PGA of BC

E-NEWS

FEBRUARY 14, 2024



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Groundwork Athletics is a personal training and group training studio located in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. At GWA we empower busy professionals to achieve physical and mental resilience within a vibrant community.

At Groundwork Athletics you get training based on a solid educational foundation and years of on-the-floor experience. We believe in teaching movement. We want to help your body function optimally while at the same time challenging you and pushing you to improve your health & fitness. We are always creative and innovative in what we deliver while keeping you safe and working at a level that is appropriate for you.

Your needs come first! We believe in hard work, setting goals, and challenging our clients to achieve more than they ever thought possible. We always maintain a fun, positive, and rewarding environment.

Groundwork Athletics offers personal training, group training, corporate group training, nutrition coaching and Active rehab.

Included in your Member Benefits package, Groundwork Athletics continues to offer to all PGA of BC Professionals one free personal training session, one free in-person or virtual nutrition assessment with 50% off your first month, as well as meal ideas and stretching routines upon request. New this year, we will also offer to all members one complimentary fitness consultation and assessment, and one complimentary group fitness class.

If you want to learn more, email [email protected] or visit our website at www.groundworkathletics.ca!

The PGA of BC is excited to announce the continuation of our partnership with Rampion Enterprises Ltd. Distributors of 2UNDR, Projekt, and Quickflip, Rampion prides itself on providing quality goods with exceptional service to meet all customers' needs.

Chad Haralson, Vice President of Sales, and the Rampion team will be supporting the Association in 2024 as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2024 Ben Colk Golf Shop of the Year Award. Rampion will also be working with the PGA of BC as a Co-Presenting Sponsor of the 2024 Sponsor-Media Appreciation Invitational taking place at Riverway Golf Course on April 29.

The Sponsor-Media Appreciation Invitational offers partners an outstanding opportunity to market their brands and products to an expansive audience that includes PGA of BC Professionals, our industry partners representing a variety of market sectors, and the general public. The event provides the unique chance to involve several Presenting and Contributing Sponsors in a multitude of different ways, including prizing. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event or are looking for ways to be involved as a participant, please reach out to Dan Czerwenka at [email protected], or by giving the office a call at 604-303-6766.

The PGA of BC invites members to the next edition of our Interactive Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada. Certified TPI Coach Mike Aizawa will deliver an exclusive, interactive experience on "Golf Fitness: How muscle activation and other exercises can influence the golf swing," taking place Monday, February 26 at 10am. This event will be hosted at Elite Golf Club, located in Richmond, BC. To register today, please click here.

Aizawa is a TPI Coach with an extensive background in golf fitness. His accomplishments and certifications in the fitness world include a Bachelor of Human Kinetics, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, PI Certified Fitness Professional Level 3, PI Certified in Power, Golf, and Medical, Junior Golf. Following the success of our first Interactive Education Series event with Ralph Bauer, we are thrilled to welcome Aizawa and offer members an opportunity to learn more about the intersections of golf, strength, fitness and athleticism.

This session isn't just about listening; it's about engaging, participating, and applying new skills in a practical setting.

The two-hour experience is available to members for $129. To ensure an intimate and focused environment, the number of participants is limited to 24 participants. Early registration is encouraged. For full details, please click here. We extend our thanks to Foresight Sports Canada for their support of the Interactive Education Series.

The PGA of BC looks forward to welcoming 17-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time Major champion Dottie Pepper as a speaker at our Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada. This event takes place next Wednesday, February 21 at 10:00am, with registration closing Tuesday, February 20 at 4:00pm. Attendees can register for the individual presentation, or sign up for the Virtual Education Bundle which grants access to our full slate of presentations in 2024. For more information and registration links, please click here.

A three-time All-American at Furman University, Pepper played on the LPGA Tour from 1988 until her retirement at the end of the 2004 season. She won two major championships, the 1992 and 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shore, now Chevron Championship. Her 19-under-par finish in the 1999 event stands as the lowest score in relation to par in LPGA major championship history. She topped the 1992 LPGA Tour money list and finished in the top-ten in ten different seasons.

Pepper competed in six Solheim Cups and served as an assistant captain for the U.S. team at the 2013 Solheim Cup.

Following her incredible golf career, Pepper has worked as a television golf broadcaster and commentator. Her broadcasting career has seen her work for Golf Channel, ESPN, NBC and CBS, where she currently serves as CBS Sports’ lead on-course reporter for the networks’s golf coverage, including the Masters and PGA Championship. She served as a member on the PGA of America Board of Directors from 2012-2015. Pepper is the author of “Letters to a Future Champion.”

PGA of BC professionals volunteered at last night's Esso Medals Day, which took place at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks and Esso hosted this event which saw over 60 local children participate in junior hockey and golf programs. We extend our gratitude to Chilliwack Golf Club and Atlas Performance & Golf Academy for helping support this event by putting on a fantastic evening of golf instruction.

Thank you to Ryan Tofani, Kathy Stecyk, Dylan Nickel, Avery Biggar and Emery Bardock for their incredible commitment and dedication in hosting the junior golf programming for this event. They will return to Rogers Arena on February 26 for the Vancouver Canucks First Strides event.

The PGA of BC is excited to welcome Mobilicab as a co-presenting sponsor of the 2024 Club Professional Championship, taking place September 30 & October 1 at Nanaimo Golf Club.

Over the years, the Mobilicab team has developed unparalleled expertise in the sale and rental of golf carts and the sale of parts. The distributor of Club Car vehicles in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario, the company is regularly involved in the success of golf events and tournaments.

PGA of BC members are encouraged to reach out to Kevin Orton, Mobilicab Territory Manager, British Columbia, at [email protected] for all your Club Car needs. For more information, please visit the Mobilicab website.

Via Michelle McCann, Class "A" Professional, Uplands Golf Club

Are you interested in Coaching? Are you passionate about junior development, shaping their golf game and going for a podium win! Or are you interested in a career of coaching? Then the BC Summer Games are a great start.

The Games are happening from July 18-21, 2024 in Maple Ridge. 

We are currently looking for a few more coaches from various zones around the province. We need Class ‘A’ Professionals as head coaches. Also looking for apprentices to act as managers/adult supervisors to shadow and support the head coach and zone team. This is a great learning opportunity for you to learn on-course college style coaching, in action and guide up-and-coming BC juniors in your region. Head coaches receive a coach honorarium for the weekend. 

There are limited spaces available for these opportunities! Please respond by February 23rd. 

Even if you are just curious about the BC Summer Games or what coaching at the Games would be like, please reach out. 

My name is Michelle McCann and I will be the acting Provincial Advisor for golf at Maple Ridge 2024. I am a Class 'A' Professional at Uplands Golf Club and I have coached at two BC games, and one Canada Summer Games now, and I absolutely love multi-sport games! The environment is unmatched and the connections we get to make with juniors is unforgettable. 

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

If you have interest in coaching at the games and would like to learn more/show interest please fill out the form below:

https://form.123formbuilder.com/6613239/coaches-interest-form

This form does not act like an application or a commitment, it’s just so that we know who is interested and we will contact you to follow. 

Michelle McCann

Class ‘A’ Professional

Uplands Golf Club

The PGA of BC office will be closed next Monday, February 19 for Family Day weekend. We look forward to connecting upon our return. Thank you for your understanding.

In addition to maintaining an archive of member photos, the PGA of BC also keeps a library of images from our member facilities. These are used by the office team for a variety of purposes, including event promotion, Association marketing initiatives and assets, and more.

If your course or facility has a selection of high-resolution images that you wish to share with the PGA of BC for future use, please send them to Communications & Marketing Manager Graham Abraham at [email protected]. Please note that sharing photos with the office team indicates your consent to use the images for the purposes noted above and in other usages at the discretion of the PGA of BC.

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 this 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 UBC Thunderbirds Women's team, coached by McDonald, Wilson, McNeil and Keri Moffat, returns to competition February 26 at UC Davis in Sacramento.

SFU Red Leafs Men's Golf, coached by PGA of BC pros Matt Steinbach, Krysta Schaus and Matt Cella, kicked off their spring season at the California State University San Marcos Fujikara Invitational in Vista, California. The event featured a strong field of predominantly California schools, with nine currently ranked in the top 10 of the west region. SFU's +16 total placed them seventh and earned important head to head wins over Sonoma State, California State San Bernadino, and Hawaii Pacific University. Michael Crisologo led the Red Leafs with a sixth place finish, finishing the tournament at -2 with scores of 75, 69, 70. To read the full recap via SFU, please click here.

The SFU Red Leafs Women's Golf team, coached by Steinbach, Schaus and Cella, will resume competition February 26 at the California State East Bay Tim Tierney Shootout in Hayward, California.

The UVic Vikes Golf teams, coached by PGA of BC pros Justin Clews and David Rands, will begin their spring season at the Cal Maritime Women's Spring Invite in Vallejo, California on February 26 and the RMC Intercollegiate in Henderson, Nevada on March 5.

The UBCO Heat Golf teams, coached by PGA of BC pro Clay Stothers, will resume competition soon. The Women's team begins their spring season at The Trailblazer in Las Vegas on February 26, while the Men's spring swing starts March 5 at the RMC Intercollegiate in Henderson, Nevada.

The UFV Cascades Golf teams, coached by PGA of BC pros Sean Douglas and Connor O'Dell, travel to Chambers Bay and Gold Mountain tomorrow for an inter-team event.

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 [email protected] to place a listing.

MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

Matthew Vincent has left Radium Resort and joins Blue Ocean Golf Club as Head Professional

Thomas Arisman has transferred from the Alberta Zone and joins Summerland Golf & Country Club 

Muriel McIntyre has left Summerland Golf & Country Club and transfers to the National Zone

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

Daniel Fuez has successfully completed the National Training Academy and becomes a Class “A” Professional at Golden Golf Club



Mitch Taylor has left Ledgeview Golf Club and joins Beban Park Golf Course & Driving Range as an Apprentice Professional 

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

Assistant Golf Professional - Richmond Country 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 [email protected] 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.

February 21

Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada:

Dottie Pepper - "My experiences as a Tour Player, On-Course Analyst, and Golf Legend"

Register Here

February 26

Elite Golf, Richmond, BC

Interactive Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada:

Mike Aizawa - "Golf Fitness: How muscle activation and other exercises can influence the golf swing"

Register Here

March 12

Virtual Education Series presented by Foresight Sports Canada:

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

Register Here

CONTACT THE PGA OF BC OFFICE TEAM