PGA of BC

E-NEWS

JUNE 19, 2024

Fresh Golf Solutions has had a busy winter and spring with many searches for golf roles. They also updated their website, continue to supply weekly emails to the golf community about all the roles in Golf & Clubs and expanded their recruiting team. In addition, they assist candidates’ growth by offering to assist in resume review at no cost.

Fresh Golf is a search firm that specializes in finding leaders in the Golf & Club world. Since early 2022, Fresh Golf has found candidates for Head Professionals, General Managers, Superintendents, Marketing & Communication, Sales, Chefs, C.O.O.’s and Executive Directors. To separate itself from other search firms – besides pricing that all Clubs can afford – the advisory and search team is the most connected team in the industry because they are still active members of the golf world. If your facility needs help finding a leader in the future or you want to know what you need to be ready for your next job search, please go to www.freshgolf.ca or contact founder and lead recruiter Scott Kolb at scott@vbgolf.ca.

Back by popular demand, the PGA of BC, in partnership with the Vancouver Canucks, is proud to once again host Canucks Junior Golf Week.

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open. To sign-up, please click the following link to be brought to the 2024 registration page: REGISTRATION LINK

The PGA of BC is thrilled to report that through the first 24 hours of registration, over 400 juniors have already signed up for camps across the province. In the coming weeks, the Association will reach out to participating facilities with information on their participant list.

In total, 23 PGA of BC Golf Facilities will be hosting 53 camps from July 15 to July 22 across the province.

We would like to thank the Vancouver Canucks for their continued support of this great initiative! We would also like to thank Ventura Sales & Marketing Inc. and Kanata Towel for being our tee-gift provider for this year’s camps. All participating kids will receive Canucks branded merchandise as part of this year’s event.

Please note that registration for all camps will close Friday, July 5 at 4pm PST.

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

Fourteen participants in last week’s PGA of BC Playing Ability Test (PAT) held at Summerland Golf & Country Club were successful in meeting their respective target scores.

The PAT featured 27 men and women hoping to achieve a target score relative to the course rating based upon their age and gender, which is a prerequisite of becoming a PGA of Canada Professional.

Congratulations to the following applicants who were successful in meeting their PAT target scores, listed alphabetically:

• Joshua Betson (Marine Drive Golf Club)
• Cole Cameron (Hazelmere Golf & Tennis Club)
• Grant Cooper (Summerland Golf & Country Club)
• Anthony Harvey-Prince (Vernon Golf & Country Club)
• Dongjun Kwon (Golf Mecca Junior Academy)
• Nam Gil (Jason) Lee (Carnoustie Golf Club)
• Tre Mawer (GolfTown Kelowna)
• Ryder Murray (Fairview Mountain Golf Club)
• Keith Riel (Squamish Indoor Golf)
• Steven Sauer (Summerland Golf & Country Club)
• Darryl Simmons (Squamish Indoor Golf)
• Lydia Wang (Premier Royal Sports)
• Cory Wilson (Squamish Valley Golf Club)
• Yingtong Zheng (Premier Royal Sports)

By demonstrating their high standard of golf skills over 18 holes, each of the fourteen successful applicants took an important step toward achieving membership as an Apprentice Professional within the PGA of Canada.

Click here to view final results.

Current and prospective applicants may visit www.pgaofcanada.com/join for full details on how to become a member of the PGA of Canada, or to find information and registration links for upcoming PATs. The next scheduled PAT in British Columbia will take place July 7 at The Springs at Radium.

For more information, please contact Membership & Events Manager Doug Titterington at doug@pgabc.org.

Photo via Brendan Stasiewich, PGA of Canada

Yohann Benson emerged victorious at the 2024 PGA Championship of Canada held last week at Mickelson National in Alberta. The Le Mirage (Club de Golf) professional defeated Mitchell Fox on the first playoff hole, with both competitors having finished the three-round championship at one-under par.

Congratulations to Benson for his impressive win!

The PGA of BC was well-represented on the leaderboard, with five BC pros finishing inside the top-10. Congratulations to Sanggyun Lee, Cory Renfrew, Kevin Stinson, Maxwell Cohen and Nigel Sinnott for their incredible play last week.

To read the full recap via the PGA of Canada, please click here.

Throughout the month of June, PGA of BC Professionals are participating in the Golfathon for ALS in partnership with the ALS Society of BC. Golf professionals pledge to golf from sunrise to sunset lending their muscles to support those who have lost theirs to ALS. All donations raised through the Golfathons go to provide direct support to people living with ALS, their families and caregivers to ensure the best quality of life possible living with ALS.

Over the last week, several PGA of BC professionals took part in the Golfathon:

Pitt Meadows Golf Club's Chris Freiman, Wes Doka, Dean Kuntz and Noah Dube took part on June 13. They combined to play 24 rounds throughout the day.

University Golf Club also participated on June 13. Josh Legge, Geoff Smith, Francis Larkin and Justin Castonguay all took part, playing 72 holes. The foursome combined for 31 birdies and 3 eagles!

Mitchell Thiessen and Dwayne Thiessen played from dawn to dusk at Sandpiper Resort on June 13.

On June 18, Copper Point Golf Club took part in the initiative. Scott McClain, Brian Schaal, Matt Gillett, Dale Moore and Jayden Daniels golfed for 17 hours, 45 minutes, totaling 774 combined holes played!

Also on June 18, Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community's Jamie Moran and Adrien Wright participated in the Golfathon, playing for 14 hours and competing 90 holes.

Finally, Seymour Golf & Country Club's Dale Schienbein and Lenny Cyr continued their long-running and phenomenal support of the Golfathon on June 18. Incredibly, the Club has raised $57,910 so far this season!

Follow along each week this month to stay up-to-date with the latest from the Golfathon for ALS. To donate today, please visit the Golfathon for ALS website.

Did you know the GolfBC Group BC Women's Open tees off this week, June 20-22, at Pitt Meadows Golf Club?

Don't miss the excitement and the chance to see some of the best female golfers in action! Come watch the future stars of Canada! Golf Canada will award two spots in the CPKC Women's Open to the top two competitors.

PGA of BC professionals Anica Yoo (Eaglequest Golf Centre at Coquitlam) and Chae Lim An (Golf Town Coquitlam) will be teeing it up in the tournament, along with several other PGA of Canada professionals.

For more information, please visit the event page here.

The Lower Mainland's G&G Tour hosted their latest tournament at Squamish Valley Golf Club on June 17. Kevin Stinson (Cheam Mountain Golf Course) won the event by two strokes, shooting a 4-under 68. Shingo Akizuki (Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club) and Zac Carson (Nicklaus North Golf Course) each shot 70 to tie as runners-up.

The Vancouver Island Club Pro Tour played Bear Mountain Resort on May 14. Lucas Nonni (Bear Mountain Resort) earned the win at home, shooting a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory. Jake Scarrow (Gorge Vale Golf Club) finished in second place at one-under par, while Nate Ollis (Cordova Bay Golf Course), Ben Griffin (Uplands Golf Club) and Christof Appel (The Golf Performance Project) shared third place at even-par.

The Westland Insurance Interior PGA Tour hosted their latest event at Sagebrush Golf Club on June 17 for a two-man match play tournament. The duos of Keith Martin and Ryan Stugis, Ethan Danish and Finlay Young, and Russ Latimer and Shane Pugliese have all secured their place in the semifinals.

The Kootenay Pro Tour took on Shadow Mountain Golf Course on June 17. Scott Merriam (Cranbrook Golf Club) emerged victorious by a shot, shooting even-par. Chase Bodoano (The Springs at Radium) finished in second, while Peter Kenneford (Creston Golf Club) earned third place. In a family showdown, Harold Simkins (Bootleg Gap Golf) took fourth place and bragging rights over his son Trevor Simkins, who finished one shot back of his father.

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!

Looking for a place to teach?

At Haus of Golf, enjoy access to Trackman technology and the comfort of a private bay, the perfect combination to teach a golf lesson. All instructors are welcome, simply book in and teach any students at your convenience. PGA Members receive the preferred member bay rental fee. If you are interested in teaching in bulk or a consistent bay rental, or a teaching position on staff, please contact General Manager Jared Siminoff at jared@hausofgolf.ca. 

Wanted: Used Push Carts

Golden Eagle Golf Club is seeking used push carts. For anyone interested in selling their used push carts, please contact Carson Spooner at carson.spooner@goldeneaglegolfclub.com

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

Steven Sauer's application to the PGA of Canada has been approved and he becomes an Apprentice Professional at Summerland Golf & Country Club



Lisa Deleo's application to the PGA of Canada has been approved and she becomes an Apprentice Professional at Fairview Mountain Golf Club.

Kendal Yonomoto has transferred from the National Zone and joins Savage Creek Golf Course & Driving Range as a Class "A" Professional

Blair Domenichelli's application to the PGA of Canada has been approved and he becomes an Apprentice Professional at Tobiano Golf Course

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

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.

June 24-25

Seniors' Championship presented by Honma Golf & Levelwear

Nicklaus North Golf Course, Whistler, BC

June 24-25

Women's Championship presented by Honma Golf, Levelwear & GolfBC Group

Nicklaus North Golf Course, Whistler, BC

July 8-9

G&G Brands & Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant Championship presented by E-Z-GO

Copper Point Golf Club, Invermere, BC

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