FOR MOST LOWER MAINLAND GOLFERS IT'S A WORD THAT EVOKES MISTY EYES AND DREAMS OF A WORLD THEY WILL LIKELY NEVER LIVE TO SEE.
"Is it true what they say?" some ask. "The greens. Tell me about the greens," say others. Some sit quietly, lost in thought, trying to hammer together a picture of what it must be like from snippets of secondhand tales and rumours.
Capilano.
Since opening in 1937 as part of the new British Properties development, West Vancouver's Capilano Golf and Country Club has continued to rise in the esteem of golfers across North America. Membership is beyond the resources and hope of most and getting a chance to play even as a guest is rare. An invitation from a member is an enormous privilege and should never be declined.
Yet the club that has reached near legendary status in the golf world is very much a part of the community, and its members form much of the backbone of the forces that strive ceaselessly to keep the North Shore the best place in the world to live.
Once a year since 2002, the Capilano Golf and Country Club and its members have generously opened their doors to host the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation Golf Classic Fundraising Tournament. Sponsored by a corporate Who's Who, funds raised go to add new materials and needed upgrades to North Vancouver's Lions Gate Hospital.
The only outside tournament hosted by the club, the annual Lions Gate fundraiser has generated a net $3,652,500 in support, and all of it has stayed on the North Shore to benefit those of us who call it home.
The 2011 tournament took place June 20, and it was one of the most successful ever. More about that to come, but first, the course.
The legend began with the course designer, Stanley Thompson, who in the first half of the 20th century created some of North America's finest golf courses.
Banff Springs, Jasper Park Lodge, Thornhill and Capilano stand today as monuments to the vision of a man who cofounded the American Society of Golf Course Architects and inspired the next generation of course designers, including Robert Trent Jones Senior, who learned his craft at Thompson's side.
You catch a hint of the magic on the very first tee box. At 472 yards from the blue tees, it's a downhill par 5 that begins your trek down and round the slopes and plateaus of Hollyburn Mountain. With its significantly elevated tee box, you get a view of the spires of the Lions Gate Bridge, the city core and to the east, North Vancouver. It's a stunning view.
From there, you're led down toward the inlet before beginning the climb back up on the par-3 ninth hole.
Most fairways on the front traverse the slope and difficulties lie in distance and careful placed hazards. Holes one, five and six are the only real downhill holes and are ranked 15th, 11th and fifth for difficulty respectively. Well placed tee shots will leave you in good position to attack the greens and superb course conditions mean that any fault, dear Brutus, is not in our superintendents but in ourselves.
The par-4 seventh, at 433 from the blue tees, is ranked toughest on the course. It's a long dogleg right with a fairway sloping left to right and plenty of bunkers at the landing area. The right side is lined with trees and dense bush, so a well executed fade here is your best hope.
The upward journey begins with a blind tee shot on the 175 yard par-3 ninth. It doesn't sound like much, but it's all uphill to a green that's surrounded by enormous bunkers and an intimidating prospect.
On the back nine, most of the serious climbing is done by the time you reach the Half Way House beside the 11th tee. From there, it's a gradual meander along the sides of the mountain to the highest point on the course, the 18th green with yet another astounding view of the city.
For the past several years, local restaurants have set up food stations at various tee boxes and the result is a steady day of grazing and munching on some of the North Shore's
finest culinary delights. There's a putting contest and continental breakfast awaiting you, courtesy of Walton Management Inc.
New this year was a $1 million dollar hole-in-one shoot-out, courtesy of TD Bank. One player drawn from each foursome got a chance to sink a 150-yard shot. At a spot on the 18th fairway, 150 yards from the elevated pin, participants were invited to fly the bunkers and roll a blind shot into the cup. The prize was $500,000 in cash and a tax receipt for $500,000 which would be donated to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
The prize went unclaimed, but we were all winners that day.
Afterward, there was a silent auction and dinner with hot and cold buffets featuring just about every imaginable delicacy.
Post-dinner, a live auction raised more funds as items ranging from fishing trips and hockey tickets to ski and sun vacations fell to the highest bidders.
There was also a special auction, where hospital equipment ranging from beds and exam tables to exercise
equipment for the hospital was sold off with bidders receiving a tax receipt for the amount paid.
It was a brilliant day of golf and giving. This year's tournament raised a net $386,500 which will go toward the new Greta and Robert Ho Psychiatric and Education Centre at Lions Gate Hospital.
If you've never played Capilano and want to help the community while you do it, mark the 2012 Lions Gate Hospital Foundation Classic on your calendar. It's the golf event of the year.
To the executive and membership of the Capilano Golf and Country Club, to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, thank you.
Our community is a better place because you help make it so.
