Cranbrook Golf Club has hosted six national and provincial amateur championships in the past, but next week's BC Senior Women's Championship will be the first of its kind to take place in Cranbrook.

"This is a large event for the senior ladies of BC. It is their championship," said Paul Whittingham, Head Golf Professional at Cranbrook Golf Club. "This is the biggest tournament of the year for the senior women."

Fourteen senior women golfers from the Kootenays zone will join 41 other amateur golfers from around British Colombia in the tournament which takes place June 14 - 16.

"It's a prestigious thing to happen here and we haven't hosted it before," said Whittingham. "But it's a very playable course, especially for the senior ladies, and they'll enjoy it."

The Senior Women's Championship consists of three rounds with no cut, 54 holes over three days of play, and there are two divisions within the championship.

Those golfers between the ages of 50 and 59 are in the Senior Division, while those who are 60 and over are placed in the Super Senior Divison, but all players compete for the overall championship.

The age difference between the divisions doesn't seem to have an impact on skill with the 2010 Super Senior Champion, Alison Murdoch, ending with a score of 229 compared to the Senior Champion, Phyllis Laschuk at 231.

The four golfers with the lowest score in the championship go on to represent British Colombia in the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Senior Championship which will be held this year in Whitevale, Ontario in August. There will be no changes made to the greens of the Cranbrook Golf Club before the championship, instead the women will play off of the shorter red and yellow tees to make their driving yardage between 5400 and 5600.

"They are very skilled players, and with the shorter tees strength is not an issue. They'll do well, probably right around par if not under," said Whittingham.

Within the first two rounds of the tournament there are also concurrent Zone and Club team competitions, not in association with the Golf Canada event.

The players who compete in those tournaments were chosen earlier at separate Zone and Club team championships, and their scores from the first two days of the Senior Women's Championship are taken to determine Zone and Club winners.

The eight Zones of British Colombia send players to compete in the simultaneous Provincial Championship and Zone competitions, but golfers could sign up by themselves also.

Entries were open to all female amateur golfers who will reach their 50 birthday by June 14 and are currently eligible to participate in Club, Zone, and BCGA events.

Players of the Kootenays Zone comprise over a quarter of the registered players for the Championship, ten of which are members of the Cranbrook Golf Club and will be playing on home fields.