Sue Wooster of Australia
Photo Credit – Claus Andersen/ Golf Canada
by Roy Wood
Osoyoos will be the focus of amateur golf in Canada this August as the Osoyoos Golf Club (OGC) hosts the 49th playing of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championships.
The championships comprise one of Golf Canada’s premier events and will feature women amateurs from across the country and beyond.
“We are very excited to be conducting the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship at one of the finest golf courses in British Columbia,” said tournament director Adam Cinel of Golf Canada.
“It’s great to be back in the Osoyoos community – our competitors are in for a phenomenal experience as we look to write the next chapter of Canadian golf history.”
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff is delighted with the decision to hold the event here. “These sorts of events are good for the town. They’re good for tourism and economic development.
“I certainly think that it’s a feather in our cap that not only do they enjoy coming to Osoyoos, with our weather, but obviously the Osoyoos Golf Club has put together a package that was totally appropriate to what Golf Canada needed.”
Competition takes place on the Park Meadows 18-hole championship course at OGC over three days: Sunday, August 18 through Tuesday, August 20. An official practice round is scheduled for Saturday.
The Desert Gold course will remain open for OGC members and guests.
Up to 156 players will compete for four trophies: Mid-Amateur – for players over 25 years of age; Mid-Master – over 40; Senior – over 50; and Super Senior – over 60.
Two-time defending champion Sue Wooster of Australia is expected to return to Canada for the events. In last year’s championships at Lookout Point Country Club near Niagara Falls, Wooster captured the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles.
Officials and staff from Golf Canada will visit OGC over the spring and summer and then arrive in force the week before the event for final preparations and to direct proceedings.
OGC general manager Doug Robb is proud of the club’s selection as this year’s host. “There are about 2,500 golf clubs in Canada and only eight national events a year. So, we feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to show off the club and the town of Osoyoos.”
Club president Herb Wycherley is excited about what the event will do for the club and the town: “This championship will allow us to showcase our 36-hole facility, our town and the Okanagan wine region to the rest of Canada. I’m sure participants will enjoy their total experience here at Osoyoos Golf Club, located in Canada’s only desert.”
Even though the event is five months away, the local tournament committee, under the direction of Host Club Tournament Chair Lise Mathieu, is hard at work rounding up volunteers and sponsors and attending to the myriad details involved in a major national championship.
“Hosting a Golf Canada national event is no small task,” said Mathieu. “All aspects of golf operations need to be fine-tuned to provide a challenging experience for about 150 women golfers, some coming from as far as Australia. It takes a dedicated staff and a host of flexible volunteers to pull this off.”
The committees reporting to Mathieu include: golf operations; agronomy and course maintenance; food and beverage; finance and sponsorship; communications; player services and transportation; volunteer services; and community engagement. “Staff and volunteers have been working diligently with tournament director Cinel to deliver a top-notch championship that will reflect well on the Osoyoos Golf Club and the Town of Osoyoos,” she said.
Destination Osoyoos executive director Kelley Glazer said: “A recent study shows that in Osoyoos, a golfer visit represents approximately a $500 per day spent per couple (which) goes) into our community restaurants, shops, golf courses, hotels, campgrounds and wineries. We are looking forward to welcoming all participants and their friends and family.”