Bootleg Gap Golf Course is gearing up for an exciting season ahead, and has emerged from the winter looking great. This year, the course is set to host the 123rd BC Amateur Championship, featuring top players competing from July 14 to 18.
“Bootleg Gap is one of our Province’s strongest courses and a true hidden gem in the eastern edge of British Columbia,” said Jerome Goddard, BC Golf director of rules and competitions in an article on britishcolumbiagolf.com. “The BC Amateur will be a thrilling week for our players and the Kimberley community as we showcase all that the area has to offer as a golf destination.”
There will be a Supplemental Qualifier event held at Purcell Golf on July 13 for players who aren’t previously exempt and are unable to qualify through their zones. Purcell will also host the St. Mary’s Open on June 7 and 8, an amateur tournament which will have five spots available to qualify for the BC Amateur.
“Hosting the BC Amateur is an incredible honour for Bootleg Gap,” said Trevor Simkins, Bootleg's general manager and head golf professional. “It’s an opportunity to showcase our course and facilities while welcoming some of the finest golfers in the province. We’re thrilled to support British Columbia’s next generation of golfing talent.
"We’re definitely happy with the golf course the way it wintered, because we need to prepare for the Amateur and it’s just getting the golf course in the best possible shape that we can, because we’re going to be showcasing it to some of the best players from around the country.
"There’s been PGA players that have played in the B.C. Amateur, so it’s pretty cool, you never know who’s going to play here and go on to win the tournament. You never know where they’ll be next year or in future years, if they may make it onto the PGA Tour."
The course has emerged from the winter looking better than it has in years, which is great for local golfers and due to the fact that they will be holding such a prestigious tournament this season.
"The golf course wintered extremely well, so we’re very happy and looking forward to a busy start," Simkins said. "Obviously the winter was a little bit more of a normal winter — we didn’t have a lot of freezing and melt. We had a nice early snowfall in November and then it never really got warm, so we didn’t battle the ice conditions that we did the previous winter."
Simkins added that this year they also invested in some tarps and ventilation systems for some of the greens, which helped the greens winter that much better.
"It's just buying a little insurance policy for us and moving forward we’re going to tarp the greens and use this new ventilation system to keep the ice off the greens," he said.
He added the course had very successful fall and winter leagues on the indoor simulators, with the restaurant busy throughout the winter as well. He suspects the start of the TGL Golf league, started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in partnership with the PGA Tour, may have increased interest in golf simulators.
As of April 5 the range and all the practice greens are now open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then on April 18 the Championship 18, the Rec 9 and the restaurant will all open for the season.
Helping get the course looking good as it possibly can is the course's new superintendent, Owen Perrin.
"We’re super excited to have a young, local Kimberley resident taking care of our golf course," Simkins said. "We’re excited to have Owen on board and to see what he can do with the golf course moving forward."
The course was previously tended to by superintendent Pat McTeer for many years, until his tragic, sudden passing in January 2024.
Perrin brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge to the role, having worked with Trickle Creek Golf Resort for around 21 years.
"I started working on the grounds at Trickle when I was 14,” Perrin said. “So I don’t know how many years that is, but there wasn’t one year where I didn’t put in one shift. So I kind of claim that I’ve worked there since then."
"There was always times when they would say ‘We’re really short, we’re doing this thing, do you think you can come in, we’ll give you some rounds.’
"For sure, I’ll be there."
Perrin said the opportunity at Trickle initially came about through family; his mom helped get him the job there when he wanted a to start working as a kid.
"Over time Ray, who was the superintendent at Trickle at the time, he just kept giving me opportunities and giving me more and more responsibility," Perrin said. "He used to push me all the time to go to school for turf, but I never ended up going until later in life and went for turf school as a mature student."
After completing the two-year Turfgrass Management Diploma at Olds College, Perrin returned to Trickle Creek as the assistant superintendent.
"Then this job [at Bootleg] popped up and however amazing and lucky it is that I was able to get that, and I’m super excited to get the opportunity to work as a superintendent in my home town," he said. "I’m pumped for this year, it’s looking really good out there.
"I love Trickle, they treated me so good, but you can’t just pass up opportunities to grow in your career and role. They were awesome to me."
With Bootleg hosting the prestigious BC Amateur tournament this year Perrin said that while the goal is always to have the course looking as good as it possibly can, there is a bit more added “thought and consideration to everything they’re doing.”
"Especially once we get in contact with them and get some goals on what sort of expectations they’re looking for," Perrin said. "But for the most part, we’re going to run as good as we can, no matter what.
"We’ve come out of winter really good this year, which is really nice. It’s good weather and lots of good investment on the course’s behalf to put in place the systems to make things and to keep things alive and green."
Visit bootleggapgolf.com to stay up to date on everything happening at the course and to book your tee times for another great season of golf.
