A 25-year-plus tradition carries on, as the Chilliwack Optimist Club’s annual Fred Wellsby Divot Tour is set to tee-off.
The Optimist Club of Chilliwack is looking for junior golfers ages 16-and-under to participate in the annual tournament which gets underway on July 2.
"Kids love this tournament,” said Glenda Standeven, Optimist Club member and tournament organizer. “It’s a great introduction to competitive play yet it is still fun and comes without the pressure of higher-level competitions."
The tournament was first organized by avid local golfer Fred “The Wedge” Wellsby, who passed away back in July of 2002.
"He was an Optimist who had a mission to instill the love of golf at an early age in kids and he recruited me to help him at our local courses," said Standeven, who admitted she knew nothing about golf early on. “I still don’t know a lot, but I know the kids love the game and they love winning prizes, trophies and medals too.”
When the tournament first began, many of the participating courses donated their green fees to the cause, keeping the entry fee for golfers to just $15 per course. These funds went towards snacks, trophies and the various other prizes given out at the courses.
Like most things, prices have gone up in recent years, but two of the participating courses – Kinkora Golf Course and Cheam Mountain Golf Course – still donate green fees keeping the entry fee to $25 per course.
Early renditions of the tournament saw over 70 junior golfers at some courses, which Standeven says made for days that were far too long. So in recent years, they've tried to cap it at 30.
Standeven also emphasized how important the tournament is for teaching the young golfers proper course-etiquette.
“This tournament teaches them fair play, golf etiquette, scoring and instills a sense of pride when they win a prize or a medal,” said Standeven. “The best overall golfer for the day, no matter what age category they are in, wins a beautiful keeper trophy which they all covet.”
The tournament spans over nine days and consists of three different age categories. Golfers aged 10-and-under only have to play nine holes. Parents are allowed to walk the course with them, keeping score and carrying their clubs.
The remaining age groups are made up of golfers 11-13 and 14-16. These categories see golfers play all 18 holes, carry their own clubs and do their own scorekeeping. Each golfer is also tasked with keeping score for one other member in the foursome as it “keeps the kids honest” according to Standeven.
This year’s tournament will take place at six different local courses including Valley Golf Centre, Fraser Glen, Cheam Mountain Golf Course and Cultus Lake Golf Club with the final invitational round taking place at the Chilliwack Golf Club on July 11. The first round is set to tee-off at Kinkora Golf Course on Tuesday, July 2.
Registration fee sits at $25 per course with the registration desk opening at 11 a.m. on tournament days for all but the championship round, with tee-times starting at noon. Those who wish to pre-register can do so by emailing Glenda Standeven at optimistclubofchwk@gmail.com.
