Kelowna

Okanagan golf courses include Predator Ridge, The Okanagan Club, Gallaghers Canyon, the Harvest and Ponderosa.

The Okanagan Valley is BC's best known summer destination and has long attracted BC golfers.  Dusky hills and blue lakes punctuate miles of blossoming orchards and vineyards. Spring explodes with colorful, fragrant blossoms. Warm summer days stretch lazily into evening. In fall apples, pears, and of course grapes, ripen for harvest. Grapes love the same weather that golfers do, which is why 65 lush vineyards surround five distinctive championship layouts – more than one winery for every two golf holes. 

Okanagan courses wind through canyons, beside clear lakes and streams, across open, rolling hills, through working orchards, and in the shadows of stately pines. Kelowna is the gateway to the Okanagan Valley and boasts an international airport. It is a 4 hour scenic drive from Vancouver.

Predator Ridge Resort, located about 45 minutes north of Kelowna is one of Canada’s best known courses after hosting the 2008 World Skins Game.  Its being expanded from 27 to 36 holes by Canadian architect Doug Carrick.  Set in rolling mounds and hills, the course features extensive use of fescue to contrast with the vibrant green of its fairways and greens.

Just south of  Kelowna, the new Ponderosa development is taking shape. Greg Norman is redoing the design on the original property, with a scheduled opening in 2011.

Set on a benchland high above Kelowna, Gallaghers Canyon provides a great test of golf.  Its usually ranked among the Top 50 courses in Canada.  Designed by Bill Robinson, its 6,802 yards take you to the very edge of the Canyon and then back down around through Ponderosa pines.

The Harvest Golf Club winds through working orchards with views of Okanagan Lake and Kelowna below.  Graham Cooke was challenged to retain the original use of the land, while fitting in 7,109 yards of challenging golf.  The Harvest offers fine dining in its Clubhouse set in Japanese style gardens.

Set on benchland above Kelowna Airport (be on the first tee 20 minutes after you arrive!), the Okanagan Club offers 36 holes of golf set in open meadows and pine forests.  The Bear Course – designed by who else but Jack Nicklaus – spreads its 6,900 yards along dramatic sculpted fairways lined by pine forest and fescue.  The Quail Course, designed by Canadian Les Furber, offers 6,891 yards with dramatic elevation changes and multi-tiered fairways.

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Kelowna Courses: