PGA of BC PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
ACCENT INNS
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Accent Inns is a family-owned, BC hotel chain with heart! There are Accent Inns located in Victoria, Burnaby, Kelowna, Kamloops and in Richmond at the Vancouver Airport, where guests can take advantage of a free, 24-hour shuttle service to YVR. (When that is a thing again!) You will feel instantly at home at Accent Inns with their family-vibe plus they don’t take themselves too seriously, you will appreciate their humour sprinkled throughout your experience. Who couldn’t use a laugh right now?!
Stay at Accent Inns when travelling to PGA of BC championships and events, as well as for business and personal accommodations. Members are eligible for discounted stays for any purpose; visit the Member Benefits & Corporate Discounts page for full details (login required). Accent Inns are also a great choice as we navigate through the pandemic because of their extensive sanitation protocols, including the cleaning of rooms with an electrostatic sprayer and exterior entrances to rooms.
Accent Inns is a Bronze-level Preferred Partner of the Association. Click below to learn more or reserve a room today!
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The PGA of BC regrets to share that Life Professional Morley (Moe) Hays passed away Friday in Victoria at the age of 74.
“Moe the Pro” was best known as the longtime Head Professional at Prince Rupert Golf Club, serving that role from 1972 until his retirement in 2013. Hays was selected as the PGA of BC’s Golf Professional of the Year in 2003 and was also named a Regional Recipient of the Association’s Teacher of the Year Award in 1998 for the Kootenays & Northern BC.
As one of the first PGA members to be stationed on BC’s northern coast, Hays was instrumental in promoting golf in the surrounding area, including Haida Gwaii and Southeast Alaska. He collaborated with local newspapers and regional broadcasters to provide instructional content that became popular in the area.
Hays was also well known for the welcoming environment he fostered at the club. He had an uncanny talent for remembering the names and faces of club patrons but was particularly accommodating of junior golfers. His influence undoubtedly resulted in a significant number of Prince Rupert juniors who either played at the club or worked in Hays’ shop going on to successful careers in golf. Among them was Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and three-time LPGA Tour winner Lisa Walters, as well as several current PGA of BC Professionals.
The PGA of BC extends its deepest sympathies to Hays’ family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. Click below to read more about his tremendous life and career.
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SLIGHT SHAKEUP TO PDP ORDER OF MERIT STANDINGS
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Although there has been no change at the top of the PGA of BC Professional Development Program (PDP) Order of Merit presented by Sunice & Bobby Jones, there has been a slight shakeup to the top 10 in the last monthly update to the standings.
Brian McDonald (Fairview Mountain Golf Club) continues to occupy first place with 48 points on the year, maintaining his two-point edge over second-place Scott Kolb (Victoria Golf Club).
Lee J.H. Lee (GolfTEC Richmond) made a leap into the top five, adding nine points to his total over the past month to move to third place with 44 points. Greg Pool (Northview Golf & Country Club) slipped one spot to fourth despite increasing his sum of PDP points to 41. Dennis Bradley (Copper Point Golf Club) also jumped up into the top five, achieving the 40-point mark.
Though Cindy Soukoroff (St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino) and Adam Blair (Talking Rock Golf Course) dropped out of the top five this month, they remain in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively.
With regional-tour play resuming and many Professionals set to participate in the Golfathon for ALS over the month ahead, plus the opening of the PGA of BC championship schedule just a matter of weeks away, several opportunities are upcoming for members to increase their PDP-point totals in the near future.
Click below to view the updated standings, to learn more about the PDP or to make a points submission. Members are reminded that all submissions require supporting documentation to be provided by email to pdp@pgabc.org.
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GOLFATHON FOR ALS MONTH OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY
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The 2021 PGA of BC Golfathon for ALS presented by Pacific Blue Cross is officially underway, with the first of many long days of golf set to take place across the province this month already in the books.
Now in its 16th year, PGA of BC Professionals have raised more than $2.1 million in support of the ALS Society of BC since its inception, including a record, single-year total exceeding $200,000 in 2020.
Jan Best got this year's initiative started on Tuesday by completing a Golfathon at Mount Brenton Golf Course, where he serves as Head Professional. Teeing off before 3:30 a.m. to start his day, Best completed 10 full rounds, or 180 holes.
Another Golfathon is ongoing today in Prince George, with Jessey Church hopeful to complete as many as 180 holes at Aberdeen Glen Golf Club himself in support of the cause. The next scheduled Golfathon will take place June 9 at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort with PGA of BC Professionals Jeremy Johnson and Matt Gillett participating.
More than 30 facilities are registered to be involved this year, and it's not too late to sign up. Contact ALS Society of BC Executive Director Wendy Toyer at w.toyer@alsbc.ca for more details.
Click below to learn more about the Golfathon for ALS, view a list of participating locations and dates, or to make a donation.
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REGISTER NOW FOR NEXT MONTH'S PRO-ASSISTANT CHAMPIONSHIP
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The 2021 PGA of BC championship schedule will be underway in a little more than one month from today when the G&G Golf Company & Callaway Golf PGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship tees off at Talking Rock Golf Course.
Limited spaces remain in the popular team event, which will take place July 5-6, and spots in the field are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so early registration is encouraged.
The Pro-Assistant Championship is a 36-hole tournament featuring two-player teams comprised of a Club Professional (Head, Executive or Head Teaching Professional) and another PGA of BC member affiliated at the same facility. Forty-six teams are entered into the event so far, with defending champions Brian McDonald and Rob Tadey looking to notch another title for Fairview Mountain Golf Club.
Click below for full event details, including a list of confirmed competitors and a link to registration.
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Trevor Simkins secured the victory Monday when the Kootenay Pro Tour officially kicked off its 2021 schedule.
Simkins (Bootleg Gap Golf Course) fired a 1-over-par 73 at Cranbrook Golf Club to win the season-opener by a single stroke, collecting $540 for the performance.
Jeremy Johnson (Fairmont Hot Springs Resort) settled for second spot with a 74, taking home the runner-up cheque worth $430. Jeff Wiggins (The Springs at Radium) finished two off the pace in third, earning $300 with a 75.
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Kevin Stinson has completed the National Training Program and becomes a Class "A" Professional at Cheam Mountain Golf Course
Mark Strong's Executive Professional application has been approved and he becomes Executive Professional at Sagebrush Golf Club
Randall Smith has joined Sagebrush Golf Club as Head Professional
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PGA of BC PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT -- MICHELLE WATERS
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Apprentice Professional, Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club
PGA of Canada member since: 2019
What is the most rewarding part about being a member of the PGA of BC?
The PGA of BC provides a wide variety of different educational resources that I’ve found incredibly helpful over the last couple of years. I’ve always really enjoyed the annual Spring Seminar as there is always a phenomenal lineup of speakers to learn from.
At which golf facility did you first begin working within the industry, and who was the PGA Professional?
My first job that sparked my interest for the game was in the back shop of Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in 2009 working for Gord Melissa. Gord later become my junior golf coach and showed me the ropes of building a golf swing and competing. My first job as a PGA of Canada member has been at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club working for Ashley Zibrik, who I look to as a role model today.
Who has influenced your career the most, and how?
My university coach, Matt Steinbach. Matt stepped into the Head Coach role in my latter two years in the SFU Women’s golf program. His ability to see people for their strengths and continue to challenge them beyond what they know they are capable of has both helped and inspired me as a player and now as a coach. He has always encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and was the one who suggested I apply for what is now my current position at Shaughnessy.
What is a common misconception that golfers make about what your job entails?
I think the biggest misconception is that it’s a single-faceted profession when the reality is it entails many different avenues of the sport. From customer service to teaching to fitting to event planning, it’s an all-encompassing job that gives you looks into all parts of the business side of golf.
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Want to be featured in the Professional Spotlight of an upcoming E-News? Click here to complete the PGA of BC member profile questionnaire.
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The record for most holes played during a single Golfathon for ALS still belongs to Jamie Stevens (pictured), who played 472 holes at Kelowna Golf & Country Club in a 24-hour period back in 2013.
Not only does that add up to more than 26 full rounds of golf, Stevens also made 116 birdies, six eagles and an ace along the way.
With two each, Copper Point Golf Club Professionals Brian Schaal and Scott McClain are the only individuals to make multiple aces over the history of the Golfathon for ALS. McClain's holes-in-one came in 2010 and 2014, while Schaal notched his in 2018 and 2020. Six total aces have been made at Copper Point Golf Club in Golfathons for ALS dating back to 2010.
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