After wildfires forced the cancellation of last year’s golf tournament in Wekweètì, local golfers returned to host one again last month – with siblings from Behchokǫ̀ taking home the top prizes.
Senior administrator Fred Behrens said the community usually holds its golf tournament on Labour Day weekend, but this year it was postponed due to a hand games tournament.
“Over the course of the summer, quite a few residents within Wekweètì practise golfing – basically nightly,” he said.
“We’ve got probably 10-12 individuals that go out pretty-well every night and play a round of golf. Then there’s usually a couple of very small tournaments, just local people, to get together and have some fun.”
Cody Mantla of Behchokǫ̀ took first place in this year’s tournament, while his brother Rusty finished second. Rusty said that when they saw a posting about the event, they tried to find other golfers to join so they could compete and play together.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
“It was a year-end trip and one of the last trips my brother and I were interested in,” Rusty said. “It’s a beautiful town this time of the year to visit, and the community is always welcoming.”
Tournament winners Cody Mantla, left, and his brother Rusty. Photo: Submitted
Rusty said they play at least a few times a week during the summer with a bunch of Tłı̨chǫ members that live in Yellowknife.
“It was a great little tournament,” he said.
“The amount of golfers that community has was surprising and will get better in the years to come.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
“I will return next year to try to win the tournament. I’d would like to thank the organizers and the community for having us and treating us very well.”
Behrens said a $30,000 tournament between Wekweètì and Gamètì was cancelled last year and the community held a scaled-down version this year. He said they tried to invite players from Gamètì this time but a charter couldn’t be arranged.
The latest $15,000 golf tournament, which ran from September 20-21, was sponsored by the Tłı̨chǫ Government. The prize money was split between all 15 participants. Behrens said Wekweètì’s Chief Adeline Football and her sisters placed third and fourth.
Wekweètì takes great pride in its golf course, which has existed for a little over a decade and was more recently joined by a mini-golf.
Behrens said the community recently dug out a small area on the course and lined it with rubber to hold water, creating a water trap in the middle of the sixth fairway and making the course more challenging.
“If you can hit it that far, you definitely go in the water,” he said.
Related Articles
