February 7, 2023

TSAWWASSEN, BC (PGA of British Columbia) - The second and final day of the 2023 PGA of BC Spring Education Seminar at Tsawwassen Springs Golf was an informative and entertaining affair, building on the great presentations from yesterday. 
 
To kick things off, World Curling Champion Brent Laing and World Curling Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Jones delivered a presentation on their experiences at the highest levels of sport. Their presentation focused on the importance of teamwork, with Jones explaining the process of selecting a new team member in preparation for the 2014 Olympics. Laing and Jones also emphasized mental focus and “living in the moment,” reflecting the message of yesterday’s speaker Alex Hodgins, another Olympic Gold Medalist who worked as Mental Performance Coach for the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team. 
 
“Be present and just enjoy every little moment that life gives us, because you know what? We only get one shot at it, so make it a great one,” said Jones. 
 
Next, Jen Clyde and Michelle Money spoke about their golf brand tailored to women, Fore All Golf. Clyde and Money explained what motivated them to enter the golf industry, and how they hope to disrupt the traditional women’s golf market and inspire more women to embrace the sport. They said that their goal is to change the way golf apparel is marketed towards women, and to push golf shops in a cooler, more modern direction by creating retail spaces women will actually want to shop at, whether they golf or not.  
 
“I think it’s so important that we get out of our comfort zone and start thinking a little bit differently about how the golf industry markets to women. We need to be evolving,” said Money. 
 
Following Clyde and Money’s presentation, the PGA of BC was joined by Zach Parker and Iain Highfield. Parker and Highfield are world-renowned golf coaches and consultants who stress the importance of mindset in training. They explained how a teacher can best motivate their students to be fully engaged with and love golf. They also discussed how to transfer the skills we gain while practicing and apply it practically while under pressure. Parker and Highfield’s expertise in mental performance continued a theme of our Spring Education Seminar, highlighting the ways in which elite athletes use mental training to reach their highest levels of performance. Our Association’s members will undoubtedly go home with a far more comprehensive understanding of the intersection of the mind and athletic outcomes. 
 
Highfield added: “I think Muhammad Ali said, ‘The man who has no imagination has no wings.’ So use your imagination, innovate, don’t be scared to fail, have fun with it and your clients will love you.” 
 
To close out two days jam-packed with valuable information and expertise, keynote speaker Joe Roberts delivered a deeply moving and impactful presentation on his own life experiences. Roberts overcame the lowest of lows, being addicted to heroin and homeless in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, to achieve great business and personal success, proving that anything is possible. Roberts shared his most vulnerable moments as well as his greatest triumphs, including his Push For Change campaign, which saw him push a shopping cart over nine thousand kilometres across Canada to raise awareness and support for at-risk youth and youth homelessness. It was an honour for our Association to host such an incredible and inspiring man, and our Professionals showed their appreciation for Roberts with a standing ovation to cap off an awe-inspiring and formidable Spring Education Seminar. 
 
“It’s about seeing possibility in the face of improbability and taking those action steps forward,” said Roberts. “You know, I was that guy pushing a shopping cart in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and I’m here today because I consistently moved forward.” 
 
The PGA of BC would like to thank all those who attended the Spring Education Seminar and helped make it an extraordinary event. The Association would also like to extend our thanks to Sarah Draws a Crowd, whose incredible artistic representations of each speaker’s presentation helped create everlasting memories of the Seminar.