Concussions and physical impact in youth sport has never been more top of mind. Parents and medical experts often discuss the benefit versus danger, while some brain experts have questioned whether kids should even participate in contact sports. Golf offers a direct competitive advantage — a safe and social alternative that can provide a lifetime of quality golf experiences.

It’s vital to get children experiencing the game and having fun on the course so families can feel a sense of engagement and attachment to the sport — introducing them to golf’s etiquette and life values, such as integrity, honesty, fair play and the spirit of camaraderie inherent with our game. Consider the health benefits of burning 1,450 calories walking 18 holes as well as muscle endurance, blood circulation, flexibility and mental alertness.

As John Gordon writes in Time for Parents to Pitch In, parents play an important role in connecting children to the game. They decide the activities in which to get their children involved and to what level. A study on youth sport suggests that a child is 50 per cent less likely to participate in a sport or activity if he or she has not been introduced by the age of 12.

I agree wholeheartedly that parents play a critical role. I also believe golf facilities can do more to engage with youngsters and parents. Junior golf is a proven revenue driver for golf clubs. There are numerous success stories of PGA of Canada professionals using innovative programming to grow their junior program and subsequent revenue at their facilities. Many are recognized National Junior Golf Development Centres — recognized by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada as premier facilities for junior development. Clubs with a strong junior golf program often see the fruit of their efforts as those children get older. Junior members with a connection to the game or a course represent a potential lifetime customer.

Clubs that connect with schools in their community offering Golf in Schools understand engagement. They recognize that students learning golf in a school gym might want to continue with golf after the bell rings. That could be buckets at a driving range, lessons, green fee play or a summer junior membership. With 10,000 elementary schools and 4,500 high schools, Canada’s physical education system is the most concentrated opportunity to get children of all ages and demographics introduced to any sport.

What happens when your child is old enough to make their own choices to spend recreational dollars? What is awaiting intermediate-aged golfers who want to enjoy the game but are cost-conscious on spending? The sport cycle relies on those same folks — they will have their own families and will make choices on what sports are best for their kids.

Clubs need to offer golf experiences that deliver the values that today’s consumers are expecting. That includes children, families and potential enthusiasts such as new Canadians or under-represented demographics. For some, it’s a function of cost. For others, it’s joining recreational activities that are social and open to innovation.

Access is important. I wonder if every golf course offered free access to children, how many kids and their families would take up the offer? Kids need to feel welcomed at the golf course. Grassroots programs like Golf in Schools, CN Future Links and Take a Kid to the Course are introducing thousands to the game each year. But kids and their parents make choices. Golf is competing for their attention with other sports and activities.

Junior golf is good for our kids. And it might just be the perfect alternative that safety-conscious parents are looking for.

Golf’s no-contact rule This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

IRVING, Texas – Mi Jung Hur topped the Thursday in the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, opening with a 5-under 66 in breezy conditions.

Hur made five straight birdies on the 15th to the first hole. The two-time LPGA Tour winner bogeyed the par-4 fifth and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 eighth.

“My putting just was everything on the course today,” Hur said. “My shot wasn’t that good and my address wasn’t that comfortable, but my putting did really well.”

She lives in the area in McKinney.

“I used to live in Orlando, Florida, for seven, eight years,” Hur said. “Then we had a tournament here three years ago and I look around, it looks pretty nice to live. So I just asked my parents, ‘Can we move to Texas?’ We love it because there’s two big Korean towns nearby. We just moved right away.”

South Korean players held six of the top eight positions. So Yeon Ryu and Eun-Hee Ji were tied for second with American Gerina Piller at 67, and Sei Young Kim, Amy Yang, Jenny Shin and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew shot 68.

Piller, the U.S. Solheim Cup star who lives in nearby Plano, birdied four of her last seven holes.

“It’s a little tougher this week being a home game and having family in town and just staying at home,” Piller said. “It’s hard to go home and go to bed. You want to do the dishes or stuff like that. Definitely. have to be more conscious with your time and how you prepare just like any other week because you’re at home and it’s kind of pulling you opposite directions.”

She tied for third Sunday in California in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic for her third straight top-six finish.

“I know that I’m playing really well and I’ve had some really good finishes, so that’s golf, you’ve just kind of got to ride that and just keep pressing on,” Piller said.

Ryu hit 17 greens in regulation.

“Even when I missed, I was still able to putt it. I was just off the green,” Ryu said. “I think today my shot was really great, I just comfortable with everything and like driver, iron, wood, everything was great. Even putting was really great.”

Ji had five birdies in an eight-hole stretch and dropped her only stroke on the par-5 18th.

“I’m really struggling with my allergies, so I’m trying to focus more,” Ji said. “I think flower seeds, something like that. I took all this medicine, but it doesn’t work at all.”

The event features two cuts. The field will be trimmed to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes and the low 50 and ties after 54 holes.

Fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson had a 69. The 18-year-old of Smiths Falls, Ont., has eight straight top-10 finishes.

“Not as windy as some of the weeks we’ve been playing in, but it was windy out there today,” Henderson said. “The course is in great shape, but as the day got going it got a little bit firmer and you kind of had to adjust your numbers a little bit.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a 71. Team Canada Amateur Team member Maddie Szeryk – a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. – had a 73.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis opened with a 74, and third-ranked Lexi Thompson had a 75. Lewis, the 2014 winner in her home-state event, is winless in 47 events.

Michelle Wie shot a 76, four days after withdraw during the final round of the Swinging Skirts because of neck spasms. She’s winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a top-10 finish in 33 events.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, the 2013 and 2015 champion, is sidelined by a left thumb injury.

AVONDALE, La. – Brian Stuard shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to top the leaderboard in the suspended first round of the Zurich Classic.

The 33-year-old Stuard had only 21 putts in his bogey-free round at TPC Louisiana, finishing his final hole after a rain delay of nearly five hours.

“It was just one of those days where it seemed like I was really reading the putts well, and luckily they were going in,” Stuard said. “I picked this putter up last week in San Antonio and had a good feel for it. I putted well last week and it continued over to today.”

None of the afternoon starters were able to finish before darkness suspended play.

Top-ranked Jason Day bogeyed his final two holes after the delay for 69.

“It’s just the waiting part,” Day said. “Obviously, the weather hovering above us just wouldn’t go away. It had just been a very long wait, and you just want to get in and finish. I had two holes left. Yeah, I mean, clearly a little frustrated, but looking forward to tomorrow.”

The Australian is the first No. 1 player to play in the event since David Duval in 1999.

“I’ve just got to manage myself out there,” Day said. “Obviously, this is going to be bit of a tough week with these double start rounds. Some guys are going out to play 27 holes tomorrow, or some guys have got to play 36. With that said, I might be able to sneak in nine holes and play 27 on Saturday, but I’ve just got to stay positive, keep moving forward, and see how it goes from there.”

Retief Goosen was second after a 65. The 47-year-old South African is a two-time U.S. Open champion.

“I hit a couple of bad shots coming in, unfortunately, but I managed to save pars,” Goosen said. “It’ll be a long wait now until my next round.”

J.J. Henry, Geoff Ogilvy, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell III and Patrick Rodgers shot 67, and Rickie Fowler topped the group at 68.

“A lot of just sitting around, hanging out,” Fowler said. “Boo (Weekley) was in there sleeping at one point. There was people spread out all over, from player family dining to the locker room. There might have been some pictures posted on Snapchat. But no, it’s always fun to hang with the fellow players and families and just kind of relax.”

Stuard is winless on the PGA Tour. He’s making only his seventh start of the season.

“I haven’t been able to get in too many tournaments,” Stuard said. “I played last week and then this week, obviously, so playing two in a row is kind of nice to get a little momentum going. … It’s tough. I guess it’s just part of the deal. You’ve got to deal with it. But it’s definitely tough, not sure what your schedule is going to be even next week.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., had a 69 and found himself tied for 12th at 3-under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was in the following group tied for 26th place after a 2-under 70.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, found himself at even-par thru three holes, while Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 1-over after six holes.

Santee, Calif. – California’s John Chin shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the 54-hole lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 29-year old rebounded from bogeys on his first two holes with eight birdies to reach 12-under for the tournament, three shots ahead of fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with one round to go.

“It was kind of a kick in the butt and got me going,” said Chin of the bogey-bogey start. “I didn’t feel like I was trying to press anything and was just trying to take it one shot at a time, and 66 is just what happened.”

A former Web.com Tour member, Chin was victorious at a Golden State Tour event held at Carlton Oaks last week. The University of California-Irvine grad said he’s benefited from being familiar with the challenges presented by the tough Perry Dye layout.

“It’s definitely a ball-striker’s course. If you’re not striking your ball somewhat decently, you’re going to have a hard time even playing out here,” said Chin.

Jae Yong Kim is the leading Canadian heading to the final round. The North York, Ont., native is tied for 8th at 1-under after a 2-under 70.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada’s  new website is now up and running.

Visitors to the website—www.hyundaipgascramble.com—can easily locate and register for local qualifiers across the country. Currently there are more than 100 local qualifying sites from B.C. to Newfoundland.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada is a new national series of events taking place across the country beginning this June.

The series of events expects to draw nearly 20,000 amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players— from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local and regional qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in the national final this fall at Lookout Point Country Club, with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team.

Each golfer who plays in a Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local event will receive impressive gifting and prizing from supporting partners.

In addition to the 36-hole championship, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada national final promises to be a golf trip of a lifetime, which includes a festival of special events, prizing, activations and a chance to interact with the latest Hyundai vehicles.

The website also features a detailed summary of the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada event rules, policies and eligibility.

The website was designed in partnership by Saskatoon’s Green Golf Designs and Yastech Developments.

The first Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local qualifier takes place June 5th at the home of the PGA of Canada, Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.

For more information about the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada, click here.

On October 19, 2015, Canadians decided it was time for change. Nearly seven million citizens voted the Liberal party into power and Justin Trudeau into the Prime Minister’s office.

Not only did they elect for a change in the House of Commons, they opened the door for change in the golf industry and for the more than 2,300 golf course operators across the country too.

That’s because a majority Liberal government provides a new opportunity for the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA), which has unsuccessfully lobbied previous regimes for tax fairness. For many years Canadian golf industry leaders have met with close to 200 members of Parliament and senators, generating multi-party support to reform the dated Income Tax Act introduced in 1971. To date, the act has remained unchanged but golf continues to share its story.

Enforced by the Canada Revenue Agency, the Income Tax Act prohibits golfing-related expenses from being claimed against corporate incomes despite the sport’s standing as an arena for business-related outings. This has become an increasingly significant issue for the $14-billion golf industry, which employs more than 300,000 citizens from coast to coast.

“The vast majority of Canada’s 2,346 golf facilities are small businesses, owned and operated by entrepreneurs, who are competing on an uneven playing field right now,” says Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “We’ve had strong discussions with ministers and government officials to tell golf’s story.”

Not only would allowing deductions for corporate golf outings have an impact on current golfers, it could encourage more players and business people to take their meetings to the links. That would result in an uptick in rounds played and boost the bottom lines of many Canadian courses. It is why, in the eyes of Canada’s 2,346 golf course operators, this tax legislation is no longer a tolerable disadvantage.

“Virtually every other recreational or hosting option in this country is tax deductible — hockey games, baseball, basketball, football, ski resorts, theatre tickets; the list goes on and on,” adds Simmons. “Golf is one of the only things excluded. This isn’t about writing off annual membership dues. We’re simply talking about daily green fees spent when entertaining customers. Every day, business people are making choices of where to entertain clients, and golf should not be excluded.”

The game has proven to be more than a recreational sport, positively impacting our society (through health and charitable benefits) and a multitude of connected industries (through economic and tourism contributions). At a time when other sports are facing health and safety questions, golf offers a safe and fun alternative that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

With close to 200 new MPs on the job familiarizing themselves when it comes to dealing with national organizations and federal policy, NAGA leaders are hoping the latest change on Parliament Hill will aid the Canadian golf industry’s advocacy efforts.

But NAGA can’t do it alone. If you want to find out more or get involved, contact Golf Canada by emailing members@golfcanada.ca.

Asking for equality This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Water is a touchy subject for golfers. The beauty they see in a sun-drenched pond or a swiftly flowing creek is often matched by the frustration they feel when their shot lands in unreachable territory. However, the issue of water features on the golf course extends beyond aesthetics and playability for superintendents. While the keepers of the course spend a large part of their time making sure the turfgrass is healthy, they also must have one eye on managing the creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers and marshes that sit on their properties.

Peering into a water feature is like opening the door to a world of information about the successful management of the whole golf course. At Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, all the water that falls on the 200 acres of turf drains into the course’s five ponds, via over 200 catch basins. This gives superintendent Dustin How and his team the perfect opportunity to measure how their inputs are affecting the property.

“Our pond health is an indication of the overall health of the golf course and our management programs,” said How, who has been at Southwood since 2009.

“Our pond quality is really an indication of how our fertility program is doing. If we were over-fertilizing or had some issues, everything runs into the ponds and we’re going to see it,” says How.

The story is the same at Legends on the Niagara, Battlefield Course, where superintendent Tom Newton frequently examines the site’s various large ponds and Usher Creek for red flags.

“Testing the water features helps us determine whether our management strategies are impacting the environment and if we are impacting it positively or negatively,” says Newton, who played a large part in helping the course become Audubon certified.

There are a few telltale signs that can help a superintendent determine if there is something amiss with the water quality. One of these indications is the appearance of algae blooms, says How. When he sees a bloom in a pond, it is usually a symptom of a larger problem somewhere else on the site. This allows the turf care team to begin searching for the problem and rectifying it sooner.

While six-legged pests are usually frowned upon in the world of golf course management, the team at Legends embraces them when it comes time to determine the health of their water features and, by extension, their turf. As part of his water management strategy, Newton and his environmental intern test for certain bugs in the ponds to tell them if the water is fit as a fiddle or in need of some love and care.

“There are different bugs or macroinvertebrates that tolerate different levels of pollution,” says Newton.

“You can use the variance of species to determine the health of the water features based on what you find. It’s just another tool we use to verify that what we’re doing is not having a negative effect on the water quality.”

Tracking water quality on the property is especially important to a site like The Rock Golf Course in Minett, Ontario where superintendent Deni Terenzio must monitor nine ponds and 12 interconnected wet meadows that drain in two separate lakes. These water features act as drainage basins for the course. They also contain isolation valves from draining the water that falls on the site to drain into the lakes, which is crucial in lowering the potential for negative effects on the environment.

“If those features weren’t there, we’d be free draining into the lake without any sort of buffer zone,” says Terenzio.

“We as turf managers place a lot of inputs on our turf and most, if not all, of those inputs are consumed before they exit our property by different types of plants that grow by the water.”

The wide range of plant life that grows around The Rock’s water features is a common sight at most golf courses. Water gives turf managers an opportunity to incorporate native species, which can be beneficial to the course, but it also gives Mother Nature a chance to sprout invasive species that wreak havoc. This double-edged sword adds a whole other element to managing large swaths of H2O for superintendents.

One of the major native species that grows around the ponds at Legends is called green arrow arum. The plant is not only an aesthetically pleasing feature, but it is also a very useful tool for the course maintenance team, says Newton.

“It’s a good plant that shows if you have healthy water features,” says Newton.

“Before the construction of the golf course, Usher’s Creek had very little of the green arrow arum in it and now it’s loaded with it. It helps us gauge the health of the water on the course and the other plant life in and around the water.”

Newton attributes the amplified growth of native species to the increased sunlight that now touches the creek.

The native species also help the team at Legends ensure a proper buffer zone around the course’s water features, further minimizing the chance of unwanted runoff into the ponds. On the road to Audubon Certification, this was one of the biggest steps for the Niagara site, says Newton.

“(Establishing the vegetative buffer zone) was a joint effort before me and the golf pro to implement the measure without affecting the playability and aesthetics of the holes too much,” says Newton.

“The biggest factor was determining how to implement it without ruining the golfer experience, but also ensuring a proper buffer.”

While it seems the more vegetation, the better when it comes to water features, that’s not always the case. Invasive species can cause more than a few headaches for turf managers who venture near their sites’ ponds, streams or marshes.

At The Rock, invasive species that flourish near the property’s approximately 20 acres of water can have a devastating domino effect on the course’s overall health. Bulrushes are the major worry for Terenzio and his crew, says the superintendent. The bulrushes grow tall and block light from reaching other, more beneficial plants around the water’s edge, while debris, such as dead leaves, can impede the flow of water through the course and cause a drainage backup.

“It’s important to manage debris, like leaves and fallen trees, because they impede proper flow,” says Terenzio, “and because the wet meadows are shallow, this will cause certain parts of the course to flood, which will affect the drainage system as a whole.”

Clearing the bulrushes and other material is a time-consuming task as it needs to be done manually. Terenzio says his team tries to cut all the bulrushes down to size by July and then monitor them until winter.

As much as invasive species can be a curse, native species and the water itself can team up to be quite the blessing when it comes to attracting wildlife to golf courses. There aren’t many other features of a golf course that make animals feel at home as much as a well-maintained pond or creek.

The wildlife that appears on a regular basis at Southwood would not be nearly as diverse without its multitude of water features, says How.

“We went from having a farm field here five years ago to having basically a small wildlife sanctuary,” says How about the water’s effect on drawing animals to Southwood.

Wild turkeys, deer, coyotes and a variety of ducks are just a few of the animals that How has seen flock to the water features within the property.

“The wildlife we have seen on the property would not have been there five years ago when it was just an open field and it all stems from the bodies of water that we constructed.”

The influx of wildlife at Southwood extends to the water itself where flooding in the course’s first season after construction brought some unexpected house guests with it.

“The La Salle river flooded in 2009, which was the first year the ponds were in existence,” says How, “and with the water that backed up into these ponds came fish.”

The ponds are now full of species like jackfish and carp simply from the flood.

“It was really neat to create something and then see nature move in given the opportunity in such a short time.”

The march of wildlife to the water features at Legends is a similar marvel.

“The biggest thing we see from (the ponds) are the benefits they provide for the aquatic wildlife,” says Newton, “whether it’s a food source or a nesting area or a cover from predators.”

Newton says the list of wildlife that comes to the ponds is endless and includes deer, turtles and too many species of birds to count. Usher’s Creek is also home to a run of grass pickerel in the spring, which is a point of pride for Newton and his team as the fish is a species of special concern in Ontario.

Water features bring animal life, stunning views and benefits to the turfgrass, but they are also delicate parts of a golf course’s ecology. Lots can go right with ponds, creeks and marshes, but lots can also go wrong.

Newton’s biggest challenge at Legends is tweaking some of his cultural practices to match the oft-changing needs of one of his water features.

“We have one water feature that tests significantly higher for nutrient loads than the rest,” says Newton.

“It’s a challenge for us to determine why this is happening and where these inputs are coming from – whether it’s something in the soil to begin with or if it’s something we’re doing.”

Newton and his team have taken several steps to reduce the possibility of their contribution to this increased nutrient load. The first was to increase the buffer zones in the areas around the water feature. Newton’s crew has also raised the height of cut to three inches or more for the maintained turf around the feature. They also attempt to spoon-feed nutrients around that part of the course instead of going out with a tractor-mounted sprayer.

Maintaining the area around the ponds is also a tricky endeavor at Southwood where How and his crew must constantly track their activities around the water.

“The most challenging part about managing the ponds is making sure we’re maintaining our buffer zones. Those are the biggest things we keep an eye on,” says How.

Water features are as unique as the ways to manage them. Just as each water feature has its own special place on the course, its own wildlife, its own vegetation and depth, its own stories from unfortunate golfers and hardworking turf managers, each superintendent has their own advice on how to maintain these features best.

“Try to incorporate as many native grass and plant areas as possible to encourage wildlife,” says Terenzio on the words of wisdom he would give on managing water features.

For Newton, a keen eye and attention to detail are key to having a successful water management strategy at any golf course.

“The biggest thing is to establish baselines or understand what your features have to begin with,” says Newton.

“There are visual inspections, but there are other ways to get this information, whether it’s testing for macroinvertebrates or water quality testing. It sounds daunting, but a lot of the time it just means an investment in a meter and familiarizing yourself with how to use it.”

Newton also says that having a dedicated area to store and mix pesticides is critically important to ensuring the health of all water features, as well as the groundwater, at any course.

How has a unique perspective on the maintenance of water features, having been at the course when earth made way for water and the ponds were constructed out of a farm field. He says one of the most crucial aspects of managing any H2O happens before a drop of water even appears on the scene.

“It all starts with construction,” says How.

“It’s making sure that the ponds are built correctly and you have enough depth to get rid of issues like algae blooms before they happen. The shallower the water feature, the warmer it’s going to get and the more algae blooms are going to appear.”

Once the water features are up and running, or flowing, it’s important to have a controlled exit point, says How. This will help turf managers to ensure that if anything ever does go wrong, they can stop the water from exiting the property with potentially hazardous materials in it.

Despite the trials and tribulations of maintaining a pond, stream or marsh; the exact science, the murky depths and the careful observation; a golf course just isn’t a golf course without at least a little bit of water, says Newton.

“Missing that water feature is going to remove a lot of your wildlife and a lot of those natural elements in general,” he says.

“And I’ve always believed that golf is a game that’s played in nature.”

Santee, Calif. – California’s Cody Blick managed a 3-under 69 in breezy conditions on Wednesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the solo lead through 36 holes at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 22-year old recent graduate of San Jose State University carded five birdies and two bogeys to reach 8-under par and lead by two shots over California’s John Chin and fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with two rounds remaining in the quest to earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2016.

“We’re only halfway there, so it’s the same thing as the first two rounds; I’m going to pick out targets, swing at ‘em and whatever happens happens. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m expecting gusty, high winds, so we’ll see,” said Blick.

With the sun just rising on his professional career, Blick said he was embracing the transition from college and learning the nuances of the professional game.

“It’s different. In college, if you lose by four shots in a tournament, you’re still in fifth. If you’re four back of the lead in a professional event, you’re 30th. Every shot is 10 guys, so every shot really matters,” said Blick.

Two shots behind Blick were Chin, who fired the day’s only bogey-free round (69) and is coming off a victory at a Golden State Tour event at Carlton Oaks last week, and Featherstone, who played collegiate golf at nearby San Diego State.

RICHMOND, B.C. – British Columbia Golf has announced the election of Patrick Kelly as the association’s new President. Kelly assumes the role from now immediate past president David Atkinson, who has held the position since 2013.

Patrick, who operates a consulting business, is a member of the Leq:amel First Nation (Sto:lo Nation.) and was elected their Treaty Representative for treaty negotiations, a role he held from 1998 to 2001. He has had a number of high level positions including a five-year term as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of BC.

The Attorney General for British Columbia appointed Patrick as a Bencher for the Law Society of BC, to represent the public interest in the administration of justice and in December 2010, he was appointed as Governor of the Law Foundation of BC.

A member of the UVic Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board and the UBC Sauder School of Business Ch’nook Indigenous Business Advisory Board, Patrick also serves on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Foundation.

In addition, he has been the Vice President, National Services, CESO; BC Director, Strategic Planning and Communications, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Manager, Cultural Relations and Corporate Training in BC Hydro’s Aboriginal Relations Department as well as having the role of Executive Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

Joining Patrick as Directors on the Board are Victoria’s Barry Petrachenko, Vancouver’s Michelle Collens, Summerland’s Edwin Helgason, Fort St. John’s Jim McKinnon, Sechelt’s Helen Steeves, who was elected as Secretary, Duncan’s Grace Hui, Helen Jung from Maple Ridge, Fairmont Hot Springs’ Wilda Schab, Surrey’s Jasvinder (Jolly) Dhaliwal, and Adam Fritz from Vancouver. Immediate Past President David Atkinson of Vancouver rounds out the 12-person Board.

British Columbia Golf – a member-based organization governed by the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA) – represents more than 57,000 individual golfers, in over 300 clubs at 261 member courses. As the governing body for golf in the province, British Columbia Golf acts as the voice for provincial golf affairs and functions as a resource centre for the golf industry. Through its affiliation with Golf Canada, the association is also involved in national golf affairs. British Columbia Golf as it exists today was formally established on October 1, 2004, following the amalgamation of the British Columbia Ladies Golf Association Golf Association (BCLGA) and the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA).

I love the off-season. It’s the perfect time to develop and reinforce key techniques. But putting into a coffee cup can get boring after a while. Here’s a drill to try in your basement or living room. It is a bit risky but productive and exciting too.

Grab your 56- or 58-degree wedge and some small whiffle balls. Start with the ball in the middle of your stance (A). Then narrow your stance so your heels are closer together than your toes (B). Keep the shaft of your club perpendicular to the ground or very slightly leaned towards the target (C). Then reach down with your lead hand (left for right-handed golfers) and touch your left knee (D), as this will put your shoulders in a level position and your spine perpendicular to the ground.

Hit a few practice shots from this setup with only your trail hand (right hand) on the club. Try to softly pitch the balls onto a couch four or five paces away. I love the feel of hitting one-handed shots with the right hand as it naturally allows the club to open and slightly hinge in the backswing before releasing naturally in the downswing. Finally, in your follow-through, the club head can overtake and pass the hands, allowing for soft pitch shots and great use of the bounce of the club.

Rotate hitting three balls with only your trail hand on the club and then three balls with both hands on the club trying to feel the same thing. Do this four or five times to really get the feel of the correct setup and how the club works. Then use both hands like you would outside on the course and hit pitch shots to different targets. Once you’re comfortable with the whiffle balls graduate to real golf balls.

Why do I like this drill? Indoors you will learn to soften up your hands and arms in a hurry, otherwise you will not hit high and soft landing shots. Plus the firmness of the floor under the carpet gives great feedback on how the club head is working along the ground. It should slide along the ground rather than crash down into it. This feedback allows for quick learning of solid contact, a shallow angle of attack and nice use of the bounce.

Learning to feel the correct pitch shot technique and enjoying some valuable indoor practice is the perfect type of preparation before golf season starts.

Sharpen your short game This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.