwin's triumph has now only one place back of occupying a top 50 world ranking among male professionals. 

Other notable names from BC such as Kimberley's Jared du Toit (no. 1 Male Amateur) and Victoria's Naomi Ko (no. 2 Female Amateur) continue to occupy lofty positions in our national rankings.

Help celebrate Canada's150th Birthday

by being one of150,000 people

taking part in1.5 million "Golf Activities"

this summer! 

It doesn't matter whether you...

• play just three holes,

• hit the driving range,

• take a lesson or

• putt through a windmill

  at a mini-golf course

they all count.

Click the link below, enter your email, then click on Bronze - Free. Once your registration is complete, select the  '150th Birthday Celebration' from the dropdown menu. 

Already a member of British Columbia Golf/Golf Canada? You are automatically registered, record activities through the Golf Canada Score Centre.

Register HERE 

BC's Jared du Toit Is Showing No Signs Of Slowing Down In His Senior Year At Arizona State University - Image Credit Golf Canada

courtesy Golf Canada

LAS VEGAS – National Amateur Squad member Jared du Toit continued his impressive run last week, finishing in a tie for third at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

The 21-year-old senior (and captain) at Arizona State closed the event at 5-under par—one stroke off the lead. His final-round scorecard included a hole-in-one on the par-3 2nd hole, lifting him into contention down the stretch.

FAR HILLS, N.J., USA and ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (March 1, 2017) – The USGA and The R&A have unveiled a preview of proposed new Rules of Golf, as part of a joint initiative to modernize the Rules and make them easier to understand and apply.

The online release of this preview begins a six-month feedback and evaluation period during which all golfers worldwide can learn about the proposed changes and provide input before they are finalized in 2018 and take effect January 1, 2019.

Two-Day Gathering Draws Golf’s Leaders to Vancouver March 6-7

(Feb. 28, 2017) – Entrepreneur and technology investor Jerry Yang will headline a noteworthy lineup of speakers at the 2017 North American Golf Innovation Symposium, which will be hosted by the USGA in conjunction with Golf Canada and the Mexican Golf Federation on March 6-7, 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! and the founding partner of AME Cloud Ventures, Yang exemplifies the focus on data, innovative thinking and transformative technology that are keystones of the symposium and bedrocks of the USGA’s work in advancing the game toward a stronger, more sustainable future.

By John Gordon (courtesy Golf Canada)

“The cry for the simplification of the Rules of Golf is a stock-in-trade of the journalist during the winter months. Countless words on the subject have been poured out to an ever-tolerant public, but still the long-sought simplification does not come.” Henry Longhurst, 1937

And here I thought I had come up with a novel idea for this blog. Turns out iconic golf writer Longhurst was 80 years ahead of me.

His quote can be found in the opening pages of a small volume called The Rules of Golf in Plain English.

Courtesy Golf Canada

TORONTO – Golf Canada’s 2017 Annual General Meeting culminated on Saturday, February 25th with the election of Roland A. Deveau of Bedford, N.S., to serve a second term as the National Sport Federation’s President.

Deveau’s election to serve a second term is historic as he joins Alfred Collyer (1930-31), F.A. Rolph (1915-1919), A.W. Austin (1907 & 1910) and Col. George A. Sweeny (1898, 1901 & 1909) as only the fifth President to serve multiple or consecutive terms since the association’s formation in 1895.

Bill Klein (L) & George McLeod (R) Volunteer Duo Recognized During Golf Canada’s 2017 Annual General Meeting - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

by Golf Canada

Toronto (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Bill Klein of Parksville, B.C. along with George McLeod of Brandon, Man. have been named co-recipients of Golf Canada’s 2016 Volunteer of the Year.

The pair were acknowledged during the closing dinner of Golf Canada’s 2017 Annual General Meeting on Saturday, February 25th at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel.

Golf Canada

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce its competition schedule including host clubs and dates for the 2017 championship season.

A total of 25 professional and amateur championships, as well as qualifying events into Canada’s two National Open Championships—the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open—will be conducted in 2017.

Reigning Canadian Junior Girls Champion Naomi Ko Of Victoria, BC Won Her First Event On The NCAA Collegiate Circuit In Puerto Rico - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Courtesy Golf Canada

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Team Canada’s Naomi Ko of Victoria, BC, had a day to remember on Tuesday, hoisting her first collegiate trophy after a playoff victory at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

Ko, a sophomore at N.C. State, closed the 54-hole event at the Rio Mar Country Club with a score of 1-under par (74-71-70) to enter a five-way tie for first. The Royal Colwood GC member went on to capture medallist honours by way of a scorecard playoff.

Carruthers Creek, Ajax, Ont. (Rachel Wittenberg/ Love the Moment Photography)

By John Gordon, courtesy Golf Canada

On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, let’s get all the bad, frequently offensive, jokes out of the way first.

To speed up the process, I will provide just the punch lines to a couple of the hoariest groaners. “No way! The last time I tried that shot, I made double bogey!” “But you don’t understand. It’s my wife’s funeral.”

On a related note this Feb. 14, let’s officially bury the term “golf widow.” With that out of the way, let’s move on.

Kimberley, B.C.'s Jared du Toit continues to lead his Arizona State Sun Devils golf squad in heroic fashion as his three-way tie for top spot at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii paced his team to a 4th place finish in the NCAA event. 

It was du Toit's fourth Top-10 this year for the Sun Devils and orchestrated a career high ranking in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. 

Golf Canada

PGA Of Canada Pro Matt Wilson Has Been Named Golf Canada’s Director, Next Generation Performance To Lead Strategy To Strengthen Canadian Golf Development System

Six months after golf made its historic return after 112 years to the Olympic Games, Golf Canada is adding a new layer to its high-performance programming to improve its support of its next generation of Canadian golfing talent.

What is “Next Generation” programming? Simply put, it’s about improving the support for, and taking an aligned approach to, players demonstrating performance characteristics, as well as recognizing and supporting the coaches working with those players.