When people call the pro shop at the Campbell River Golf & Country Club wondering when the course is going to open, Kyle, the head golf pro, finally has an answer – Aug. 9. The public can now begin booking tee times over the phone or on the club’s brand new website, crgolf.ca.
Opening day has been the most commonly asked question for weeks. After a 17-month rebuild, golfers were understandably anxious and excited to play the brand-new course. But this inaugural golf year is about more than 18 new holes. While it’s still the same sport, the CRGCC is approaching the game in unique and exciting ways that should please golfers of every calibre and interest and plenty of non-golfers too.
“We’re excited for the community to come out and experience what our team has been working so hard on for the past 17 months,” says Amanda Raleigh, the club’s general manager. “The staff have all worked so hard to get the course ready for play and we want to thank all of them. What we’ve accomplished in the last 17 months is unheard of in the golf industry.”
Golfers who played the old course may recognize some of the mature trees or a tee box location, but every hole is completely new, and all 18 holes play differently. Fairways are expansive, with gentle rolls. Turf is short cut from tree line to tree line; there’s no problem finding and playing a ball from a tight lie. Swales and bunkers keep errant shots in play. The setting is park-like, airy and open even amongst the trees.
Normally a complete rebuild like this would take at least four years to complete. The Mailman family, the owners of Seymour Pacific and Broadstreet Properties, started work on the CRGCC in April 2017. Raleigh says they finished the project so quickly because they approached it with an open mind and were armed with a passionate crew.
“Not being from the golf industry, we didn’t have preconceived ideas of how we should do anything,” she says. “We sat back and looked at each problem and figured out the best way to solve it.”
Approaching golf from a different angle is a theme throughout the project. Construction on the state-of-the-art Velocity Lounge & Driving Range is nearly complete. With radar that tracks ball trajectory, it’s as much a virtual reality experience and entertainment venue as it is a practice area. Velocity Lounge & Driving Range is slated to open near the end of August. Another touch of technology: the new fleet of GPS-equipped golf carts. They can tell golfers how far they drove the ball and how far they are from the pin. The technology also allows tracking of the cart traffic patterns, important information for maintenance and course performance.
“We feel we’ve built a good product, but we’ll constantly review and respond to make changes where necessary to exceed customer expectations,” says Greg Austin, the course’s superintendent.
That’s also the reason the course will be open Thursday through Sunday.
“We managed to create an amazing golf course in an incredibly short amount of time, but one critical thing that can’t be accounted for is maturity,” he says. “Immature turf doesn’t hold up to daily wear very well. We have very high expectations and standards for the product we want to present to our customers, so we’ll be taking the time needed to put the work in to reduce and repair damage and provide recovery time so our living and breathing asset is well protected.”
The Campbell River Golf & Country Club is a public course with no season pass or membership. Instead, golfers can pay by the round or buy punch passes. Campbell River locals receive a discount on course fees.
“We as a family and organization are community focused and minded,” says Raleigh. “We know our success rests on our community. This is another way to give back to the community that has given us so much.”
The golf course and driving range are just the start of what’s planned at the Campbell River Golf & Country Club.
“This is only phase one,” says Raleigh. “There’s lots more to look forward to.” She and her team are deep in the planning stages of a new restaurant, hotel, convention space, spa and all the other amenities that go with it.