PGA of BC

E-NEWS

APRIL 10, 2024

Club Prophet is innovative, customer focused, and golf-obsessed.

A pioneer of golf management software, Club Prophet was founded more than 30 years ago to streamline operations and enable golf businesses to create amazing experiences for their customers. For decades, we have been advocates and voices for golf operators and the golf industry at large, centering the needs our customers in the development of our products and technology.

Today Club Prophet provides an all-in-one golf management system, serving 1,700+ facilities in more than 16 countries across the globe. Having evolved a robust ecosystem of integrations, partnerships, and additional services – Club Prophet moves the industry forward with advanced technologies and a future-driven approach to golf software. With a substantial investment in new product development underway, Club Prophet continues our tradition of innovation and investing back into the golf industry and our customers.

Contact us today to learn how Club Prophet can be a partner to your course’s success: https://hubs.li/Q02pbm4t0

Registration to host camps for Canucks Junior Golf Week is now open. Interested host facilities can register as participants at the sign-up form HERE.

Canucks Junior Golf Week runs from July 15-22, and camps can be hosted any days during the week. Host facilities will be reimbursed $20/participant, and campers will be given a free Canucks gift. Last year, we once again had over 600 kids participate at more than 30 golf facilities throughout the province. Since the program returned after a multi-year hiatus due to COVID-19, nearly 1,300 youth have taken part in this initiative. As we look to continue to grow Canucks Junior Golf Week, we encourage facilities to participate in this rewarding and valuable program.

The Association would like to thank presenting sponsor, the Vancouver Canucks, for their ongoing support of this important initiative. 

For more information, please contact Programs Manager Dan Czerwenka at dan@pgabc.org.

The PGA of BC invites members to attend our next presentation scheduled as part of the Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada. Par Six Golf founder and president Colby Johannson will host a webinar on "Six problems with your golf club's social media," taking place next Monday, April 15 at 1:00pm PT online via Zoom.

Johannson is the visionary behind Par Six Golf, a nationally recognized media

company specializing in golf course marketing. Under his leadership,

Par Six has grown to work with over 75 golf clubs and resorts across the

country, producing results time and time again. A passion for golf and

extensive experience in marketing is a trademark for not only Johannson, but

his entire team at Par Six.

From establishing purpose and defining unique value propositions to

crafting compelling messages and optimizing content, he will unveil the secrets

to unlocking social media success for your club. Don't miss this opportunity to

learn actionable insights and elevate your club's online presence.

To learn more about the upcoming presentation, please read the info sheet available here. Members can register for the individual presentation here, or sign up for the Virtual Education Bundle for access to all upcoming 2024 virtual presentations as well as an archive of webinars from earlier this year.

To learn more about Par Six's work with Canadian golf courses, please click here.

The week of The Masters is always a great time to reflect on how two PGA of BC Lifetime Achievement Award recipients -- Stan Leonard (left) and Alvie Thompson -- made their mark by playing in the storied tournament at Augusta National.

No Canadian had as much sustained success at The Masters as Leonard. The longtime Head Professional at Marine Drive Golf Club and a former PGA of BC president, Leonard was once a perennial contender at The Masters. In the seven tournaments held between 1955 and 1961, Leonard finished among the top 25 every year, notching four top-10 finishes. That included back-to-back T4 results in 1958 and 1959, sharing the 54-hole lead with Arnold Palmer the latter year, when Art Wall, Jr. birdied five of the final six holes to claim the title.

Leonard would exact some revenge on Wall, Jr. the following year by defeating him in a playoff to win the 1960 Western Open, the last of his three PGA Tour victories. The Vancouver native made his 12th and final Masters appearance in 1965. The PGA of BC's Player of the Year Award is named in Leonard's honour.

Thompson, meanwhile, joined Leonard in the field at the 1963 Masters. Although Jack Nicklaus won the first of his six Masters titles that year, Thompson's 13 birdies on the week were two more than the Golden Bear made during the tournament. Thompson carded a final round 1-under 71 to finish in a tie for 28th place. The PGA of BC's Teacher of the Year Award is named in memory of Thompson, himself a former Head Professional at Marine Drive Golf Club.

The Lower Mainland's G&G Tour kicked off the 2024 season at Capilano Golf & Country Club on March 25. Mike Haraguchi (Capilano Golf & Country Club) earned the victory with a 65, beating out runner-up Bryn Parry (Seymour Creek Golf Centre) by a single shot. Six competitors in the talented field tied for third with a 67.

The Vancouver Island Club Pro Tour's season got underway March 12 at Victoria Golf Club. Mark Bicknell (Gorge Vale Golf Club) won the event, while Ben Griffin (Uplands Golf Club) earned second and Jayme Young (Arbutus Ridge Golf Club) rounded out the podium in third place.

The Westland Insurance Interior PGA Tour season began with a 2-person team event at Penticton Golf & Country Club on April 8. Finlay Young and Ethan Danish (GOLFTEC Kelowna) were dominant in their six-stroke victory to claim the first event of the year. Eight teams tied for second place.

The Kootenay Pro Tour's 2024 schedule gets underway on April 15 at Copper Point Golf Club with a Pro-Scratch format event.

Make sure to read the Regional Tour Roundup every week to stay up-to-date with the achievements of our members and to never miss any information!

The UBC Thunderbirds Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC professionals Chris MacDonald, Tim Wilson, Patrick Lago and Tyler McNeil, finished in 16th place at the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay on April 1-2 against a deep field of Division 1 teams. Mackenzie Bickell tied for 23rd on the individual leaderboard to pace all non-Division 1 competitors. The Thunderbirds compete in the Warrior Invitational hosted by Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho on April 15-16. To read the full recap via UBC, please click here.

The UBC Thunderbirds Women's team, coached by McDonald, Wilson, McNeil and Keri Moffat, dominated the RMC Intercollegiate field en route to a 36-stroke victory in the event. Bo Brown was the leader for the team, shooting even par (71-73-72) and taking home medalist honours as the low individual. Brown's teammates all performed admirably, with all five UBC golfers finishing 11th or better in the individual standings. The team will resume competition at the Warrior Invitational on April 15-16.

SFU Red Leafs Men's Golf, coached by PGA of BC pros Matt Steinbach, Krysta Schaus and Matt Cella, travelled to Chambers Bay for the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational on April 1-2. The team secured a 13th-place result in the tournament. The Red Leafs were lead by Denby Carswell and Brendan Obrian, who tied for 51st on the individual leaderboard. The team competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho April 22-23.

The SFU Red Leafs Women's Golf team, coached by Steinbach, Schaus and Cella, competed in the Sonoma State Spring Invitational on April 8-9. The team earned a T1 finish, tying for the victory with Cal State LA. Kassie Muanyam topped the individual standings with an incredible performance to help guide the team to victory. The Redleafs will head to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championships on April 22-23.

The UVic Vikes Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC pros Justin Clews and David Rands, competed in the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational, where they earned an 18th-place finish. Owen Croft was the low individual for the Vikes, with a T35 finish on the individual leaderboard. The team heads to Paragould, Arkansas on April 29-30 for the Continental Athletic Conference Championships.

The UVic Women's team, also coached by Clews and Rands, won their second straight tournament at the TMU Women's Spring Invitational in Santa Clarita on April 8-9. Cindy Koira posted the Vikes' top finish, earning second place among all individuals. Teammate Mya Rowan also excelled, finishing in third place. The Vikes will compete in the NAIA Women's National Championship in Silvis, Illinois on May 14-17. To read the full recap via UVic, please click here.

The UBCO Heat Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC pro Clay Stothers, wrapped up their Spring season at the Vikes Spring Shootout in Victoria. The Heat earned a fifth-place finish, with Max Regier pacing the team and finishing in 11th-place on the individual leaderboard. Ryan Gillis also finished inside the top-20. To read the full recap via UBCO, please click here.

The UBCO Women's team, also coached by Stothers, closed out their Spring schedule by taking home the victory at the Vikes Spring Shootout, with an incredible 18-shot win to earn the gold. Emily Cornwall led the way for the Heat as she captured the individual title at the tournament by firing a two-round total of 7-over par to hold off teammate and runner-up Julia Alexander-Carew by one shot. To read the full recap via UBCO, please click here.

The UFV Cascades Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC pros Sean Douglas and Connor O'Dell, competed in the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational, where they finished in 15th place. Eli Greene shot +2 to pace the Cascades and earn a T23 place on the leaderboard, while Ben Whiton finished one stroke back of Greene. To read the full recap via UFV, please click here.

The UFV Women's team competed in the Vikes Spring Shootout, finishing in third place overall. The Cascades were guided by the strong play of Morgan Best, who captured a third-place finish among all golfers. Lucy Park joined Best in the top ten. To read the full recap of the Vikes Spring Shootout via UFV, please click here.

For more information on BC's collegiate golf programs, including their 2023-24 results and schedules, please visit the links below:

UBC Men's | UBC Women's

SFU Men's | SFU Women's

UVic Men's | UVic Women's

UBCO Men's | UBCO Women's

UFV Men's | UFV Women's

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Classifieds section, please contact Marketing & Communications Manager Graham Abraham at graham@pgabc.org to place a listing.

MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

Will Barnett's application to the PGA of Canada has been approved and he becomes an Apprentice Professional at The Vancouver Golf Club

Kelvin Trott has resigned from the PGA of Canada

Aaron Grice has left Gorge Vale Golf Club and joins Cottonwood Golf Course as Head Professional

For all Members on the Move information, please click HERE.

Associate/Assistant Golf Professional - Castlegar Golf Club

General Operations Manager/Assistant Professional - Golden Eagle Golf Club

For any job postings that have been approved and published on the PGA of BC website, the Association will share relevant social media posts to assist your facility in the search for a candidate. We will share one post/story per job posting. Please ensure that you tag the PGA of BC's social media account in any post or story relevant to the posting. To ensure that we share the post/story in a timely matter, please also reach out to Communications & Marketing Manager Graham Abraham at graham@pgabc.org to notify us of the post.

For all job opportunities listed on the PGA of BC website, please click HERE (Log-in required).

For all job opportunities listed on the PGA of Canada website, please click HERE.

April 15

Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada

Par 6 Golf: "6 Problems with your Golf Club's Social Media"

REGISTER HERE

May 9

Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada

Aaron Volpatti: "The Power of Visualization; in Golf, and in Life"

May 21

Tournament of Champions presented by PING Canada & Motocaddy

Highland Pacific Golf, Victoria, BC

REGISTER HERE*

*Cancellation deadlines for PGA of BC tournaments are 30 days prior to the event. Please ensure that you communicate your withdrawal to the PGA of BC Office Team before this date.

CONTACT THE PGA OF BC OFFICE TEAM