Aldergrove’s Raptors Knoll Disc Golf Park will be hosting the BC Open’s professional tournament weekend from June 26 to 28. The event will be bringing in 134 registered players from Canada, the United States and Mexico, confirmed the park’s club event coordinator Shannon Sanders. The amateur tournament with 171 players took place last weekend from June 20 to 22. Ryan Hammerquist, assistant tournament director of the BC Open, said the competition is entering a new stage as the BC Open becomes a Q series event.
“It’s super exciting,” Hammerquist said. “This is the first year we’ve had that.” Hammerquist, who has helped organize the BC Open for five years alongside tournament director Craig Sheather, said Raptors Knoll continues to be a draw for players because of the challenge and reputation of the course at 1111 272 St. “Raptors Knoll is hands down one of the highest ranked courses in British Columbia,” he noted. “It’s really our star property for disc golf in B.C.” He described how the park draws players
from across Canada and from across the U.S. border, while also introducing younger players to the sport. “This place breeds 12-year-olds that can absolutely beat me every single day of the week,” said Hammerquist. As for professional players, Sanders noted Toronto’s Thomas Gilbert, the highest-rated active Canadian professional disc golfer with a PDGA rating of 1022, and Juliana Korver, a five-time PDGA World Champion and Professional Disc Golf Association Hall of Fame member. The tournament’s main title sponsor is Innova Canada, a local disc golf
retailer. Both Sanders and Hammerquist described how organizing tournaments takes a lot of time and preparation, including volunteers who have been maintaining the course, clearing vegetation and helping with improvements ahead of the tournaments. “Raptors is run by volunteers, and we appreciate those that have come out to help mow the fairways, weeding, clean up the blackberry bushes, put down wood chips,” said Sanders. The public is welcome to watch the professional rounds at Raptors Knoll, with tee times beginning as early as 8:30 a.m.,
with the final tee time at 3:20 p.m. daily from June 26 to 28. People can find more information about the BC Open tournament at www.pdga.com/tour/event/98092.
Aldergrove, Raptors Knoll, BC Open, disc golf, Q series, professional tournament, PDGA, Innova Canada, Thomas Gilbert, Juliana Korver