Pender Island Invitational
The Pender Island Invitational (PII) is a long running fall disc golf competition on Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada. where players compete over two to four days in the relentless pursuit of The Bark, and $5 Ace-Pots.
The PII is typically played in October, typically between Thanksgiving (Canada) and Halloween. Recent tournaments have been played at the end of September, which provides better weather and 1 hour of additional evening daylight.
History
Begun in 1996 with a small group of players, the PII has evolved into an anticipated annual event, where both invitations to play and a spot in a real bed are sought after by an expanding group of players from across North America. From 1996 through 2012, the tournament duration was four days. Beginning in 2013, the tournament duration was reduced to two days, as many competitors could not attend for the full four days.
Venue
The PII is played at the beautiful and storied Golf Island Disc Park[1] on North Pender Island, British Columbia. The course features 27 holes, with the original nine holes (now the front nine) having tone poles, and the middle and back nines having chain baskets. The course, with its many trees and rugged landscape, winds its way over and around a rocky hill just to the north of Magic Lake.[2] The competitors require grit, courage (and a little luck), not to mention a full arsenal of shots, to compete at a high level on this challenging course.
$ Ace-Pots
An ace is a term for a hole-in-one in disc golf. The vast majority of holes at the Golf Island Disc Park are par-3's, and many of these are "aceable".
When a competitor aces a hole, all other players within the group must pay him the going rate, $5-$20 historically, for the privilege of witnessing such a spectacular shot.
♠ A proposal was put forth to pay out as follows in 2010: $5 on Thursday, $10 on Friday, $15 on Saturday, $20 on Sunday
The Bark
The Bark is a trophy awarded to the PII Champion.
It is made from a piece of gnarled wood from an arbutus (or Pacific Madrone) tree, and has the names of past champions (Keepers of The Bark) engraved upon it. The Bark was salvaged from the Golf Island Disc Park, where arbutus trees are abundant.
The name of the 2007 2-Day Champion is also engraved on The Bark.
In the early years of the PII, the name of the player with the most aces was also engraved on the bark. However, this practice was quickly halted, due to the somewhat random nature of aces.
The Keeper of the Bark typically displays it on their mantelpiece. However, this practice is discouraged, as The Bark may be mistaken for a piece of kindling.
Champions
The PII Champion (Keeper of The Bark) is the competitor with the lowest aggregate score.
| Year | Keeper of The Bark | Winning Score(1) | Holes Played | Length of Tournament
(Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Greg Rae | -54 | ? | 4 |
| 2014 | Greg Rae | -57 | 189 | 3 |
| 2013 | Jason Cox | -44 | 171 | 3 |
| 2012 | Greg Rae | -35 | 216 | 4 |
| 2011 | Ron Vanderdrift | -40 | 225 | 4 |
| 2010 | Ron Vanderdrift | -52 | 243 | 4 |
| 2009 | Ron Vanderdrift | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 2008 | Kelly Sveinson | -38 | 207 | 4 |
| 2007 | Ron Vanderdrift | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4
Bruce Hickey(2) |
| 2006 | Bruce Hickey | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 2005 | Kelly Sveinson | -11 | 198 | 4 |
| 2004 | Greg Rae | -40 | 189 | 4 |
| 2003 | Ron Vanderdrift | -70 | 225 | 4 |
| 2002 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 2001 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 2000 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 1999 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 4 |
| 1998 | Kelly Sveinson | -37 | 135 | 2 |
| 1997 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 2 |
| 1996 | Records Missing | Records Missing | Records Missing | 2 |
(1) Score is in relation to par - with every hole being a par 3.
(2) 2-Day Champion. In 2007, there was both the full four day tournament and a two day tournament. The 4-Day Champion was the Keeper of the Bark, but the 2-Day Champion was also noted on The Bark.
Tournament Director
With the increased popularity of the PII, a Tournament Director was appointed in 2007 to oversee rulings, protests, and player eligibility. James N. Britton is the PII's first director. The Tournament Director will also be responsible for the distribution of invitations to future PII events.
Historian/Score Keeper
Kelly Sveinson is the PII's first and only Historian and official Score Keeper. At the end of each 9 holes, the official Score Keeper records each of the competitor's scores in the Official Notebook. All aces are also recorded. Scores are tallied during the weekend to determine the champion and Keeper of the Bark.
The Official Notebook serves as the historical record for the PII.
Effect on Tourism
The PII has grown over the years to become recognized by the community as a significant sporting event that would appeal to locals and visitors.[3][4]