While Whistler’s golf courses all opened for the season late last week, Pemberton’s golf season has been underway for multiple weeks already.
Big Sky Golf Club—one of B.C.’s top five golf courses, according to Scorecard Magazine—opened on April 22, and despite the “unseasonably cold weather,” general manager Christine Kohls said the conditions have held up really well.
“The snow that we had throughout the winter created a nice blanket, so it actually insulated and protected the greens and fairways really well,” she said. “It’s still not hot enough for the new seeds to get germinated and start growing, but overall, it’s in really good condition for middle of May.”
Like almost every other golf course in B.C., Big Sky also saw a major influx of golfers and returning members during the pandemic. And even though things are returning to semi-normal conditions, Kohls doesn’t believe the club will be seeing much of a dip in numbers at all.
In fact, with the return of tournaments and events this year, she believes this summer could be as busy as ever for the club, as long as Mother Nature cooperates a bit.
“The return of tournaments has been really exciting. We’re looking to have some live music events going on in the restaurant. We’ve got 16 weddings booked this year so it will be really good to be able to host parties and events and tournaments without restrictions again,” she said.
“But a bit of help from Mother Nature so that we don’t have to deal with floods, fires [or] mosquitoes would be great.”
And for those who want to get out and play some golf, but aren’t looking to pay Big Sky’s peak rates of $159, Kohls encourages them to come out to the Academy Course—a five-hole, par-three course with rounds for just $10.
“It’s a great way for families, people who don’t know how to play golf, girlfriends, boyfriends, whoever, to get out and have a fun time,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sunstone Golf Club, which kicked off the golf season one week earlier on April 16 with live music from Dakota Pearl, also came out of the winter in good shape, according to GM Kevin McLeod.
However, with the cold weather, McLeod said numbers have been slightly down so far this season, but he expects bookings to pick up once the weather warms up.
Like at Big Sky, McLeod is excited to get back to hosting events this year after being restricted for the last two years.
Events include tournaments, more live music like the club had on opening day, and a comedy night on May 28, which features three of Canada’s “up-and-coming, fresh and funny comics,” according to McLeod.
Finally, with the price of fuel skyrocketing these days, McLeod is excited to announce the club’s new green fee deals that he said “will help with the pain at the pump,” and consist of discounted fares on select days and times.
Tickets for the comedy night as well as the new green fee deals can be found at sunstonegolfclub.com.
