Every year it’s different.

The Kinsmen Club of Windermere Valley members have now hosted a dozen Snow Golf Tournaments on Lake Windermere and participants this year enjoyed a return to blazing sun and chin-plunging backdrops.

Each year the conditions are different. One year there is hardly any snow and a howling north wind, such as the inaugural event, where the island off Windermere Beach became a catchment basin for a wide variety of items blown southward, from driving mats to hole flags to hats and mitts.

Some years the snow is deep, other years it’s a mix of everything and last year it was grey and cool and only for the truly hardy or demented.

This year, as in tournaments past, tourists delighted in stopping while experiencing a drive across the lake, freaky enough for your average southern clime soul, and photographed participants, many clad in colour costumes or team apparel.

Adding to the tourney’s outdoorsy appeal was all the activity on the lake. Lake Windermere is a veritable winter wonderland now that Invermere is dedicating resources to the White Way. Nordic skiers, dog walkers and strollers, skaters, ice fishers, ATVs and snowmobiles, mountain bikers and vehicular adventurers all did their stuff while foursomes strolled about the ice; the odd “fore” dancing in the wind. And to the north of the ‘golf course,’ 18 holes etched out of Taynton Bay by imaginative Kinsmen, was buzz at the second annual Pond Hockey Championships alongside Kinsmen Beach.

A highlight of this year’s event was a special presentation made to tourney long-time organizer Steve Kuffler, by 12-time tourney participant Larry Pettit, in recognition of all his hard work. As usual, the tourney-end celebrations were held at The Station Neighbourhood Pub.

Congrats Steve, you’ve earned it! And thanks Kinsmen!

Click on an image to enlarge and start self-directed slide show.

For more on the Kinsmen Club of Windermere Valley go to: https://columbiavalley.com/184/kinsmen-club-of-the-windermere-valley/

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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