Pender Island Invitational


The Pender Island Invitational is a long-running fall disc golf competition on Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada where players compete over four days in the pursuit of The Bark, and $10 Ace-Pots.
The PII is typically played in October, typically between Thanksgiving and Halloween.

History

Begun in 1996 with a small group of players, the PII has evolved into an anticipated annual event, with players from across North America. From 1996 through 2012, the tournament duration was four days. Beginning in 2013, it was decided that the tournament duration can be reduced to a minimum of 3 days, depending on attendance.

Venue

The PII is played at the Golf Island Disc Park on North Pender Island, British Columbia. The course features 27 holes, with the original nine holes having tone poles, and the middle and back nines having chain baskets. The course, with its many trees and rugged landscape, winds its way over and around a rocky hill just to the north of Magic Lake. The competitors require a full arsenal of shots to compete at a high level on this challenging course.

Ace-Pots

An ace is a hole-in-one in disc golf. The vast majority of holes at the Golf Island Disc Park are par-3s, and many of these are "aceable".
When a competitor aces a hole, all other players within the group must pay him $10.

The Bark

The Bark is a trophy awarded to the PII Champion.
It is made from a piece of gnarled wood from an arbutus tree and has the names of past champions engraved upon it. The Bark was salvaged from the Golf Island Disc Park, where arbutus trees are abundant.
The name of the 2007 2-Day Champion is also engraved on The Bark.
In the early years of the PII, the name of the player with the most aces was also engraved on the bark. However, this practice was quickly halted, due to the somewhat random nature of aces.
The Keeper of the Bark typically displays it on their mantelpiece. However, this practice is discouraged, as The Bark may be mistaken for a piece of kindling.

Champions

The PII Champion is the competitor with the lowest aggregate score.
YearKeeper of The BarkWinning ScoreHoles PlayedLength of Tournament
2025Jason Cox-241344
2024Jason Cox-251264
2023Jason Cox-291534
2022Jason Cox-251534
2021Jason Cox-291624
2020Kelly Sveinson-181804
2019Ron Vanderdrift-221173
2018Greg Rae-331624
2017Kelly Sveinson-241444
2016Greg Rae-381984
2015Greg Rae-541984
2014Greg Rae-571893
2013Jason Cox-441713
2012Greg Rae-352164
2011Ron Vanderdrift-402254
2010Ron Vanderdrift-522434
2009Ron VanderdriftRecords MissingRecords Missing4
2008Kelly Sveinson-382074
2007Ron VanderdriftRecords MissingRecords Missing4
Bruce Hickey
2006Bruce HickeyRecords MissingRecords Missing4
2005Kelly Sveinson-111984
2004Greg Rae-401894
2003Ron Vanderdrift-702254
2002Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing4
2001Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing4
2000Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing4
1999Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing4
1998Kelly Sveinson-371352
1997Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing2
1996Records MissingRecords MissingRecords Missing2

Score is in relation to par - with every hole being a par 3.
2-Day Champion. In 2007, there was both the full 4-Day tournament and a 2-Day tournament. The 4-Day Champion was the Keeper of the Bark, but the 2-Day Champion was also noted on The Bark.
Last year of original course layout - which include all tone-poles. Beginning in 2004, the course layout was changed substantially, including the replacement of tone poles to chain baskets on the middle and back nines.
In 2020, the Tournament was not international due to Covid-19. The 14 day quarantine waiver, for international competitors, was denied by the Provincial Government.

Tournament Director

With the increased popularity of the PII, a Tournament Director was appointed in 2007 to oversee rulings, protests, and player eligibility. Jamie Britton is the PII's first and only Tournament Director. The Tournament Director will also be responsible for the distribution of invitations to future PII events. Jamie Britton is also the first recipient of the Director's Award.

Score Keeper

Kelly Sveinson is the PII's official Score Keeper. At the end of each 9 holes, the official Score Keeper records each of the competitor's scores in the Official Notebook. All aces are also recorded. Scores are tallied during the weekend to determine the Champion and Keeper of the Bark.

Historian Laureate

Ron Vanderdrift is the PII's official Historian Laureate. The Historian Laureate summarizes the events of tournament in an electrotonic diary. These annals include the Champion and Keeper of the Bark, winning score, total holes played, number and location of Aces, and funny/significant events of the year’s tournament.

Effect on Tourism

The PII has grown over the years to become recognized by the community as a significant sporting event that would appeal to locals and visitors.

Pop Culture Influence

To commemorate the thirtieth annual event, a song was created by Greg Rae.