The tee-box is surrounded by boards, the exact sort that you’d find at the Saddledome or the soon-to-be-built Scotia Place.
The markers are goalie masks, the marshalls are outfitted in referee uniforms and it’s not uncommon for one of the golfers to don an NHL jersey as they stroll toward the green.
There’s even a Zamboni parked near the putting surface.
Welcome to the ‘Rink Hole,’ which promises to be the most raucous spot this week as the LPGA Tour returns to Calgary for the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open at Earl Grey Golf Club.
These sharpshooters specialize in draws and fades rather than dekes and slap-shots, and thankfully there is no ice in sight.
But when someone sticks their tee-ball by the pin and drains the birdie putt, you can expect the crowd to erupt just like they would after an end-to-end rush for an overtime goal.
“It’s really unique. It’s really different,” beamed Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson, a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour and the face of the CPKC Women’s Open, which runs Thursday-Sunday at Earl Grey. “I think it adds a great element to the tournament, makes it really exciting for the fans and for us. If you’re playing really well, it’s the best because you have a lot of energy and adrenaline, so you can really ride the energy of the crowd.
“And you can hear that hole pretty much from anywhere you are on the golf course, so I think it’s an element that makes this event really special.”
With Earl Grey’s prime location, which makes it easily accessible for fans this week, you’ll probably be able to hear the cheers from Heritage Park, from just about every inch of bike-path around the Glenmore Reservoir or as you zoom past on Glenmore Trail.
If somebody sinks an ace, the roar might resonate in every corner of the city.
This is the third iteration of the ‘Rink Hole’ at the CPKC Women’s Open. It debuted in 2022 at Ottawa Hunt Club — a home game for Henderson, who hails from Smiths Falls, Ont., and roots for the NHL’s Senators — and continued last summer at Shaughnessy in Vancouver.
“One word for it would just be ‘untraditional,’ ” said Golf Canada’s Ryan Paul, the tournament director for the CPKC Women’s Open. “The notion that you have when you’re at a golf course is you have to be quiet. We all know the golf clap. But at the ‘Rink Hole,’ we encourage the opposite. You can get loud and bang on the boards and have a little fun and cheer on the players in a new and different way. I think it just adds a different element to the event and it’s starting to draw in a different golf crowd.
“It’s still not rowdy. It’s not disrespectful in any way. It’s just all in good fun. And as we continue to grow our ‘Rink Hole,’ we hope we’ll get to the same levels as it is at the RBC Canadian Open, where the players are preferring that the fans just get as loud as they can and just keep that constant noise going while they’re in their backswing, instead of trying to keep them calm and quiet.”
This hockey-themed assignment will be No. 17 on the scorecard this week. It typically plays as the ninth for the members at this top-notch private club, but the routing has been shuffled to accommodate what is the biggest build on the LPGA Tour and to provide a ton of great vantage points for what organizers hope could be the largest crowd in tournament history. (The attendance record is 73,107, set in 2022 in Ottawa.)
Earl Grey’s edition of the ‘Rink Hole’ is listed at 186 yards. During practice rounds, hybrid has been a popular club choice.
Especially on Sunday afternoon, as the leaders chase their share of a US$2.6 million prize purse, this could prove to be a make-or-break moment.
“That’s probably our toughest Par-3,” warned Pat Wilmot, the head professional at Earl Grey. “The wind there can be very swirly. It’s kind of sheltered where the players tee off, and especially with the boards, and as it hits closer to the hole, it opens up and the wind can kind of push the ball in any direction. So it’s going to be extremely challenging, being the 17th hole and the pressure of a tournament.
“I think the crowd will be extremely energetic. With people wearing jerseys, banging the boards … I think it’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
Especially when one of the LPGA Tour stars hits one close.
And especially if it happens to be one of the 18 Canadians in the field.
“I’ve actually played with Brooke a couple of times when they’ve had the ‘Rink Hole,’ and it’s mad,” grinned Australia’s Minjee Lee. “It’s really cool. We don’t get too many holes that are like the rink.”
WELCOME, WEIRSY
With Brooke Henderson teeing it up this week at Earl Grey, another Canadian golf legend has committed to an upcoming trip to Calgary.
And Mike Weir, who became a national hero with his victory at the Masters in 2003, is bringing a bunch of other major champions with him.
The Rogers Charity Classic announced 10 additions Tuesday to the tournament field, a list that is headlined by Weir and fellow fan faves John Daly and Darren Clarke. Mark Calcavecchia, David Duval, Lee Janzen, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin, David Toms and Y.E. Yang have also booked their tee-times for the annual PGA Tour Champions showdown, set for Aug. 16-18 at Canyon Meadows.
They join a six-pack of World Golf Hall of Fame inductees who were previously announced — Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Jose María Olazabal and Vijay Singh.
“This is one of the premier events on the PGA Tour Champions, and I always really look forward to playing in Canada,” said the 54-year-old Weir in Tuesday’s release. “All the players really love it. When we get closer to the event, the chatter in the locker-room increases, and I know the guys are looking forward to getting up there, and that goes without saying for me to come home, see family and friends.”