PGA of BC

E-NEWS

MARCH 6, 2024

PING is a family-owned golf manufacturer, founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries. 

Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting and the use of investment casting in golf clubs. As a brand, PING is synonymous with innovation, quality and service in the world of golf and supports over 100 tour players worldwide including Viktor Hovland, Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau, Linn Grant, Jennifer Kupcho, and Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners and Maddie Szeryk.

PING Canada is proud to offer online courses through PING Academy as well as other online resources and Fitting Tools like PING Co-Pilot, WebFit, and WebFit Wedge. Professionals who participate in PING Academy courses will earn Professional Development Points. PING Academy is an online training portal providing instruction and certification in Product Knowledge, Fitting Science, Fitting Tools and Brand & Heritage Knowledge. Through PING Academy, professionals can gain greater knowledge of PING products and improve their skills as a custom club-fitter. PING Academy is complimentary for all PING accounts. Please visit PING Education or reach out to your local sales representative to learn more about PING Academy and other training opportunities.

PING Canada is located in Oakville, Ontario and is responsible for sales, marketing, distribution and the service of all PING products in Canada.

The Association invites members to register for our upcoming presentation from Michael Caan on Tuesday, March 12, as part of our Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada. Caan's presentation is on "Growing your Social Media Presence from the Ground Up." Attendees can register for the individual presentation, or can sign up for the full-slate Virtual Bundle, granting access to every upcoming virtual presentation as well as an archive of presentations having already taken place. For more information and to register today, please click here.

Caan is a Class “A” PGA of BC Professional at Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby, and is known for his viral social media following. With over 60 thousand followers on Instagram, Caan shows how PGA professionals can wield the power of social media to advance their career and showcase themselves and the Association. One of his most viral moments came when he shot an incredible 59 at Meadow Gardens Golf Club. Following his 40-foot eagle bomb to seal the deal, Caan jumped into the neighbouring pond, with the video shared across some of the world’s largest golf platforms.

For more information on the Association's 2024 Education schedule, please contact Communications & Marketing Manager Graham Abraham at graham@pgabc.org.

The PGA of BC is proud to announce Cheeky Monkey Media as our new partner. Cheeky Monkey Media will serve as the Preferred Web Development, Management and Operations Partner of the Association. We are excited to continue our relationship with the company, which helps us manage all our website needs.

Focused on extending the life, value, and return of client websites, their motivated team of website developers, digital marketers, and creative designers work diligently to provide top-quality web services. Cheeky Monkey strives to ensure that clients get expert web guidance, have efficient and effective means for website management, stay on the cutting edge of digital technology, and get the most from their online properties – all without having to sacrifice internal resources and time.

For more information, please contact PGA of BC Business Development Manager Dan Czerwenka at dan@pgabc.org or Cheeky Monkey Media CEO Rick Bjarnason at rick@cheekymonkeymedia.ca.

The PGA of BC will soon be constituting its new standing committees of the Board of Directors, and the Association encourages professionals to put their names forward for consideration if interested in serving. To increase involvement with the membership-at-large, committees have been formed to address specific areas of development for the PGA of British Columbia. The committees address the following areas:

• Tournaments Committee

To oversee and assist with planning tournaments of excellence for PGA of BC Members.

• Education & Special Events Committee

Assist in the planning of exceptional seminars and recruit industry leading educators. Assist in planning and developing Trade Shows that meet association needs.

• Community Engagement Committee & National Intermediary

To increase the awareness of the PGA of BC in the public's perception, by encouraging members to participate in community volunteerism, fundraising efforts, and by positively promoting the PGA of BC via social media and other avenues.

• Membership & Employment Committee

Oversees membership inflow, outflow, category transfers and member services. Assists in developing policy on member standards and employment. Seeks creative methods of profiling and promoting members.

• Strategic Planning & Brand Development Committee

Provides direction for long term planning, business and revenue generation and brand recognition through the Board's End Results and Priorities statement. Pursuit of mission statement to engage members and actively promote enjoyment and improvement in the game of golf for PGA of BC members and British Columbians alike.

If you are interested in serving on any of the above committees, or have any other questions, please reach out to Executive Director Mark Strong at mark@pgabc.org.

PGA of BC members can save an additional 20 percent off their INDOCHINO purchase until March 11 through their Corporate Discount offer. To access the discount code, please visit our Member Benefits & Corporate Discounts page (log-in required).

For more information, please contact Communications & Marketing Manager Graham Abraham at graham@pgabc.org.

Did you know that Richmond Country Club's Doug Morgan is just one title away from sweeping every PGA of BC tournament he's eligible for?

Morgan has emerged victorious at the PGA of BC Championship (twice), the Assistants' Championship, the Tournament of Champions, the Pro-Assistant Championship, the Seniors' Championship (twice), and the Club Professional Championship. The only tournament yet to evade Morgan is the Jack McLaughlin Memorial Pro-Junior Championship.

Morgan is one of the most accomplished golfers in the Association, having won the 1999 Stan Leonard Player of the Year Award. Morgan also competed in the PGA Tour's 1996 Greater Vancouver Open at Northview Golf & Country Club.

The UBC Thunderbirds Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC professionals Chris MacDonald, Tim Wilson, Patrick Lago and Tyler McNeil, took sixth place at the NCAA Division 1 Vanharte Orange County Collegiate in Fullerton, California last week, an impressive showing against top American college competition. Aidan Schumer, Mackenzie Bickell and Dylan MacDonald led the way for the Thunderbirds, each finishing in a tie for 22nd on the individual leaderboard out of a field of 64 golfers. To read the full recap via UBC, please click here. The Thunderbirds are competing today at the RMC Intercollegiate in Henderson, Nevada.

The UBC Thunderbirds Women's team, coached by McDonald, Wilson, McNeil and Keri Moffat, played the Causeway Invitational, an NCAA Division 1 tournament hosted by UC Davis at Sacramento this week. The Thunderbirds finished in seventh place, beating out several Division 1 schools. Una Chou was the standout for the team, finishing in a tie for individual 11th. To read the full recap via UBC, please click here. The Thunderbirds are currently competing at the RMC Intercollegiate.

SFU Red Leafs Men's Golf, coached by PGA of BC pros Matt Steinbach, Krysta Schaus and Matt Cella, competed against the University of the Fraser Valley in the Fraser Cup. The Red Leafs took the victory following Round One at Meadow Gardens Golf Club, with Round Two cancelled due to the weather. Freshman Justin Bjornson led the way for the team, shooting an even-par 72. To read the full recap via SFU, please click here. The Red Leafs travel to Alameda, California next week for the California State East Bay Tim Tierney Shootout.

The SFU Red Leafs Women's Golf team, coached by Steinbach, Schaus and Cella, competed in the Tim Tierney Shootout in Oakland, California this week. The team finished in 7th place out of the 16-team field, with freshman Dana Smith impressing for the Red Leafs. Smith shot 74-77 to secure an 18th-place individual ranking in the event. To read the full recap via SFU, please click here. The team travels to Vista, California next week for the California State San Marcos Fujikura Invitational.

The UVic Vikes Golf teams, coached by PGA of BC pros Justin Clews and David Rands, are competing this week in the RMC Collegiate to kick off their spring season.

The UBCO Heat Women's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC pro Clay Stothers, began their spring season at The Trailblazer in Las Vegas on February 26. The Heat placed 4th in the competition, with Lauren Nedo and Julia Alexander-Carew tied for 9th place in the individual standings. The UBCO Men's spring swing starts at the RMC Intercollegiate, where the women will also be competing.

The UFV Cascades Men's Golf team, coached by PGA of BC pros Sean Douglas and Connor O'Dell, competed against SFU in the Fraser Cup at Meadow Gardens Golf Club. Mac Smith and Jackson Jacob defeated their SFU opponents in their head-to-head, 18-hole stroke play matches. The Women's team is in Nevada for the RMC Intercollegiate this week.

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

Chris Dhillon's application to the PGA of Canada has been approved and he joins Revelstoke Golf Club as an Apprentice Professional

Lynn Reeve has reinstated with the PGA of Canada and joins Summerland Golf & Country Club as a Teaching Professional

Oskar Pavasars has resigned from the PGA of Canada

Shawn Keough has joined Marine Drive Golf Club as a Class "A" Professional

Xiongrui (Richard) Zhou has left GoGo Golf Indoor Golf Centre and joins Fraserview Golf Academy as an Apprentice Professional

Greg Pool has joined The Vancouver Golf Club as a Class "A" Professional

Brenden Parsons has transferred from the Ontario Zone

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

Lead Associate Professional - Gorge Vale Golf Club

BC Chapter Champion - First Tee - BC

Lead Instructor/Club Fitter - Modern Golf Langley

Associate Golf Professional - Campbell River 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.

March 12

Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada:

Michael Caan - "Growing your Social Media Presence from the Ground Up"

Register Here

April 29

Sponsor-Media Appreciation Invitational presented by Rampion Enterprises Ltd.

Invitation Only

CONTACT THE PGA OF BC OFFICE TEAM