Meet golf’s eco-pioneers

Granby River Golf features one of only a few organic golf courses in Canada

Having moved from their native Switzerland to British Columbia in 1990, Joyce and Philippe Thevenaz have a long history of treating the land with respect and reaping its rewards. Philippe, a skier and farmer at heart while growing up in the Alps, spent numerous years in the wine industry where he learned the value of organic farming first-hand. When he visited B.C. to purchase property, Philippe found a 330-acre ranch north of Grand Forks and he and Joyce began running a small-scale organic cattle ranch on the property. In the mid 1990s, after extensive research on golf courses followed by three years of construction, the Thevenazes transformed their organic cattle ranch into an organic golf Eden. The long championship links-style course measures in at over 7,200 yards when played from the black tees, but with five sets of tee boxes, the course plays well for all levels of ability. Deceivingly open in appearance, the Granby River course will test the best to keep their shots straight, as the narrow fairways are lined with three types of slew grass that grows thick and tall by midsummer. The land itself used to be a lake bottom prior to 1947, when the valley was dammed by the smelter operation in Grand Forks. After a freak log jam threatened to burst the dam and flood the city, the decision was made to dynamite the dam to avoid disaster; this brought the property back above water. Being a former lake bottom comes with several benefits: for instance, the course is flat and level, making the cart paths easily walkable. The unique geography also means that the sandy ground could be used for all of the sand traps on the course, as the former lake-bottom sediment meets the PGA standard for fineness. The sand plays a starring role on many of the holes, with unique and monstrous waste bunkers coming into play on the first, third, 14th and 17th holes. Planted with another variety of slew grass that resembles the elephant grass found in Dubai, the waste bunkers have been a big hit with players. The 543-yard, par five signature hole—Number 14—features the largest of the waste bunkers on the dogleg right that finishes on one of the many large greens built into the dike on the Granby River. The river wraps around the property, affording serene pastoral views of the valley, and is lined with several white sand beaches that provide possible swimming holes for a quick dip along the course. “The funniest story that happened here,” said Philippe, “was last summer we had one group go out to play 18 holes and they didn’t get back until 7 1⁄2 hours later. They saw the white sand beaches from Number 14 and stopped to have a swim and a barbecue.” For the Thevenazes, running the golf course chemical-free seemed only natural, with the Granby River so close to the course, and because of the numerous creeks and wetlands that dot the property. Much of Philippe’s research came out of Florida, where 60 per cent of the golf courses are chemical-free due to the high water table. Although building a golf course organically and chemical-free takes longer, the grass product and the surrounding land are healthier and stronger in the long run, as the soil is enriched with nutrients through the natural process. Granby River Golf also brews its own organic fertilizer, which contains mostly composted turkey manure, kelp, alfalfa, glacier rock dust from a moraine in Chilliwack and a bacterial culture to activate the enzymes in the ground. The theory behind the process is to spread the natural bacterial culture, which essentially eats the dirt and produces the nutrients to feed the plants. As the course becomes more popular and business picks up, the Thevenazes plan to continue to develop the course at a slow and steady pace. Big plans include a unique clubhouse set on the banks of the Granby River near the course entrance. The pro shop, restaurant and clubhouse will be housed in separate small buildings interconnected by a large patio system protected by strung-up sailboat-like shade sails similar to those commonly seen in Europe.