Three Vernon golfers swung, chipped, putted, and shared their knowledge on their ways to provincial golf honours.
The PGA of BC held its association’s 2025 provincial awards Oct. 28 at the Langley Events Centre.
Coming home with glass hardware were Kyla Inaba of Predator Ridge, Bradlee Jones from the Vernon Golf and Country Club, and Vernon teaching professional Brady Stead, who works out of the Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford.
Inaba was recognized as the Jack Westover Coach of the Year, presented by GOLFTEC.
“We have some truly amazing coaches in our zone and province doing phenomenal work, so it is an honour to be in such great company,” said Inaba, who was the association’s 2023 Alvie Thompson Teacher of the Year.
Inaba has dedicated nearly a decade to teaching and coaching, and every season, she said, presents new challenges and growth for her students and herself.
“My overarching goal is to find solutions and build confidence in every golfer that stands in front of me,” she said, giving thanks to her home course for its support.
“I would love to thank the team at Predator Ridge and my family for their support, my students who put their trust in me to find solutions, and my coaches and my mentors who have guided me on this path.”
Inaba prevented Vernon native Stead from winning double honours. Stead was the Lower Mainland nominee for the Coach of the Year honour.
However, Stead did not leave empty-handed. He won the Gibson Family Scholarship.
“It’s a nice recognition for the things I’ve been doing with mental health campaigns,” said Stead, who founded the Steady Golf Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health in 2023, and saw that turn into a provincial initiative this year.
The campaign in 2025 raised more than $25,000, which included support from pros at Predator Ridge and Vernon.
“I got a good amount of support from fellow pros around B.C., which was so awesome to see,” he said.
The Gibson Scholarship will allow Stead to grow his career as a coach, furthering that with some education.
“A huge thank you to the Gibson family for supporting PGA BC pros, but also myself and my journey as a coach,” he said, adding coaching golf is his main focus. He was the performance coach with BC Golf for Team BC in 2025.
“It’s been a nice shift for me to solely focus on coaching,” said Stead, who tried to qualify for professional tours. “We’ve talked before when I was a player, but it just feels good right now to have a main focus as a coach. The transition feels good, and it’s less stress on the body.”
Jones walked away with the Fred Wood Class A Professional of the Year Award, presented by Srixon/Cleveland Golf.
While the award has his name on it, Jones said it’s truly a team award.
“You’re only ever as successful as the people around you, and that’s exactly what this represents,” said Jones.
“Our general manager, Adam Blair, provides us with the resources and support to succeed and constantly challenges us to improve.
“Brooks Jones, our head professional, and I have worked together for 14 seasons — our skill sets complement each other — and together with our talented team of golf professionals, we share the same passion for delivering great experiences for our members and guests.
“Our golf shop and golf operations staff take tremendous pride in what they do each day, from the service they provide to the energy they bring to the club. Their commitment and teamwork make all of us look better together.”
The PGA of BC recognized the ALS Society of BC and vice-president Julie MacCarthy for their presence at the awards celebration, where they shared the latest updates on the Golfathon for ALS.
Thanks to the dedication and commitment of so many PGA of BC golf professionals, the Golfathon for ALS raised $233,925 in 2025, bringing the all-time fundraising total to over $3.28 million.
The Jones pros, and fellow Vernon Golf Club teaching pro Myles Johnson took part in the Golfathon for ALS, playing 54 holes on July 3, starting nice and early at 4:45 a.m.
It was the third straight year the Vernon club took part in the Golfathon, and has raised more than $16,000 toward the $3.28 million total.