News From Zone Five: Victoria & Region
Profiles of Shirley Nasheim & Bob Russell, a GREAT charity tournament you can play plus Zone news...
The Gorge Vale Conquer Cancer Classic’s Return
Through the dedication and efforts of everyone involved, over the past 35 years, the Conquer Cancer Classic has raised $1,267,000 for the Vancouver Island Lodge.
Then - due to COVID-19 - the Conquer Cancer Class was forced to take a three-year hiatus. Last year, Gorge Vale stepped up to resurrect the long-running tournament.
The Lodge provides lodging and support for patients who come from all parts of the island while receiving treatment for cancer at the local Cancer Clinic.
“We are happy to announce that Gorge Vale Golf Club has stepped up and taken over this historic event. It has therefore been turned into a one-course tournament. The Organizing Committee looks forward to your participation and is confident that you will enjoy the day,” says the Conquer Cancer Classic Committee on the Gorge Vale website.
It is also supported by close to 150 local businesses and private donors.
The 2024 edition is set to go on May 6th.
The 2024 edition is set to go on May 6th. Registrations can be made in teams of 1-4. As of March 28th, 70 golfers have signed up, so click HERE to add your name to the list of people supporting this important cause. If you'd like to donate as a Hole Sponsor, you can select the option at the end of the registration process.
Click HERE to find out more
Gorge Vale Icon Shirley Nasheim Celebrated
Friends and Family gathered at Gorge Vale Golf Club in mid-February to celebrate the 90th birthday of a woman who won the BC Junior Championship in its inaugural year of 1952 and has been part of Gorge Vale for more than seven decades.
At 14, Shirley Nasheim joined the Gorge Vale Golf Club in 1948 along with her good friend and BC Golf Hall of Fame member, Dorothy Wilks. Annual junior memberships at the time were a mere $10.
A runner-up at the 1959 BC Women’s Amateur, Shirley would win the Gorge Vale Club championship an astonishing 19 times as well as five District Amateur Championships.
Of all the tournaments she won, Nasheim is most proud of the BC Parent & Child tournament which she won with her Mother, Margaret Fry, in 1962. This was the first Mother/Daughter combination to win a competition previously dominated by Fathers/Sons. The trophy is now retired to the BC Golf Museum.
In 1996, Gorge Vale Club presented Shirley with an honourary membership. At that time, Shirley’s 63 years at her club ranked second in years of membership for active players.
Shirley Nasheim Is Greeted By Tournament Director Greg Moody On The First Tee At Cordova Bay in 2014
See her golf bio and the full story on the Zone 5 women’s website HERE
See the story about her that appeared on the British Columbia Golf website HERE
Long-Time Junior Golf Supporter Bob Russell Honoured By Sport BC
Junior Golf promoter Bob Russell has been honoured as a 2024 recipient of the Sport BC Presidents’ Awards. The awards are given to volunteers who demonstrate the spirit of volunteerism through the dedication, commitment, and tireless energy they give to their sport organizations.
That sort of sums Bob Russell up. For the past 15 years, Russell has been integral to the Callaway (formerly Vikes) Junior Tour’s success.
His involvement with golf goes all the way back to playing as a child.
Pictured above left: Bob as a competitive junior • Above right: Bob (middle), with Zone 5 Men's Council rep Glenn Bell (left) and British Columbia Golf President Greg Moody (right).
Russell was a competitive junior and collegiate golfer. While in university he established the first junior program at what was then his home course (Cataraqui Golf and CC in Kingston, Ontario). His parents, Art and Alice Russell, devoted nearly 20 years to organizing the junior golf program at Nanaimo Golf and Country Club.
Running the tour has had its challenges… especially during and after COVID.
In a 2023 season-wrap-up post to the Callaway Junior Tour website, Bob talked about them, ”It’s been a challenging year and a half since the pandemic arrived and changed all our lives. For Junior Golf Victoria it meant having to find a way to provide events without our main sponsor and at overly busy golf courses who sometimes had to limit the spots available and understandably needed to charge us a green fee. Not only did we survive but in fact had some of our largest fields welcoming a lot of new players. Challenges are often opportunities in disguise so we’ll be spending this winter looking at how we might refashion our programs to be better than ever next year.”
Visit the Callaway Junior Tour website HERE
Notes & Late Breaking
Cedar Hill Makes Changes... Starting February 1, 2024, the layout of the golf course was changed. The current hole #11 will become hole #1, and the current hole #1 will become hole #10. This change will not only provide a safer environment for the golfer and the maintenance staff, it will improve the pace of play and allow for a better golf experience.