Cody Bailey admits he contemplated returning to competitive golf after a disappointing 2020 summer stint on the fairways.
Between that and COVID-19 expecting to cancel the season, which ultimately was the case on Sept. 22, the Prince George product wasn’t too sure if it was worth it to continue his collegiate career with University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).
However, the 19-year-old was encouraged to get back on course with the Cascades after taking some time to plan his next few years in Abbotsford in realizing he couldn’t give up the game just yet.
“Halfway through the [summer] season, I had a meeting with my coach and talked about personal life things, but then we also made a plan for golf,” Bailey told PrinceGeorgeMatters today (Nov. 4) following the conclusion of the BC Rivalry Series’ fall edition.
“Ever since that meeting, I’ve been playing way better, I feel better, I’m thinking properly on the golf course; at the start of the year, I was playing probably some of my worst golf in about three or four years.”
The BC Rivalry Series is a culmination of provincially-based university golf programs eager to play tournaments after Canada West cancelled its 2020-21 campaign due to travel restrictions.
UFV partnered with UBC and UBC-Okanagan to play eight rounds on six different courses, each school hosting at least one event, and Bailey’s squad currently leads the men’s team bracket on aggregate points.
The 2019 Prince George Secondary School graduate played the final four contests and, despite only making one top 10, he says he’s been enjoying the experience, thanks to the support of his teammates.
“I’d have to say just the comradery of it all,” Bailey said when asked about UFV’s 2020-21 roster, which has resulted in a confidence boost and overall mental-game improvement.
“Last year, we had a lot of different players of different ages, it was like guys between 18 and 27 years old. This year, it’s a closer group, you know, we hang out a lot together as a full team because we have a close schedule in our bubble. On Wednesday morning’s, we go out and play a fun round without a practice with the coach and stuff like that. So I think the comradery and everything that comes with being on a team down here is what stands out.”
While this is Bailey’s second year on paper with UFV, he hasn’t lost eligibility to play a full five years thanks to COVID-19 and U-Sports restructuring for student-athletes as a result.
If the virus is contained and regular-play is restored, his freshman campaign will be in fall 2021.
“It’s something that was never really a big scare in the golfing world because you are able to physically distance while you’re playing,” Bailey explained about the opportunity to play competitively during a pandemic.
“You’re never standing beside competitors or anything, so it’s really cool we are able to have a season this year, even though it wasn’t Canada West. Everyone did their part, we have a really small bubble, and we just have to keep up all the high precautions. It’s nice that, even with all the stuff going on in the world right now, we’re able to play golf safely.”
Looking back, in spite of the global chaos, Bailey says choosing to return to UFV has been the best decision of his life.
“To be playing a bunch of different courses every week, it was kind of hard to get used to the same setup that they all have, but was still exciting. Last summer, I worked really hard on ball-striking; that was a really big plus for me. Out of the tournaments that I played, Northview was definitely the nicest course I’ve ever played.”
Bailey is taking a variety of courses to see where his academic niches lie, but plans to come back to Prince George for the Christmas break.
His BC Rivalry Series individual results are as follows:
- Round Five = T-10th, 72 (E) at Northview Golf and Country Club
- Round Six = T-16th, 78 (+7) at Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club
- Round Seven = 11th, 72 (E) at Chilliwack Golf Club (UFV’s home course)
- Round Eight = 16th, 80 (+8) at Morgan Creek Golf Course
The competition between UFV, UBC and UBC-Okanagan is set to resume in February with 12 single-day tournaments in the works.
