Golf Season Officially Open in Kelowna!
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Full disclosure: I am a menace with golf clubs. And I don’t mean “menace” in a flattering way. If I said that I give new meaning to the word “slice” that might be too kind. However, I can host great golfers with the best of them. Today I’m here to tell all you golfers in hibernation, it’s official: Kelowna golf season is declared open for 2010. A list of golf course opening dates follows…
Spring means blossoms on the fruit trees at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna.
Many of these avid golfers flock to Kelowna precisely because of our high concentration of championship courses – for them, this is a golf destination worthy of bragging rights.
It may come as a surprise to know that within a 40 minute drive of Kelowna’s city centre, you’ll find 17 courses that range from forgiving to truly humbling. But it’s not just volume that accounts for our golf destination prowess. Quality is key, and our courses’ accolades show it. Tower Ranch has received two significant nods, being named among Travel + Leisure magazine’s Best New Golf Courses for 2008 and then ranking on Golf Digest’s Best New Canadian Golf Courses list for 2009.
The evening sun on the Dilworth Cliffs at the Kelowna Golf & Country Club.
Other courses boast star-quality course designers like Thomas McBroom, Les Furber, Jack Nicklaus, Graham Cooke, and Doug Carrick. Not only that, but Kelowna has one of the longest and driest golf seasons in Canada, starting right now in early March, and ending sometime in November.
This winter was mild, and our golf courses are the beneficiaries. Many of the golf clubs have been in touch with us at Tourism Kelowna, glowing with the news that they are open, or will open in short order, and that their fairways and greens are in superb condition. So pull out those clubs and get your golf buddies on speed-dial because you’ve been patient for three and a half months, and it’s time to swing the clubs again.
Below is the list of scheduled openings for some of our local golf courses – just keep in mind these are all weather-permitting.
February 20 Two Eagles Golf Course*
March 5 Kelowna Springs Golf Club
March 5 Shannon Lake Golf Club
March 10 Shadow Ridge golf course opens
March 11 Harvest Golf Club (second earliest opening ever for them)
March 11 Kelowna Golf & Country Club opens
March 13 Black Mountain Golf Club opens
March 19 The Bear at Okanagan Golf Club opens
March 19 Sunset Ranch Golf & Country Club opens
March 25 The Club at Tower Ranch opens
March 26 The Quail at Okanagan Golf Club
April 1 Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Club opens
April 15 Predator Ridge Golf Resort opens**
*Two Eagles Golf Courses is offering an early spring rate of $37.00 for 18 holes.
**Mark your calendars, Predator’s new “Ridge Course” opens on July 1 for guests, homeowners, and members and on August 1 to the public.
