GC: What prompted Bear Mountain to host the CNFL Pacific Championship?
JR: It’s an honour to be able to host some of Canada’s best young players. Most all of us started out as junior golfers and being able to give back and work with Golf Canada to grow the game is a privilege.
GC: What do you think will challenge competitors the most?
JR: The greens on the Valley Course. They are large with slopes and ridges so I would expect to see some scoring swings take place on our greens.
GC: What can players expect when they arrive at your club?
JR: It’s true Mountain golf. We pride ourselves on our service and facilities and are looking forward to showing all the youngsters and their families a great time while they are competing here.
GC: Why is hosting this championship important to the club?
JR: We want to become the best Resort and Golf Community in Canada so working with Golf Canada hosting high end events is a natural fit.
GC: What preparations have went into hosting this championship?
JR: Our membership is amazing and so many of them have volunteered to help drive shuttles for the players, do scoring and such. It would not be possible to organize without the help of our membership.
GC: What does hosting an event like this do for your local community?
JR: This is great for our resort and will allow many of the players to stay here for the entire trip staying in the hotel and taking the elevator back to their room at the end of the day.
GC: Are there any significant holes or sections of the golf course that should provide excitement for the tournament?
JR: The greens and staying away from three putts will likely decide the winner. Our Valley Course is a little more user friendly than the Mountain but still a very good test of golf. I am always impressed when we host junior event of the caliber of play and the Valley will demand some shot making and an all-around solid game.
GC: What does your club do to encourage and engage your junior membership each season?
JR: All of our golf memberships include free junior golf memberships for our member’s children. We run very popular Kids Bear Cub Camps all Summer long both golf specific and 5 spot taking advantage of the tennis, swimming, hiking and volleyball options at the resort. We also have 5 sets of tees with both courses playing around 4,500 from the forward tees as a softer introduction to junior golfers.
