Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/50980
hen the lucky show attendees board the bus to head out to Highland Pacific to tee it up in the Kwantlen Charity golf tournament, they will be in for a rare treat. Says the WCTA's Jerry Rousseau,"This is a highlight of the show and we are very fortunate that Highland Pacific have donated the use of their facility for this event." Aside from the legendary fun that the annual event guarantees, they are also going to play one of the best layouts on Vancouver Island. It starts with a practice facility that sets the standard for the Victoria region. It features a two- tiered tee line of 44 stalls (22 covered and heated), long and short game practice areas, lights for evening practice and real terrain targets. 300 yards deep, this is a place where you can definitely let the big dog eat. Oh yeah, it even has a lake where your errant shots will just float away. While they may boast a top- notch practice facility, it's the course that players will really remember. The site here could be considered as three separate plateaus. The clubhouse, practice facility and starting holes for both nines are all located on the middle one. The Highland nine then climbs approximately 150 feet to a plateau on top of a mountain grass fairways are defined by tree lines and rock faces; players were faced with demanding elevation changes and fast but fair greens. It begins gently enough with a shortish 359 yard par four that goes downhill to a green that is only 26 steps deep. This is followed by a dramatic downhill 159 yard par three with a large pond fronting the green. It's on THE PAR FOUR 5TH ON THE HIGHLAND NINE IS PART OF A STRING OF HOLES THE EQUAL OF ANY ON VANCOUVER ISLAND technical challenge." A review of the scorecard affirms this. The blue yardage, while only 3,167 yards plays more in the range of 3400 yards with the number of demanding uphill shots. A rating/slope of 35.5/120 just reinforces that if you are not a solid mid-handicapper, the slightly more humble 2738 yard Continued On Page 50 The Kwantlen Open Conference Golf Tournament goes Saturday Jan 21st at Highland Pacific GC with all proceeds going to turfgrass related charities. Sign up with Conference registration… only first 72 are in so don't delay. Day includes Coach ride to & from Empress, Buffet brunch & range balls, Golf with cart & GPS, Buffet salmon & steak dinner, Prizes & games abound. All for only $99.00! while the Pacific drops down around 100 feet before circling around back up. The "Pacific Nine," is a par 35 that measures 3,167 yards from the back tees. The routing plays along the lower half of the property that borders both Thetis Lake Park and Francis/King Park. has a good mix of interesting holes where wide, sweeping, rye the third tee, the lowest point on the course that you notice that the back (blue) tees are significantly further back than the whites... around 40 yards. Add in a drive that must travel significantly uphill to reach the optimal landing area and you realize that this nine while not long, is technically demanding and plays much differently from one set of tees to the next. Doug Hastie confirms,"This really is two different courses from the regular and back tees. It is pretty straight forward from the whites but the positioning of the blue tee boxes make it more of a HIGHLAND PACIFIC ENJOYS VIEWS OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS, MT. FINLAYSON AND DOWNTOWN VICTORIA ALL IMAGES COURTESY HIGHLAND PACIFIC