Most of Canada’s top amateur female golfers will be in Ponoka area in less than a week.
Wolf Creek Golf Resort is hosting the 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, which runs from Wednesday, Aug. 24 to Friday, Aug. 26.
One local - Ponoka’s Cathy McMillan - will be among the 108 women hoping for a shot at a national title on Wolf Creek’s original Old Course in the 46 hole stroke play event. Players will get a practice round on Tuesday, Aug. 23 before pairs start teeing off around 7:30 a.m. the next day.
Director of Golf for Wolf Creek, Ryan Vold, explained the Old Course is shaping up well with the championship just one week away.
“With it being a natural links style course, there will not be a lot of changes made,” he said.
“We will maintain our first and second cut of rough, but I don’t anticipate that giving much of a problem to the players, who are at a fairly high calibre in this country even though the course is tight in some areas.
One thing that Golf Canada has changed in the course will play somewhat shorter for the ladies next week. The Old Course will be set at 5,568 yards and a par 72 for the three days.
Vold stated, “They have decided to shorten up a bit, due mainly to the forced carry that some of our holes have. The players will need to prepare for the toughness of the course and a couple of our normally par 4s will be moved to par 5s because of it.”
In addition, Wolf Creek is still looking for anyone willing to volunteer during the championship for jobs ranging from ball spotters to other helpers along the course. Anyone wanting to be a part of the event is asked to call Laura Witvoet at the course to get their name on the volunteer list.
“Of course, we are encouraging any fans or anyone that wants to come out and show their support for the golfers,” Vold said, since admission to come watch is free for the event.
The event features four categories: Mid-Amateur is open to those 25 and over, Mid-Master is for those 40 and over, the Senior division is for those 50 and over, while Super Senior is for 60 and over. Both senior categories can also have access to a cart during their rounds while the other two categories must walk and there are handicap restrictions in place for entrants.