Sunniest Golf Community in BC
Looking for a place in the sun to retire? Like Golf? Then look no further than Shadow Mountain, because the sun shines here a lot.
Future residents are going to have more to rave about than just their incredible 19 hole championship golf course, and breath taking views, they also will enjoy a lot of sunshine.
In Cranbrook the sun shines a whopping 2228 hours – making it the “Sunniest city in BC”
David Phillips, Environment Canada’s Senior Climatologist, and the nation’s favourite weather guru, has analyzed 30 years of recent weather data for Canada’s 100 largest cities.
In the months of June, July and August this golf course will see an astounding 884.28 hours of sunshine! This ranks in the top ten Sunniest spots in Canada.
Cranbrook also ranked 6th nationally in “Most sunny days in warm months”. Residents will enjoy 148.40 sunny days from May through September.
Indian summers are also a regular occurrence in this area. During the months of September, October and November you can expect to enjoy 453.55 hours of sunshine. This also ranks in the top 10 in Canada.
Shadow Mountain is the perfect place to retire, with great golf, stunning scenes, and lots of Sunshine. For more information, call Irene at 250-432-9200.
A Big Day at Shadow Mountain Golf Club
For Malcolm and Joan Fruin July 20th was not only their 52nd wedding anniversary but for Malcolm it was also the day he played his 600th golf course in the World with Joan and Peter Mann a close friend from Kamloops
In trying to decide where to play #600 Malcolm says there were several course options to the north of Kimberley but he said the decision to make it Shadow Mountain was quite easy.
First it was a local course and secondly its owner Fred Mehl together with Irene and Wayne Barnes and staff have been good supporters of the Kimberley Helping Hands Food Bank where Malcolm has served as a volunteer and Director over the past several years.
Shadow Mountain is in a spectacular Rocky Mountain setting and is certain to soon be on the must play list of both locals and visitors. The course has so many strong features that it is hard to name them all but the two spectacular downhill tee shots on #s 15 and 17 are memorable. Another feature is the playability and enjoyment it can provide for all levels of experienced golfers provided they play off the recommended tees and bring their “A” game with them.
There is British Open style rough in play awaiting careless shots and strategically placed bunkers to be avoided on a lot of holes which help make the course such a challenge.
Some of the views from the tees are breathtaking especially on #6 hole named Shadow and the 600 yard Monster #17
In summary it was like playing one of the top rated courses in the world and it will surely end up in this category when the judges have played there. It will in Malcolm’s opinion soon become the golfing crown jewel of the Rocky Mountain trench.
The restaurant serves excellent food at affordable prices and the staff go out of their way to help you enjoy the day.
Malcolm’s Golf experiences include three holes in one and more importantly a 3 at the 16th hole at Cypress Point in California which is often regarded as the toughest par 3 in golf.
Highlights and memories of games among the 600 courses Malcolm has played in 17 countries include playing with Sir Bob Charles in the Canadian PGA Pro Am at Kitchener Westmount and enjoying a beer afterwards with Arnold Palmer in the locker room!
Also a few holes with Gary Player during a South African Airways promotion at Rand Park in Johannesburg come to mind as well as games with Toronto Blue Jay’s manager Cito Gaston
His favourite courses include Royal Dornoch, Ballybunion, Pebble Beach, the Old Course at St Andrews, Royal Worlington – a nine holer in England and almost all the Stanley Thompson courses in Canada especially Capilano,Banff Springs and Jasper as well as Scarboro where he was a member for almost 20 years.
Among his fondest golf memories are his days as a member of the Transvaal (now Gauteng) Nomads a charity club in South Africa which played at different courses every month and was very friendly and provided very competitive Stableford golf.
He is still a member of the club and keeps up to date on their activities
Malcolm’s best score on a 6000 yard plus course was 76 and a one under par 34 on the back nine at the very challenging Whirlpool course in Niagara Falls. Worst scores-too many to count over 100 !!
Nowadays reality has finally set in as his handicap now forces him to count triple bogeys.
Malcolm says both Joan and I have made a lot of friends playing golf over the years.
In summary some of our happiest golf times have been playing together even though we are starting to show our age in the distance and handicap categories but we were able to forget these things at Shadow Mountain and just enjoy the game.
A wonderful golfing memory in a truly magnificent setting.
If you would like to Golf Shadow Mountain, Timberstone Kimberley offers an exceptional Stay and Play Program.
Shadow Mountain Explodes onto the Golf Scene with 19 Times the Awe
The Kootenay Golf Crown just got a new jewel, and it is breathtaking. July 1st marked the opening of Shadow Mountain Golf and response from the golfers back at the club house has been all smiles.
In fact the comments have been almost unanimous – this is the best course in the area.
“9 out of ten golfers come back to the club house and indicate that it’s the best course that they have played, whether it is international or local. It’s really a positive response to where the course is at, because we allowed it that extra time to grow.” said Shadow Mountain’s Fred Mehl.
It is this maturity that takes everyone by surprise. People cannot believe that this is brand new course.
Early in the development of Shadow Mountain, Golf Course architect Wayne Carleton was asked which was the signature hole. Mr. Carleton indicated that there was no single hole that stood apart, and that they were all signature holes.
Indeed, Wayne has been proven correct. All the holes are both challenging, beautiful, and mature.
That being said, there are two elevated Tee Shots that the surpass the word ‘dramatic’ 15 and 17. This Par 4, Par 5 respectively will leave you breathless, and desperately wanting to take a mulligan just for the shear joy of crushing the ball.
Hole 15 overlooks the Clubhouse, and the 4 acre manmade lake, while the 17th offers an astonishing view of the river, bridge and majestic Fisher’s Peak. You better have your Wheaties for breakfast, and bring your camera. As a amazing of a hole this is – there are 18 others!
“What we have created is a 19 Hole signature tree-line golf course. Preserving and enhancing the environment is very important. 19 Holes is a bit different.” Wayne Carleton said.
The 19th hole is just another feature that sets Shadow Mountain apart from every other course in the area. This par three sits on the side of a cliff, between the 17th and 18th. How does the 19th work, and why the additional hole? Wayne Carleton explains:
“One thing that we try do to on a lot of our new golf courses is create one more hole in the event that we do a renovation project in the future. Also the reason that we created the 19th hole is to connect the 17th and 18th hole. People might also use the 19th as a betting hole, or just to make up a few shots, or have some fun with it.
Another feature that is not prevalent in the area is Squared off Tee Boxes. This is something that more established golf courses in the US have. This is more of a traditional design.
This one of the longest courses in BC, be sure to allow four and half hours to enjoy this course. If you are looking to book a golfing get away, click here for the best rates.
Want to live the dream? Talk to Irene about living at Shadow Mountain, 250-432-9200.
Opening Date for Shadow Mountain Golf Course – July 1, 2009
It is one of the most anticipated moments in the Southern BC’s coveted golf scene – the opening of Shadow Mountain Golf Course. The Cooke-Carleton designed course is sure to become the jewel, in what is quickly becoming the Canadian Golf Mecca. The first tee time is scheduled for Wednesday July 1.
With amazing views of the Rocky Mountains and Fisher Peak, combined with a great course layout make Shadow Mountain the “Must Play” course for 2009. Multiple sets of tees ensure a great round for all levels of players.
This 19 hole course, has two distinct terrain types, one side is has radical elevation changes, which makes for breath taking views, and dramatic play. While the other side of the course has open rolling hills, with the mountains and St. Marys River as a back drop.
Head pro Rob Anderson recently won the 2008 Teacher of the Year Award by the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association. Rob has received 4 PGA of BC Awards (2008 Teacher of the Year, 2007 Head Professional of the Year, 2006 Golf Shop of the Year, and again Teacher of the Year 2003). Additionally, Rob has received club fitting awards 2001 & 2003 from PING.
Explore this course in photos here.
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Natural Wonders
The economic downturn doesn’t seem to have hurt a pair of new courses, tucked into the mountainous terrain of the golf-rich East Kootenays.
The economy has taken its toll on a number of BC golf projects, but a couple of them have managed to weather the storm and will open for play this season. Shadow Mountain, located just a few minutes north of Cranbrook, has set July 1 as its opening date. Black Mountain near Kelowna will welcome its first players sometime in May.
Wayne Carleton is intimately familiar with both of the newest additions to the BC golf landscape. Carleton, the Delta resident who is part of the prolific Cooke Carleton International design team, was the lead architect on both projects.
Shadow Mountain is split in two by Highway 95A, which runs between Cranbrook and Kimberley.
“The site is quite dynamic,” says Carleton, whose most recent work in BC was the impressive Talking Rock layout near Chase.
“The west half is more mountainous terrain and the east half is more of a rolly, sandy, pine-forest type of setting.
“We tried to give it a very natural character. With the abundance of sand on the site we did a lot of waste bunkering and there are some fescue areas. ‘We tried not to move a lot of dirt. All in all, it’s more of your natural, rustic and rugged type of golf course. It turned out well.”
The course, which will stretch to about 7,400 yards, includes 19 holes. There’s a bonus par 3 located between the 17ul green and 18th tee. It serves two purposes. It gives players a bonus hole to play and it provides the course with an extra hole to use in the future when any renovation work requires a hole on the course to be closed.
The back nine at Shadow Mountain features a couple of dramatic elevation changes.
“The 15th hole, a par 4, drops about 120 feet, and the 17th hole, a par 5, drops about 150 feet,” says Carleton. “That’s from tee down to fairway and the it climbs back up.”
Shadow Mountain recently hired Rob Anderson, the Canadian Professional Golfers Association teacher of the year in 2008, as its general manager and director of golf.
Anderson, who most recently was head professional at The Harvest in Kelowna, didn’t fully realize how golf rich the East Kootenays had become until he accepted his new job.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “The last time I ever played golf out here was way back in about 1985 when we had the B.C. Amateur split between Cranbrook and Kimberley. You can start up in Golden and work your way all the way down and it’s like ‘holy cow! look al all this golf.’ It’s amazing.
“Coming from the Okanagan, I would have to say the quantity of golf courses is similar, but I think a lot of the courses here are a little bit higher-end. You’ve got four or five that are high·end in the Okanagan and darn near every one is here.”
The Shadow Mountain project includes 600 housing lots, about 200 of which have been pre-sold. Anderson hopes his course, which is located just five minutes from the Canadian Rockies International Airport, can capture its share of the growing golf tourism market in the area.
“Once the housing is fully under way and we a have a population of people living here, it will definitely lean more toward member play,” Anderson says. “But certainly in the short term, this season and next season at the least, we will be be targeting groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, the BC Interior and the Spokane area.”
The course’s local owners have already established a relationship with the nearby St. Eugene Mission course. Future plans call for cart paths to connect the two facilities.
Peak-season green fees at Shadow Mountain will be $99 on weekdays and $115 on weekends. That fee includes golf, power cart, driving range and all taxes.
Black Mountain, located in the Rutland area on the way to the Big White Ski Resort outside Kelowna, is a mountainside layout that measures about 6.300 yards from the back tees. The par-71 track features six par 3s, seven par 4s and five par 5s.
“It’s unique in the fact that most of us are now doing golf courses lhat are 7,000 yards·plus,” Carleton says. “There’s rock outcrop· pings and some tightness to it, so it is the kind of a course that you plot your way around. You won’t be using driver on every tee. It’s kind of like your old·style country club golf course developed on a small piece of property.”
Green fees this year at Black Mountain, which has been developed by Edmonton based Meleor Developments, will be $58 Monday to Thursday and $64 Friday, weekends and holidays.
Brad Ziemer | Vancouver Sun
Hockey High to Rocky Mountain Dream
Life was good or so she thought. A good marriage, the kids were grown and doing well. She had an exciting job promoting women’s and girls hockey in Ontario.
There were the persistent "Move west for a great life in the Rocky Mountains" sales pitches from her sister including numerous invitations to her new hometown of Cranbrook, British Columbia.
The births of a nephew and niece also meant frequent trips to the beautiful East Kootenay corner of BC. With each visit it became more difficult to leave the peacefulness and fresh mountain air to return to the traffic jams and chaotic life in southern Ontario.
Then one September evening in 2007, when chatting on-line, her sister excitedly typed that she found a website for the new Shadow Mountain golf course development.
Well that was it. A month and two trips west later, the decision was made to invest towards retirement in the amazing Rocky Mountain playground.
Next question, how could Melanie McFarlane and her husband Rick make the dream happen sooner than later? Could Melanie leave the women’s hockey world where she had spent the last 18 years involved in local, provincial, national and international events; her efforts culminating in being honoured as the 2003 Woman of the Year for Health and Fitness for the City of Hamilton.
Then in 2006, Melanie received national recognition when Hockey Canada presented the left-winger turned goaltender with the Isobel Gathorne Hardy Award. The prestigious "Player of the Year" award is attributed to an active player, at any level of the game, whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes. The award recognizes a player that has demonstrated strong community involvement and dedication to the game of hockey.
Could the lure of a life in south-eastern BC be greater than her hockey life? The answer was YES!
Melanie and Rick were excited at the prospect of joining the friendly and fast growing Cranbrook community, with Shadow Mountain offering a very special place to ultimately put down retirement roots.
Making the mid-life move, Melanie looked for a business idea which also offered an opportunity to get to know local folks. Who better to ask then someone who has a finger on the Kootenay pulse.
Over a coffee, Shadow Mountain Sales Consultant Irene Barnes and Melanie talked about the exciting future for Cranbrook, the Kootenays and Shadow Mountain.
The new Rocky Mountain International Airport was a key ingredient in the future growth of the region. It provided international access to the local recreational lifestyle communities. With Delta Airlines offering a link to their western hub Salt Lake City, the world was finally discovering BC’s best kept secret.
Irene mentioned the need for someone to help the future recreational homeowners keep care of their homes while vacant. What a great idea! The wheels began turning and the company name happened before the end of the day.
Thinking about the bear shadow on Shadow Mountain a perfect name would be The Bear Necessities Home Watch Service. Melanie could offer home checks, snow removal, lawn mowing, house cleaning, stock fridges, greet deliveries, airport shuttles and much more.
One goal would be to offer the recreational home owner a chance to spend more of their precious time on recreation and less time in the grocery store or cleaning. The company’s services would also be provided to permanent Cranbrook and area residents going away on vacation.
The transition west has started. Melanie has made the move and The Bear Necessities Home Watch Service is up and running. Rick currently remains in Ontario and is looking forward to joining Melanie soon in their new western adventure.
Melanie has certainly found a niche market as young families, baby-boomers and retirees all discover this recreation paradise. Not wanting to forget about her love of hockey, Melanie packed her goalie gear and was lucky enough to find that the new Cranbrook Women’s Rec Hockey League needed a netminder. Playing hockey in the Rockies, living in the beautiful City of Cranbrook…..dreams do come true!
Now it is Rick and Melanie’s turn to make the persistent "Move west for a great life in the Rocky Mountains" sales pitch to Ontario family and friends!
Mountain Shores serves up peaceful paradise
With all the buzz surrounding recreational properties in British Columbia, the attraction of the investment opportunity at Mountain Shores is what you can’t hear.
Located 40 minutes north of Creston and 50 minutes from Nelson, Mountain Shores is nestled on the tranquil shores of Kootenay Lake, the largest natural body of fresh water in southern British Columbia.
“Unlike many of the more overly populated areas such as the Okanagan or Invermere/Radium areas, the Kootenay Lake Valley remains as a little-known treasure,” says Colleen Irvine, vice-president of sales and marketing. “This land has been relatively undeveloped. Its thickly forested mountains and pristine waters provide solace to the residents and visitors alike. It is not uncommon to find yourself the only boater visible across the lake’s expanse!”
But just because you’ll feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of city centres doesn’t mean you won’t be close to desirable amenities.
A short 15-minute ride gets you to Crawford Bay, which is full of unique artisans’ shops and a variety of local pubs and restaurants. For a change of pace, buyers can also take the ferry and a short drive to relax at Ainsworth Hot Springs and Spa. The ferry ride alone is relaxing as the crossing between Kootenay Lake and Balfour is the longest and most scenic free ferry in the world.
For investors who’d rather play than relax, Mountain Shores is a four-season
destination that offers year-round fishing, as well as other recreational activities such as golfing, hiking, water skiing and downhill
skiing. Golfers will enjoy the proximity to championship 18-hole course Kokanee Springs Golf Resort in Crawford Bay, just a short 15-minute drive away.
Another attractive element to Mountain Shores is the freedom it offers to build the dream home you’ve always wanted.
Stretching over 150 acres, Mountain Shores Land Ventures Ltd. is a development company specializing in recreational and residential development and design. “By developing the land and infrastructure, buyers have the freedom and luxury to build their own cottage or dream home to suit their personal preference and budget on a fully serviced lot,” says Irvine.
Mountain Shores is being developed in three separate phases.
Phase I: Lakeside consists of 12 large lakefront lots and 22 lake house lots within a private gated and paved property. All lots have access to the beach, pool and marina.
Phase I has been sold out with one or two lots for resale.
Phase II: Mountain Shores Acreage Estates consists of 28 individually gated and fully serviced lots, each with their own panoramic lake and mountain view. Many of these lots will have their own leased boat slip in the private Mountain Shores marina. The lots are sized between 0.6 to 2.5 acres, with the
average lot being approximately one acre in size. “There is no time frame to build in the Estates making this an excellent opportunity for long-term investment,” says Irvine.
Phase III: Nestled in the mountainside beside the Estates, these smaller community lots that are still in the design phase will offer those with a more limited budget to buy into the beauty of the area.
“Mountain Shores is geared towards the discerning buyer who is looking for a quiet peace of paradise, away from the stress and pace of large developments and populated areas,” says Irvine. “Targeted predominantly at the recreational market, the area is also appealing to those looking to retire in an area surrounded by natural beauty.”
For more information visit, www.mountainshores.ca, contact Irvine at 403-852-2266, e-mail mountainshores@shaw.ca or call 1-866-678-2489.
Sullivan Landing enters the planning phase
Real Estate growth in Kimberley BC is moving forward, with the Lois Creek development – Sullivan Landing entering the re-zoning phase.
This development has been acquired by a new group, OKKO Communities. A previous attempt was made to bring this project to fruition, under the ‘Wildflower’ brand.
OKKO has put in a rezoning application for the land, from R2 to a new CD5 zone, which would allow a variety of building types.
Sullivan Landing Development will proceed in 4 Phases, the first of which includes 45 lots and 63 dwellings.
It is still very early in the planning process, and an open house will be held after the first reading of the zoning bylaw. An additional public hearing will be held at City Council.
Backcountry telemark skiing movie shot in the Kimberley Area.
Each year Utah based Powderwhores crew produces ski films, when the snow failed to fall in their home mountains forced the Powderwhores to hit the road.
For months we have been hearing from the Powderwhores that PW07 would have a different groove then the Utah-based crew’s previous Wasatch-centric productions.
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A very late start to winter in their home mountains forced the Powderwhores to hit the road. “We got into February and realized we had no movie,” Noah Howell said, “so we did what everybody else was doing and headed north.”
The resulting film: PW07, is a masterpiece on many levels, but none more for the way that the film unselfconsciously documents the exciting state of the sport of telemark skiing, here at the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century. This probably would not have happened if Utah had not failed to go off early last season.
Backcountry telemark skiing gets a lot of attention, in the athlete segments and in the segment shot on the Powderwhore’s trip to Kimberley, British Columbia. The ski mountaineering crowd is not forgotten in a beautifully shot.
And then there is the Alaska segment. What would a telemark manifesto be without seeing modern freeheel athletes on what has become the world’s biggest big-mountain stage? Comprising nearly a third of the movie, the footage that the Powderwhore production team brought back from the Chugach is totally off the hook. Dave Stratton and Devore, among others, shred huge lines with style and elan, and on a level unseen before in a telemark ski movie. The camera work is superb and the skiing is incredible.
Wonderfully paced and without apparently trying, PW07 takes the viewer on a ride which covers the main elements of freeheel skiing as it has evolved in the modern era. Technique is well represented by some of the strongest and most talented tele skiers ever captured on film, including young phenom Nick Devore, who made history last year at the alpine world’s premier big-mountain competition, the US Freeskiing Championships at Snowbird. Devore turned heads as the first tele skier ever to make the finals, while also finishing 18th out of a field of 150 of the world’s top freeskiing athletes.
Finally, the movie closes with a segment accurately titled, “Deep Powder,” and with a musical score written especially for this segment, this is the stuff from which dreams are made for many of us. Exceedingly rare are the days when the sun comes out and you get great light while the powder stays fluffy, and yet that’s what we have here.
Simply put, it’s the most awesome tele pow footage the Powderwhores have given us yet, and that’s saying a lot.
www.powderwhore.com