You can’t imagine how stoked I was when I first learned of the Fore20 golf tournament, a dream of mine come true that combined two of my favourite pastimes: golf and smoking weed.
Now that’s not to say that I don’t smoke pot when I play golf — I do — but often I get dirty looks and bad jokes. Or it could just be harmless, well-intentioned questions about legalization or medical use. But this was going to be a round with my kind of golfers.
The inaugural cup was held September 11th at the beautiful Squamish Valley Golf Club in Squamish, BC. Just 50-odd kilometres south of world-famous Whistler, it’s about an hour’s drive from my home in Burnaby, a Vancouver suburb.
I woke up early, showered, and grabbed a quick bite before I tossed my clubs in the trunk and headed north up the Sea to Sky highway, a gorgeous drive along the BC coast. It was turning into a fantastic warm and sunny fall day, perfect for golf, and smoking cannabis.
It is my longtime routine that when I play a round I like to show up early to hit a bucket on the range, as well as take some practice putts and get the feel of the course. As I headed to the pro shop to register, I had to stop and smile at what I saw: tables and signs were being set up all over for cannabis-based businesses. Fore20 sponsors included Boro Glass, Liberty Farms, Skunk and Panda Extracts, the Cannabis Life Network, and the main sponsor of the event, Cannabis Growers of Canada (CGC). It was a stark contrast to the normal alcohol/beer companies, sporting goods, and new cars. There was even a “dab cart” rather than the usual drink cart.
After checking in I got my Fore20 swag bag. One thing worth mentioning in it were some very nice, fancy, infused chocolate truffles from ACE. You can reach them at [email protected]. They were really something. Nice job, guys!
The format for play was “best ball,” as it often is to make things go a bit faster at informal tournaments. I teamed up with a couple, Mike and Lisa, and along with my caddy Natasha we tee’d off from #3 in a shotgun start. And no, we didn’t give each other shotguns. Reaching the fifth tee, we came across the first of many competitors offering samples of their wares. I have to say to other growers, you better step up your game; the quality of the offered cannabis blew me away. Such a large sampling of some of the finest weed I have had the pleasure of smoking in some time.
And on it went throughout the day: play a few holes, stop to sample some weed or extracts, play more. And in between, the dab cart was making the rounds. This was my kind of golf!
Being an avid golfer and having been a six years-plus member of a golf club, I’ve played more than a few rounds. So I know my golf, and I need to mention that the condition of this course was stellar, with some of the fastest greens I have played anywhere.
With 18 holes done, we headed into the clubhouse to sample more entries, or re-sample in some cases. A putting contest was on to raise money for the Hayley Rose Foundation, and for a $5 donation we had a chance to sink a putt to win a heady piece of glass donated from Boro and Beyond.
Dinner was buffet style — BBQ burgers or chicken, Caesar salad, and lots of fixin’s. Then, as the sun set behind the surrounding mountains, lights were turned on and the awards part of the day began.
First the Fore20 golf awards were given out with the winning team coming in at eleven-under par. We were eight-over if that tells you anything, and won the prize for most honest team. Then it was time for the real awards to be handed out for cannabis. The winners are listed below:
Fore20 Cup Results
Judges’ Awards
Indica
- Internet Dispensary — Romulan
- Top Leaf Supply Co. — OG Shark
- Bizzle — Night Nurse
Sativa
- Molly P. (private grower with Liberty Farms Group) — Acapulco Gold
- Cronica Farms — Lemon Lights
- Internet Dispensary — Congo
Concentrate/Extract
- Glacial Gold — Tangerine Kush
- Skunk & Panda Extracts — Skunk Candy
- Holistic Extracts — Lemon Lights
People’s Choice Awards
Indica
Internet Dispensary — Romulan
Sativa
Cronica Farms — Lemon Lights
Concentrate/Extract
Elevated Extracts — Cherry Pie live resin
Finally, Cannabis Growers of Canada President Chad Jackett gave a President’s Choice Award to Elevated Extracts, again for their Cherry Pie live resin.
The winners took home some beautiful cannabis-themed First Nations carvings as trophies, but it was a job well done by all who came out. And like I say, we don’t get paid to play golf so we better be having fun and it was one of the best golf days ever. I can’t wait till next year’s Fore20.