A few weeks ago, we sent you an invitation to CanaDares’ Imaginary Golf Tournament and Virtual Dinner. As we have moved from the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver, we will no longer be able to invite you to a “real-life” golf fundraiser.

Today, we again present the CanaDares’ Imaginary Golf Tournament and Virtual Dinner with no cut off date for donations! During our move, we have not been able to host a main fundraiser and funds are low. We are continuing to support project expansions at Vijaliwa Vingi Society (VVS) in Tanzania, and intend to continue supporting them far into the future. 

Please read the attached newsletter so you can see what your money is achieving at VVS, and consider donating what you would have donated in the past at the John Nicholls Memorial Golf Tournament. We shall call this your entry fee to the imaginary golf course at VVS.

Now, on to the imaginary golf tournament where you will be introduced to the course and difficult holes around the property of Vijaliwa Vingi Society. Imagine the delicious dinner, silent auction, and live auction at the end. It’s a short 1900 yd. (Par 36) course. Do you think you can hack it?

Located on a relatively small twenty acres, this course boasts only nine holes. This means that championship golfers will have to play it twice to achieve their quota of frustration.
The terrain consists of a wooded north/south valley with a seasonal dry creek bed on the valley bottom. Experienced golfers will lament the lack of a map. This omission, however, will be balanced by the clock: the initial tee-off will occur at 1pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) which equals 11pm EAT (East Africa Time). The tropical darkness will render much of the course obscured if not invisible, and any map would provide little advantage.

Note that few of the greens are actually green. Yardages are approximate.

The first tee can easily be found by turning right immediately inside the VVS front gate, walking along between the fence and the classroom 1/2 building, climbing over the fence on to the football (soccer) pitch and positioning your ball within a few yards of the northwest corner of the pitch. 

Hole #1 - 450 yds. (Par 4) - The hole is a dogleg to the left and the first shot plays downhill towards the east boundary of the property; a middle wood should be chosen so as not to overshoot the orange tree. The second shot calls for a considerable carry: the ball should be lofted over the seasonal dry creek bed and dense shrubbery, up the hill and onto the road which leads to the deep sandpit. The third shot requires a sand wedge and sometimes a shovel. Next, over the sandpit and onto the green which is indistinguishable from the road.

Hole #6 - 120 yds. (Par 4) - This is a short middle iron hole. Starting from a tee below Classrooms 5/6 (construction ongoing) this calls for a well lofted shot over the building into the sand of the children’s playground. The second shot is the tricky one, calling for a hard drive up the high slide of the Climb 'N Slide, with sufficient velocity to penetrate the cashew nut trees above and land in the drainage ditch bordering the driveway. From here the hole remains an elusive target, but it is two easy putts onto the green which slopes back to front with a somewhat terraced putting surface.

Hole #8 - 150 yds. (Par 4) - From a tee area inside the soccer goal, this is a left-hand dog leg around the administration building to a hole in the dry creek bed. The hole is behind the building and cannot be seen from the tee. The creek is not always dry, and muddy pairs of argyle socks can often be found nearby. The long green snake on the spiral staircase is a Green Mamba, and its venom is often fatal. (The six-foot-long fat snake under the bougainvillea is a Gaboon Viper, and it is also deadly). An accurate second shot is essential to set up a reasonable birdie chance.

Hole #9 - 210 yds. (Par 5) - This is the most notorious hole in Mlandizi according to a few golfers who have never played it. It is a long dog leg uphill with several obstacles. It starts from a small muddy tee area close to the creek. The first shot must be played steeply uphill, avoiding the cashew nut trees and the boys’ and girls’ dorms, and towards the kitchen while avoiding the sink in the dish washing station. A precise second shot must be played uphill roughly in the same direction avoiding the kitchen, the 1/2 and 3/4 classroom buildings, the childrens’ toilets, and the drainage ditches. Three more iron shots should be enough to propel the ball through the front gate, which will serve as the 9th hole.

Hole #10, or #19 - 100 yds. (below Par) - This is a simple downhill stumble from the gate to the VVS Dining Hall, where food aplenty can be found and consumed
.

To ensure that your score is not recorded, you should send in your entry fee right away
to:

CanaDares Society
#702 - 3633 Mt. Seymour Pkwy
North Vancouver, BC
V7H 0A9

Or we can arrange for monthly deductions from your bank account. A tax receipt will be issued for the full amount of each donation.