GOLF: Conference's newest sport set to debut in Kelowna
KELOWNA, B.C. - Sun glistens off the lake, still water framed by mountains in a postcard-worthy backdrop.
Autumn looms, but it's still short sleeve weather. Perfect conditions for what's been jocosely dubbed a good walk spoiled, but on these sculpted fairways surrounded by forest and sage brush hills, that notion is quickly dispelled.
Really, was there anywhere else for Canada West to showcase its newest championship sport?
"It's hard to think of Kelowna and the Okanagan and not think of golf," says Tom Huisman, UBC Okanagan's Director of Athletics and Recreation.
CW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS PROGRAM
TOURNAMENT LEADERBOARDS
UBCO hosts the inaugural Canada West Golf Championships at its long-time home the Okanagan Golf Club October 5-6.
"It just seemed like a natural fit for us because of the region that we're in, and we have an incredible partner for our program in the Okanagan Golf Club," Huisman adds.
Men's and women's student-athletes from Alberta, UBC, Calgary, the University of the Fraser Valley, Lethbridge, Manitoba, and Victoria are joining their hosts in this picturesque setting to write a new chapter in Canada West championship history.
"It's an honour to be able to host the first one," Huisman says. "Hopefully we'll set the bar at a good level for future hosts to follow."
Competition will unfold over two rounds of 18 on the Okanagan Golf Club's Bear Course. The Jack-Nicklaus-designed Bear is a par 72 that challenges goflers with well-placed bunkers, grassy swales, sculpted mounds, and tiered greens.
"The best part about the Bear Course is the last three-hole stretch - you'll basically win or lose a tournament in the last three holes of the golf course," says Clay Stothers, head coach of UBCO's men's and women's golf teams.
"So it's going to be fun to watch and be a part of the last three holes, to see where you sit with three holes to go, and then see what happens at the end of it."
Individual titles will be awarded to the lowest-scoring male and female. For team championships, the women's competition will see a team's three lowest gross scores from each day totalled to determine its score. For men's teams, the four lowest gross scores from both days will be used.
The Canada West Golf Championships serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Golf Canada Canadian University/College Championships, taking place next May at a location to be announced in Quebec.
Schools that are currently Canada West members have dominated the annual tournament since its 2003 inception, accounting for a combined 15 women's team titles and 11 men's team titles, along with a host of individual champs.
"The level of play (in Canada West) is very good," says Stothers.
Golf was officially added to the Canada West varsity lineup at the conference's 2018 AGM in Kelowna. Huisman found eager partners in Tourism Kelowna and the Okanagan Golf Club that shared his enthusiasm for bringing the conference's best golfers to the crown jewel course of the Okanagan Valley.
"Hosting the inaugural championship at our home course allows us to not only build excitement around Canada West golf, but our team here in the Okanagan and in Kelowna," Huisman says.
Canada West is at the forefront of golf's growth in Canadian university sport along with the OUA. The pair are the only U SPORTS conferences with golf as part of their varsity lineup.
Meanwhile, several U SPORTS member schools in Atlantic Canada and Quebec run robust club-level golf programs. For this traditional game with such a depth of history, there's a growing future for the game on campuses coast-to-coast.
"I think that all speaks to the growth and development of the Canadian university golf system and game," Huisman says.
"It's not just a few schools here and there who happen to have legitimate golf programs. When you have the Golf Canada (Canadian University/College Championships) and now the Canada West Championships, that's representative of a higher placing and a higher regard for the sport and it represents another step to having an even larger and greater presence."