Never mind the distance. Grace Coulter and Pat Schmidt will be in Kimberley and Cranbrook next month to compete in golf at the 55+ BC Games.
The Comox Valley women, both in their 80s, have competed numerous times in the annual event that was originally dubbed the BC Seniors Games.
“We’ve had really good experiences,” said Coulter, 83, who took up golf at age 61. She has won a gold medal each time she attends the multi-sport event.
Coulter’s first year was 2010 when Courtenay and Campbell River co-hosted the Games. Schmidt attended her first event the following year.
“I kind of got hooked, and then we got Pat in. We quite often see the same people every year,” Coulter said. “Going to the Games, it isn’t just about winning a medal. It’s just going and seeing the people that you’ve met over the years. We just have so much fun.”
Schmidt has lived in Comox her entire life. She’s played golf since 1977, inspired by her aunt, Edith Albrecht, who has also golfed at several Seniors Games.
Coulter and Schmidt play regularly at the Comox Golf Club. Last month during a round, Coulter bagged longest putt honours on holes number three and eight.
“That’s just luck,” said Coulter, who feels the strongest part of her game is hitting the ball straight down the middle.
The strongest part of Schmidt’s game?
“Nothing’s strong,” she said. “I used to hit it straight. But now, there’s a lot of trees and water in my game.”
Still, she has come home with a medal each times she competes at the 55+ Games.
Coulter and Schmidt are among 246 athletes from Zone 2 (North Island) competing Sept. 11-15 in Kimberley and Cranbrook. The event is expected to attract about 2,200 people, fewer than previous years.
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