Two Eagles Happy To Host British Columbia Boys’ & Girls’ Bantam & Novice Championships

 There Are Nine Par 4's At Two Eagles GC In West Kelowna

by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf

The province’s best 14-and-under golfers will descend on Two Eagles Golf Course in West Kelowna Aug. 24 and 25 for the 2015 British Columbia Golf Boys’ & Girls’ Bantam & Novice Championships.

When they get there and see a scorecard that tops out at 5,005 yards from the black tees and 3,793 yards from the red tees, they may mistakenly think Two Eagles is a pushover, but after playing the course, they’ll realize the course is more than tough enough.

“We have a championship design golf course with mid-length playability,” said Dean Claggett, the longtime Executive Professional at Two Eagles. “You will play every club in your bag and you will be challenged by our greens, which are well-conditioned and run fast and true.”

Claggett said Two Eagles will be a great test of golf for the bantams and novices because for many of them, it will be their first British Columbia Golf competition and their first chance to measure their tournament games against players of the same age.

“We’ve had some of the best young players play here when they were 11, 12, or 13,” said Claggett. “Eugene Wong and Riley Wheeldon played here and they were challenged by the course.”

Claggett has been at Two Eagles more than a dozen years and in that time, he has seen the course undergo changes on 11 of its 18 holes, all with the goal of improving the course and making it a continual challenge to its 200-plus members.

“The shot value, the quality of the shot you have to hit into each hole, are as good as any course I’ve played,” said Claggett.

He cites as an example the 198-yard 4th hole, where the wind is often blowing in your face, making it a 215-yard shot to a challenging green.

“You have to hit a quality shot to make par, let alone birdie on this hole,” said Claggett.

Teaching Professional Ethan Danish, Executive Professional Dean Claggett And Head Professional Darcy Dhillon

While the course record is (-10) by professional Mitch Gillis, Two Eagles is certainly a tough test of golf, especially when you get to the final three holes, which include the two longest par-4s on the course, the 416-yard 16th and the 407-yard 18th, which sandwich the 180-yard 17th hole.

“Our finishing holes are going to test the kids,” said Claggett. “They play the game without fear but they’ll have to be careful on those last three holes, especially if they’re in contention for the title.”

Claggett anticipates the winning score over 36 holes to be in the (-3) to (-4) range, with wind being the big determiner of how low the kids will go.

“Good putting will always help you on this course and staying away from the big numbers will also be important.”

One potential swing hole is the longest hole on the course, the 528-yard 11th, where long hitters will be able to get there in two, but wayward drives, especially up the left side, where trees, rocks and out-of-bounds are waiting, will lead to big numbers.

It also goes without saying that with 9 out of 18 holes par-3s, the secret to going low at Two Eagles is to make your share of 2s on these holes and limiting the number of bogeys.

With the shortest par 3 at 145 yards and the longest at 198 yards, your irons will have to be accurate and your putter will have to be hot.

Long hitters have four reachable par-4s to tempt them, but with water and sand providing some defence – and the wind when it blows – the smarter play on some of these holes is to hit mid-iron off the tee and rely on your wedges to get within kick-in birdie range.

“Strategy and thinking your way around the golf course is something that these kids will have to utilize during the tournament,” said Claggett. “You’ll have to hit every club in your bag here, but you’ll also have to know when to hit driver and when to dial it back.”

Claggett said one of the underestimated aspects of the classic Les Furber design is the great views, which include the rolling hills and Ponderosa Pines overlooking Okanagan Lake.

And perhaps the most underestimated aspect of the Two Eagles Golf Course and Academy is it’s a full-service golf facility with top-notch practice facilities, a well-stocked pro shop and a high-class restaurant and dining lounge area for after your round of golf.

“We have a great course and our strength is a well-conditioned, challenging course that is priced right,” said Claggett.

Claggett has received a lot of support from his membership and his leadership team, which includes Head Professional Darcy Dhillon and Teaching Professional Ethan Danish, will provide first-class service to the competitors and families who come to West Kelowna for the Bantam and Novice Championships.

Last year’s girls’ champion, Euna Han, is eligible to defend the title she won at Meadowlands last August. Han’s accomplishment can’t be understated, as she beat a handful of British Columbia’s best young players, including Shirin Anjarwalla, Sumie Francois, Alisha Lau and Tiffany Kong, all of whom are favourites in the juvenile competition for players 16 and younger.

Last year’s boys’ champion, Andrew Spalti, along with last year’s runner-up Khan Lee, have graduated to the juvenile competition, meaning a new bantam boy’s champion will be crowned at Two Eagles this August.

British Columbia Golf added the Novice division to this event in 2014 and using a net Stableford scoring system, the competition features younger players who have little or no experience in provincial competitions.

Natasha Kozlowski of Prince George won the girls’ novice title with 91 points, followed by Sienna Kraus with 81 points and Claire Lovan of Surrey with 78 points.

Tyler Casper won the boys’ novice title with 87 points, closely followed by Stephen Pon with 83 and Jerry Li with 76 points.

The 36-hole tournament runs Aug. 24 and 25, with practice rounds on Aug. 23.

For more information, go to www.twoeaglesgolf.com

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