Lakepoint Golf Club hosts exciting match-play tournament in August

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The August long weekend at Lakepoint Golf and Country Club in Charlie Lake tees off with one of the season’s marquee events.

Registration has begun for the Wonowon Water Service Peace Country Open, a match-play tournament where scoring is achieved on a hole-by-hole basis.

According to Lakepoint’s general manager, Forrest Liddicoat, the tournament’s gameplay has switched from a stroke format in recent years.

He says matchmaking is based on a golfer’s handicap, a numerical measure of a golfer’s ability to enable players of different abilities to play against one another, offering less experienced players a chance on the 6,779-yard course.

“If you have a better handicap player playing against the not-so-great player, they get a certain number of strokes per hole,” Liddicoat says. “The winner of that hole, you just keep track of who wins each hole, but you’re not going off of your actual number [of strokes].”

“You’ll play 18 holes. Whoever wins the most number of holes wins the match. It’s a fun event, especially for players who haven’t played a lot of tournament golf.”

Liddicoat is anticipating 120 golfers for four rounds of tournament play this year, although he hopes that number will rise to about 144 in subsequent years as the event continues to grow.
For the players who were eliminated during the weekend, a Texas scramble format on finals Monday will be played as consolation.

Texas Scramble is a golf variation where teams of four tee off each hole, with the best drive being chosen for every shot thereafter. 

Foursomes for the scramble will be chosen at random. Liddicoat says this gives the players who weren’t fortunate enough to play deeper into the tournament “more fun.”

“It’s a celebration of our course,” says Liddicoat.  “We want to make this our premier event.”

Registration is open to all golfers from around the region. Rates are $200 for members and $325 for non-members. 

The Wonowon Water Service Peace Country Open runs from August 2nd, with a practice round, to August 5th, where the finals and Texas Scramble tournament will occur.

For further details about the tournament or the course, visit Lakepoint’s Facebook page or website.