Wine tours, lake side holidays, golfing all synonymous with one word, Kelowna. Truly a golfers paradise and soon to be the golf mecca of British Columbia. There are no less than 25 courses stretching the Okanagan Valley from Oliver up to Salmon Arm. Regardless of skill level there is a course for you and others to challenge you to the next level of play. My week long golf holiday was a marathon of 90 holes, one course each day - Monday thru Friday.

THE HARVEST GOLF CLUB TEE TIMES 1-800-257-8577

The Harvest Golf Club has become one of my mainstays when travelling to Kelowna. Located on the eastern hillside just minutes from downtown, is an apple orchard transformed by Graham Cooke to one of the most popular tourist golf destination in Kelowna. If playing Harvest will be your first time, venture past the entrance and follow the road above. A downward glance will tease golfing senses with immaculate bent grass fairways nestled amongst the still "Harvested" apple trees. The fairways are wide and forgiving, the greens are undulating velvet, and views that extend from one end of the valley to the other. A golfers paradise.

Golfers are treated like royalty, from parking lot to first tee, the entire staff is dedicated to ensuring your game will leave lasting memories. The 1st hole is a perfect way to start, bring out your big club and let it rip. Your second shot will require and accurate mid to short iron into the green, especially with a back pin placement. The humorous highlight was the slow play found on the 3rd tee box. A slightly lost turtle was venturing off in search for his pond a few holes away. Hole #7 is an extreme dogleg left and uphill. Placing yourself down by the 150-barber pole is quite easy but pushing your luck and courage left of center will taunt you to the edge of the orchard. A well-placed ball will leave you with an uphill lie and about 120 yards out. You must club down and play for either tier depending on pin placement. Here is a helpful hint, If the pin is on the second tier, play for the very back of the green as it has a semi-bowl shape that can funnel your ball to a safe landing. Hole #14 is an easy par hole measuring 468 yards. This is your opportunity to be there in "2" or very close. An inviting entrance to the green allows for a links style "bump and run" for either birdie or par.

Gilles Dufort runs a first class operation, treat yourself to some great golf and spectacular views. You will leave with a feeling that the Okanagan Valley would be a great place to live.

THE OKANAGAN GOLF CLUB - THE BEAR TEE TIMES 1-800-898-2449

A new bear cub has emerged from hibernation this summer season, although it appeared fairly easy from the first tee, it left me licking my wounds. The Bear is the new 18-hole addition to the former Quail Ridge Golf Club. Renamed to the Okanagan Golf Club, The Bear recently opened for public play this past August 1st weekend.

The Bear offers comparable views as Harvest but from the opposing side of the Okanagan Valley. Hole #3 will give you a great elevated view as the tee-box is cut into the hillside some 100+ feet above the fairway. Attention to detail is also quite evident down to the signature bear tee markers, a trade mark for renowned golfer and course architect, Jack Nicklaus. My foursome today consisted of players using the "red", "silver", and "black" tees which suited well for all our playing abilities. I chose the "black's" as this made the yardage a challenging 6430 yards and slope of 122. The "Reds" measured an easy 5090 yards and slope of 108. These choices worked very well considering this was my wife's first game in over a year and she did not leave after the game frustrated because it played too long or caused her to be perpetually in bunkers and bushes.

The first 2 holes were very tame for a course branded, "The Bear" and a logo of a 5-clawed footprint. Fellow golfers told me that the course was quite easy and by assumption of name, I thought it would be the opposite. What does truly define a difficult course? My views on slope rating tend to not always tell the whole story. The Bear is a course that requires placing your ball in critical areas to allow for a better and easier 2nd shots to the green. Hole #3 is a prime example. The tee boxes are protruding ledges some 100+ above the fairway. A gaze downward and beyond to the green shows that your ball must be left of center otherwise the trees block your view, or the hillside gives way to O.B. A very steep green side hill left and again sloping away on the right requires you to hit accurately to the middle. Any error will create havoc in getting your 3rd shot close to the pin. Thinking back to the tee, this hole requires a lot of smart play, and does several more to follow. Venturing through the first nine is a true test for accurate shot making. I found fairways to appear wide with minimal hazards, however the hillsides, ridges, and valleys require a true "Hunting License" to tame this bear. Lunch at the turn was a fresh thickly packed sandwich made to order, I was ready for another nine.

I found the back nine to be more forgiving and with more opportunities for pars and maybe birdies. For those familiar with the Quail's link style holes 14 thru 16, the Bear's 13 thru 15 play complimentary with a new large lake along 13 and bulging into the fairway of the short #14. #13 is another example where you can let the big stick rip, just do not go left, it will be wet. Once down the middle you can take another big swing and be at green side or just off. Holes 16 and 17 will reward the long hitter. Well-placed drives to 240 can roll down a few hilly areas and leave you a very short iron home. Be accurate, green side bunkers and tiered greens will be waiting.

The Bear was a fun course for all of us and it did not lay down and sleep, as some people have said. Given a year to mature will certainly entice me to return and attempt a better score.

KELOWNA SPRINGS TEE TIMES 1-250-765-4653

The midweek gauntlet of golf was a pleasant paced track located right downtown Kelowna just minutes south of the airport. Kelowna Springs is a busy member/public course that is quite evident from the clusters of groups eating, warming up and coming and going from each nine. A Les Furber design, Kelowna Springs is a course lending itself best to the hardcore local or travelling golfer that has a budget, and this course is every bit worth the approximate $35 green fee. The starter was very helpful for us rookies to acquire some local course knowledge and management tips. The course plays quiet flat, but bunkers loom everywhere around almost every green and the natural springs ties in nicely for a course that requires a lot of good shot making to have a good round. I enjoyed the greens and the challenges posed by some very large and deep edged bunkers. You can not just chop a nine iron close to several pins, I found my 60 degree wedge was the club of choice. You must play the ball high and soft as a lot of greens have gentle to medium slopes that may set up for either 1 or 3 putts. The day was a real scorcher and the course marshall was well equipped with lemon flavored water to soothe the need for refreshment. Hole #17 was my highlight of the day, the short par 4 hole is a dogleg right that requires a shot to reach at least 180 yards. This is the simple task, once out there and even if you sprayed right or left you have a fair to good chance of reaching the green in "2". A large pond with signature Furber wood timbers guard any balls played too short or miss-hit into the green. Play right on your tee shot and be left with a confident 6 to 7 iron, or play left and take the pond partially out of play and play a medium to long iron and approach with safety. Course management or aggressive play, you decide.

SALMON ARM GOLF CLUB TEE TIMES 1-250-832-4727

During my last golf vacation, Salmon Arm was merely a breakfast pit stop on my way to Fairmont. The view from the clubhouse fore told that this was a course I must return to. Every hole on this course has subtle to extreme elevation changes, with a dense tree line to make each tee to green experience a private one. I envy the Shuswap locals knowing they have a hidden gem of a course as emerald as Kalamalka Lake. Anyone I ever talked to that has played Salmon Arm raves about it and that it is one of B.C.'s best, I now believe them. Justly so, Salmon Arm has been ranked in the top 20 in B.C. and in the top 60 in Canada.

The tee-areas are tastefully landscaped with a multitude of rainbow flowers and enhanced with recently painted antique farm equipment. A classic touch to a very modern course. Describing this course would not give justice to the "real" experience, put this one on your must play list. Completion of the first hole required some course management and for my first time here I was happy with a bogey. Hole #2 requires a conservative tee-shot placed down the middle for a good set up onto a very elevated green with two tiers. You will need an extra club with a full swing depending on where the pin is cut. Needless to say the rest of the holes proved to be shot rewarding and a true golf challenge. Hole #10, the "2" ranked hole for difficulty, is probably the toughest and my personal favorite. An elevated tee-shot demands a 250-yard poke to the 150-yard shrubs. Once again, to go aggressive you must cut across the treed ravine and avoid the large fir splitting the fairway at the joint of the dogleg. Playing your tee-shot slightly left of center allows your 2nd shot to be a little easier than too far right. Once again this elevated green has 2 tiers and an extra club is needed. Hole #18 is a spectacular way to finish and even better if you have a gallery from the clubhouse restaurant. Reaching in "2" is long, tough and requires nerves of steel. Anything short and left is wet. The accompanying photo tells the whole story. My recommendation to play this hole, there is plenty of fairway from the tee so the driver needs to launch your ball a good 225 to 250. Play a 4 iron right of center into the narrow landing area. If it strays too far right you will hopefully get a good kick off the hill back towards the green. From here an easy wedge will place you in good contention for par. Salmon Arm was a real treat, and I now know what everyone else means when they say you have to play Salmon Arm.

PREDATOR RIDGE GOLF RESORT TEE TIMES 1-250-542-3436

The final leg of this Okanagan tour was Predator Ridge, a course that will test your knowledge and skills from tee to green on every hole. Tucked 10 minutes away off of Highway 97 between Kelowna and Vernon is a growing golf resort and community, titled "A Place to Play, A Place to Live". Prior to the entrance you are treated to an aerial view from the road above, a true appetizer for what is to come. The view of the front 9 and practice range is a magnificently contoured landscape like tailored cuts of velvet carefully placed amongst perfectly trimmed rough, fluffy white beaches, and honey gold fescue.

The pivot point on the front nine is hole #4. A massive dog-leg right that has a lake in play from tee to green. Attainable in "2" but will require laser scope accuracy from either white or blue tees. A kidney shaped green with a dividing ridge will test your short approach and putting. A par here deserves applaud from your group. The Predator's Talons may retract after success here but do not let your guard down there is plenty of challenging golf left. Hole #7, and the 1 rated hole difficulty, is waiting. Hole #7 requires a tee shot left of center; anything too right will roll down the grassy hillsides and make for a struggle onto the green. If you a fortunate to play down the fairway you will be left with a mid iron, most likely a 7, that must be played dead center to the green. Anything right is "bye-bye" down the steep hillside. Too far left and its in the bunker without much green to work with to get it close to the hole.

To score well you must get aggressive with the par 5's and exercise course management on the par 4's. A review of the score card shows 5 par 5's with a 35 Front / 38 Back. Hole #14 is menacing as #4 except the water plays along side the left side. Play your driver to the first landing area down the middle, another well struck long iron and you are almost there. An accurate wedge shot into the green is critical. The large green is tiered and has a right to left slope to it. Stay below the hole here or those "Predator Talons" will feast on you.