The Quesnel Ladies Golf Club was doing more than kicking off their season at the Spring Opener, they were kicking off a reinvigoration of the club after a few seasons of stagnation.
It’s a reinvigoration that, while new, is going well.
“Our Spring opener went really well, good participation and everyone had fun with the scramble format which is very encouraging,” Kathy Cook, one of the organizers of the event, said.
The scramble format, with teams of four teeing off and taking the best ball through to the final putt, allowed ladies without much experience to breeze through the course with a little help from their friends.
Cook was happy with the turnout, with new ladies showing up and augmenting the numbers of years past, to bring the tournament to 30 players.
To encourage a fun, non-competitive environment, most of the prizes were raffled.
The club had been struggling with low membership and a lack of volunteers for a few years, a problem that has been troubling golf courses around B.C. according to Cook.
But they hope to solve the problem with a new focus on fun and by teaming with the community to have some good prizes.
Though the focus will be on fun, the club isn’t going to turn it’s back on the competitiveness at the heart of golf.
“The focus this year is to try and get ladies involved and have fun, but there are of course ladies that are competitive and we want to encourage that as well,” Cook said.
They plan is to have a regular ladies day each Tuesday, where the club will host a varied format each week: ladies sign up and they have a low gross and net, plus a fun game format so everyone is involved and everyone has a chance to win. Ladies will be able to golf throughout the day, when they prefer.
Also on the agenda is a monthly ‘Nine and Dine.’ This entails an evening, scramble golf session, along with a dinner at the golf course.
“These scrambles will be specifically geared for fun with themes and will encourage every golfer to join in,” Cook said.
The ‘Nine and Dine’ has also allowed businesses in to sponsor the event, with participation from local hair salons and spas and even some pizza places.
Of course, no revitalization would be complete without an infusion of new players. To do that, the club has opened up the events to all women, irrespective of any ties to the club.
“Everyone is welcome and the emphasis is on fun and participation,” Cook said.
“The hope is that we build a club where everyone always has someone to golf with and to have fun.”