For the first 19 years of its existence, Eaglecrest Golf Course was a nine-hole layout, before it expanded to 18 holes in 1991.
And now the course has reverted to nine holes, involving what used to be known as the “Inner Nine.”
The Eaglecrest Ladies Club is almost as old as Eaglecrest itself, having started in 1973, the year of the course’s official opening ceremony.
Until 1991, Ladies Club members initially played either 18 holes (nine holes twice) or nine holes every Tuesday throughout the summer. And from then the club split into two groups, with the Niners opting to play as a separate club on Wednesdays.
And just as Eaglecrest survived its earlier transition from nine to 18 holes, as well as the closing that threatened in 2006 and last year’s introduction of COVID protocols, the two Eaglecrest ladies groups are adjusting to the latest changes and continuing in their 49-year tradition.
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Anyone familiar with the Eaglecrest course will no doubt remember the long distances between holes and the problem of finishing at No. 9, a good 15-minute walk from the clubhouse.
Not only is the new nine-hole format eminently more walkable, but it incorporates the more scenic section of the course and what many players consider the more interesting holes, the former holes No. 14 to 18, which are now 1 to 5.
The two Ladies Clubs, usually known as the 18-ers and the Niners, would like to invite interested women golfers to play with them on either a Tuesday or a Wednesday (or both) in order to try out the new course format and to consider whether you might like to join the group.
To try out the 18-ers on Tuesdays or Niners on Wednesdays, both from 9 a.m., there will be a special green fee rate of $25, for each of a maximum of four sessions.
To sign up for a Ladies Club game please phone the pro shop before Friday of the preceding week, at 250-752-6311. Leave your name and contact information, and a club member will be in touch with you.
— Submitted by Elizabeth Marsland