Veteran Vancouver Sun golf, rugby and hockey columnist Arv Olson, since 1937, became a leading force in promoting golf in B.C. for more than 35 years, having played more than 75 courses in the province and been an associate editor of B.C. Golf magazine. After retiring to Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island, Olson self-published Backspin! 100 Years of Golf in British Columbia (Par Four Publications, 1992) and a 2004 history of Fanny Bay, the community south of Courtenay that has become known for its small oyster industry. Olson's golf history has been revised and updated as Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia (Heritage $28.95). It profiles the most successful professional Stan Leonard, course designer A.V. Macan and early female greats Violet Pooney Sweeny and Vera Hutchins, among many others.

Review of the author's work by BC Studies:
Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia

BOOKS:

Backspin! 100 Years of Golf in British Columbia (Par Four Publications, 1992)

Shingles & Shells: A History of Fanny Bay (Fanny Bay Old Age Pensioners, 2004)

Golflore: Notes, Quotes & Anecdotes (Par Four Publications, 2005)
ISBN: 9780973972900

Stan Leonard: Canada's Forgotten Golf Legend (Par Four Publications, 2009) ISBN: 9781926626598

120 Years of Golf in British Columbia (Heritage, 2012) $28.95 978-1-927051-41-2

[BCBW 2016] "Sports" "Local History"