Alberta/British Columbia Golfers Guide Course Stories

The vision and dream of Stan Tower has come to life. The Club at Tower Ranch is open on all 18 Bent grass golf holes.

The Club at Tower Ranch has more than 100 white silica sand bunkers, and boasts amazing views of the Okanagan Lake and the City of Kelowna.

Sixteeen of the 18 holes, to be exact, take in the breathtaking scenery. Each golf hole is unique and will challenge the skill level of every golfer.

The course has 650 feet of elevation change, yet only two holes play uphill, a testament to the award-winning talents of architect Thomas McBroom.

With greens perched on cliffs as if suspended in mid-air, with fairways funnelling down canyons carpeted by brilliant green bentgrass, with white sand bunkers defining ridges dotted with sagebrush and windswept fescues, with heartstopping carries over canyons and washes, with views of the Kamloops Lake from every hole, the golf at Tobiano is as bold, powerful, and dramatic as the stunning natural surroundings. On a bluff shaped over the millennia by water and wind, on the edge of a pristine 18-mile long lake, one of golf’s finest modern architects has created a masterpiece.

“I think it’s probably the most memorable course I’ve made,” said Thomas McBroom, five of whose creations have been named ‘Best New Course in Canada’ by Golf Digest.  “What makes me very proud about Tobiano is that there is really nothing else like it anywhere in the world.” On the site of the historic Six Mile Ranch, Tobiano (pronounced tow-be-yahno, the name of the famous painted horses of the American Southwest) is unquestionably one of the most visually dramatic golf courses in the world. McBroom is an acknowledged master at painstakingly creating designs that bring the utmost enjoyment to a landscape for all players.

The word “destination” can be defined in a couple of different ways, both of which apply to Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community. As “the place designated as the end of the journey,” Crown Isle certainly defines the phrase “off the beaten path.” But then there’s also a definition of destination as “the ultimate goal for which something is done.”

With British Columbia just named the #1 Golf Destination in North America for 2007 by the International Golf Tour Operators Association, Crown Isle’s platinum-rated course, an unparalleled resort, and a master-planned residential community truly might entice you to “come for a tee time and stay for a lifetime.”

Located on 831 acres in Courtenay in the heart of the gorgeous Comox Valley, about a 2-1/2 hour drive north of Victoria, Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community defines the word “pristine.” Yes, it is a little out of the way. But once there, you can leave your car for a golf cart and enjoy the getaway of a lifetime, a vacation you might want to consider permanent once you meet those who’ve settled in the golf resort community surrounding Crown Isle.