The country鈥檚 top amateur men鈥檚 golfers are in for a true test as Royal Colwood and Gorge Vale Golf Club are set to play host to the Canadian Men鈥檚 Amateur Golf Championship from Tuesday through Friday at the two courses.
The field of 240 will be in for a treat, say the respective superintendents who have worked hard to prepare the courses for the prestigious tournament.
鈥淔or this time of year, considering we didn鈥檛 have any rain [all July], we鈥檙e doing fine. It would have been nice to get a bit of rain,鈥� said Don Singlehurst, a Royal Colwood employee since 1991 and superintendent since 1999. 鈥淵ou rely on irrigation this way, but it really is a double-edged sword.鈥�
The veteran superintendent got his wish Friday as the Victoria area saw its first rain in 34 days.
鈥淭he weather is perfect, it helps with conditions and the growth, but at the same time it鈥檚 nice to get supplemental irrigation through rainfall. That鈥檚 just one aspect of it.鈥�
Royal Colwood measures in at 6,721 yards from the back tees with just one par-5 on each side. One hole where Singlehurst believes the field will not make up any ground is the par-4 446-yard 12th hole.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a blind tee shot and narrow landing area that slopes to the right with a very undulating green,鈥� said the superintendent, whose crew has let the rough grow in anticipation of the event.
鈥淲e stopped cutting the rough about two weeks ago, trying to get some density,鈥� said Singlehurst. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be at about three inches, but it鈥檚 not going to be consistent. There will be areas of the course that are definitely thicker and more challenging than others.
鈥淭he growth rate is not the same from one area to the next. Having said that, if we had shut it down a month ago we would have had real tough rough in some spots and not so much in others.鈥�
The Royal Colwood greens will be double cut and rolled and Singlehurst and Co. will have them rolling at 10.5 on the stimp meter.
鈥淭here is actually a myth in golf, that everybody wants it to get faster from Day 1 to the end,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost tournament directors want consistency and smoothness for the duration, right from the practice round to the final round. Conditions will always get faster, that鈥檚 just the way it is with elements.鈥�
Singlehurst鈥檚 crew has been busy and like any championship, it鈥檚 really the calm before the storm, as they ramp up more detailed preparation.
The same goes for Scott Wheeler鈥檚 Gorge Vale crew.
鈥淚t looks good rigt now. I鈥檓 pleased with where we鈥檙e at,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he weather has been pretty easy. These aren鈥檛 difficult conditions at all. The summer has been warm, but humid. The humidity has been up so we鈥檙e not losing a lot of moisture.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased with it and now it鈥檚 a matter of keeping the place firm and fast. We鈥檒l be monitoring soil moisture on fairways and greens and keeping it as firm as we can,鈥� added Wheeler, who has been at Gorge Vale since 2007.
He promises the course will be a tough test over the first two days of the 72-hole event, which will solely be played at Royal Colwood the last two days.
鈥淥ur rough is up, we鈥檝e let it go. We might trim it up once just to even it up, but it鈥檚 a tough test,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a flat lie on the place.
鈥淚t flows nicely. It鈥檚 a beautiful piece of property,鈥� Wheeler added. 鈥淭he greens are good, lots of undulation, so the key will be staying below the hole and hitting fairways because the rough will be difficult. It鈥檚 going to put a premium on accuracy.
鈥淭hey are going to enjoy it,鈥� Wheeler said of the competitors. 鈥淭hey can all bomb it off the tee, but you have to be able to keep it on the short grass.鈥�
And like Royal Colwood, No. 12 will take down a few competitors at Gorge Vale as the 423-yard par 4 features out of bounds left and right.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tight, tough hole, but there isn鈥檛 a weak one on the property,鈥� Wheeler said of Gorge Vale, which features plenty of elevation changes and measures in at 6,820 yards from the tips.
Gorge Vale is a par-72 course, while Royal Colwood plays to par-70.
CHIP SHOTS: Sixty-seven golfers will tee it up this morning at Royal Colwood in the one-day qualifier for the Canadian Amateur. The top finishers will earn spots into next week鈥檚 tournament. 鈥� Practice rounds for the players are schedule for Sunday and Monday at both Royal Colwood and Gorge Vale.
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