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Coquihalla Highway Re-Opens!

It can aptly be described as a herculean effort.

That is, the massive project undertaken to repair the damage to the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5). Torrential rains created significant damage to many highways throughout the province in mid-November.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming made the announcement the day before the main thoroughfare between Hope and Merritt re-opened on January 19.

“Temporary repairs to the Coquihalla are in place which means there are travel-pattern changes and reduced speed limits, with the trip between Hope and Merritt taking about 45 minutes longer than normal,” Fleming said in a release.

“Travelers are reminded that highway work continues and there will be increased enforcement on this route to ensure drivers are obeying the traffic laws and driving according to conditions and restrictions.”

Continue reading “Coquihalla Highway Re-Opens!”

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TRENDS for 2022: Why you should be planning ahead.

At BCgolfguide, we are busy during the off-season in Canada reviewing 2021 while preparing for 2022.

So much has happened during the past two years, with the pandemic and some significant weather events. These circumstances combined to impact the golf travel industry in several ways.

Moving forward, here are a few considerations for you and your group.

How will 2022 be different? The industry expects heightened competition for accommodation and tee times, banking on a less restrictive travel environment. With the steady flow of tourist traffic limited at times in 2020 and 2021, many facilities were left to rely primarily on local play. In some regions, this resulted in plenty of unused tee times. Golf courses are optimistic that tourists are looking forward to golf travel opportunities throughout 2022.

The devilish par-3, 14th at the Shannon Lake Golf Club in West Kelowna.

Increased Travel Activity: Canadian travelers are pent up, at least that’s the feedback we are hearing from our repeat clients. Restrictions on recreational travel imposed by federal and provincial governments forced many postponements and cancellations. Having spent much of the past two years in kind of a “holding pattern” due to the pandemic, golfers are telling us they are excited to revisit some of their favourite regions again. Continue reading “TRENDS for 2022: Why you should be planning ahead.”

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Greens Aeration: Caveat Emptor?

Is there anything more maddening for golfers than arriving at a course with  your group and finding out on the first hole that the greens have recently been aerated?

Seasoned golfers know full well that aeration is crucial for the long-term health of the turf we walk and play on. Once in the spring and once in the fall – that tends to be the routine many golfers across Canada are used to observing.

But greens aeration certainly affects one’s golf experience, doesn’t it?

The large cores pulled from beneath the surface, combined with heavy sanding to fill the holes, can make for a very negative golf experience.

Given my personal experience in golf course operations, there is one caveat.

That is, I am generally unsympathetic when a Member who plays 150-200 rounds a year at a golf course chooses to complain loudly about how greens aeration created inconvenience for them. At some point, I believe that individual’s critical eye might be better served by a blindfold.

However, what I do find bothersome about the impact of this critical  turf maintenance is the failure of many facilities to provide visiting golfers with advance notice.

Continue reading “Greens Aeration: Caveat Emptor?”