20 of 70 : Kelowna Springs Golf Club, Kelowna BC

On May 4th, we played Kelowna Springs Golf Course which has always been one of our favorite courses in the Okanagan Valley for a number of reasons, the most important being we have friends there. Kelowna Springs is an exquisite little course playing at 6242 yards from the back tees, but do not let that fool you. Les Furber, who is a disciple of Stanley Thompson (one of Canada's greatest golf architects), has made the most of the small piece of land he was given. The course is far more difficult than it appears to be. Water comes into play on eleven of the eighteen holes and it boasts over a hundred sand traps. The small greens are heavily undulated offering a challenge to golfers of all skill levels.



Readhead Duck

 But as you walk the course, for it is highly walkable, you have the opportunity, not only to socialise, but also to appreciate the distant mountain range, still covered in snow at this time of year, the local farm life and newborn calves, the adjoining marshes buzzing with colorful birdlife. And on  and along the course's ponds, you will always find a variety of ducks as well as the ever present Canada geese, but the loons can only be found on the green as you mark your ball with your dollar coin as part of your putting routine. In late afternoon you might, however,  see a lone coyote in search of an easy meal.

On this day, we had the privilege of being paired with two new members of Kelowna Springs, Bruce and Dawn. We really enjoyed their company and their golf experience for not only are they excellent golfers, but also very well travelled and therefore able to recommend a number of courses we might want to play as part of our ongoing endeavour. Courses located both in Western Canada and the Phoenix area.

Yes, it has become obvious, I am avoiding the subject at hand, well, you only have to look at this picture of a rather bad swing to understand that I was not playing well and should have been on the driving range as opposed to the golf course. This particular swing resulted in a snap hook, one of a few dozen of them... But there is more to life than a few bad swings. Yes, the weather was cold, look at that snow! And the rain showers unpleasant. But after the round and a hot shower we retired to the Crush Bistro in Vernon for a delicious lamb shank dinner and a fabulous cabernet sauvignon from the Church and State Wines of Oliver BC. That and the heart warming presence of my wife Brenda and our friend Janice, and all was well in my world again.