Outstanding Fall Golf Awaits at Kokanee Springs

To say that Kokanee Springs Resort is one of Canada’s finest championship golf courses would be an understatement.  Sometimes referred to as the best-kept golf secret in the Kootenays, Kokanee Springs is a well-crafted, mature golf course squeezed between mountains, streams and the shore of magnificent Kootenay Lake.

Kokanee Springs is a Norman Woods original design. Woods was a student and protege of legendary golf course designer Stanley Thompson.  Thompson designed many classic Rocky Mountain layouts such as Banff Springs and Jasper golf courses.

I recently had the opportunity to play the course again and reacquaint myself with the long stretching fairways, generous rolling greens, colourful landscaping and panoramic views, including the spectacular namesake, Kokanee Glacier, to the west.

If you haven’t been to Kokanee Springs in a while, you owe it to yourself to go. Not only does the course have one of Canada’s finest school programs, the resort has recently added another lodge to the accommodation equation (bringing the total to 56 rooms), three new luxury cottages in the woods, and a 12-room ultra-modern villa overlooking the magnificent ninth and 18th greens.

Kokanee Springs has a rich legacy in the Kootenay region, opening for play way back in 1968.  It is truly one of the region’s first and finest golf destination resorts.  Whether you take the world’s longest free ferry across Kootenay Lake or drive the scenic Highway 3A, Kokanee Springs is a golf resort well worth visiting.

The Bunker Grill restaurant, a fully stocked pro shop, a dry-camping RV park, dedicated driving range, golf cart access to the lodge and a real estate development office all complete the fantastic amenities of Kokanee Springs.

The locals say September is always one of the best golfing months at Kokanee Springs. So do yourself a favour this fall and head to Crawford Bay. But remember to bring your ‘big Bertha” because this golf course is long on distance and fun.