Osoyoos Golf Club
Osoyoos Golf Club
By Darcy Nybo
The beauty of the South Okanagan is, no matter where you stay you can be 10 minutes away from a golf course, and after you are done sinking puts, you are minutes away from some of the world's finest wineries.
A good example is Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa in Osoyoos. They are moments away from NK’MIP Cellars, named the #1 BC Winery at the 2012 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards. NK'MIP is a stone’s throw from three spectacular Okanagan courses, including Sonora Dunes, a nine-hole, desert-style course set within the vines that surround Spirit Ridge. Overlooking Osoyoos Lake, this course provides the perfect introduction to your Okanagan golf experience, and thanks to the resort’s stay and play package, you may have reason to linger even longer.
Across the lake, Osoyoos Golf Club’s two championship courses, Park Meadows and Desert Gold, showcase two very different styles of play. Set within the mountainside desert, Park Meadows is a walkable, resort-style course, while Desert Golf is challenging with its combination of rolling sand dunes and open parkland. No matter which course you choose, you'll end up loving the gorgeous views of the lake, orchards and vineyards.
Just north to Oliver you'll find the NK’MIP Canyon Desert Golf Course. Owned and operated by the Osoyoos Indian Band, NK’MIP boasts plenty of variety, thanks to the desert-dominated Canyon Nine (keep an eye out for the indigenous plants found here) within reach of the laid-back Grove Nine. This course is literally surrounded by wineries as Oliver is known as the Wine Capital of Canada (winecapitalofcanada.com)
The fall has a flurry of events in the area with everything from live music at several of the wineries including Tinhorn Creek and Hester Creek, to the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. Be prepared to get your golf in early while you are here as there are approximately 20 wineries in the area and all are well worth a visit.
Fairview Mountain Golf Course has established a reputation for spectacular golf. They are a previous winner of the prestigious BCPGA Golf Facility of the Year award, and have garnered many industry accolades including being one of the Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada by Score Magazine. You can see Tinhorn Creek from their 6th hole and they are a five minute drive from Fairview Cellars, and 10 minutes from Jackson Triggs and Inniskillin wineries and several others down the Golden Mile.
Drive a little further north and you'll come to St. Andrews by the Lake outside of Okanagan Falls. When you step onto the St. Andrews course, you may forget you are in a desert. With its giant weeping willows surrounding a sparkling lake and softly rolling hills you may think you are in Scotland. Located near the Astrophysical Observatory on White Lake Road, this mature mid-length nine-hole golf course appeals to golfers of all levels. Just around the bend from the golf course is See Ya Later Ranch, a winery whose vineyards have the highest elevation in the Okanagan.
There are 12 wineries in the area, each with it's own award winning wine, and unique characteristics. For example, Wild Goose Winery has a brand new roomy tasting room with most of their wines bearing either a gold or silver medal.
If you are starting in the south Okanagan, many golfers make Twin Lakes Golf and RV Resort their first play en route to other golf courses in the South Okanagan. Twin Lakes is a 10 minutes drive from St. Andrews and features spectacular golf on a 285-acre resort nestled in a scenic valley surrounded by towering rock cliffs. The course features elevated tees, strategically bunkered greens and fairways, and water hazards on four holes. Multiple tee blocks on each hole ensure all players are challenged yet provides optimal playability. After a day here, you just may need a glass of wine!
No matter which course you choose, your hardest choice will be which wineries to visit and which wines to taste. Wine and golf, it just doesn't get much better than this in the south Okanagan.