Vernon’s Predator Ridge Resort has earned a top-10 finish in the PGA of B.C.’s inaugural rankings for golf courses across the province.
Predator’s Ridge Course, designed by Doug Carrick and opened in 2010, collected seventh place in the provincial poll.
Association members were polled both online and via telephone to make their choices for the top-three facilities, the top course in their region and a hidden gem anywhere in the province.
Over the six week polling period, more than one-third of the association’s 650-plus members responded. From these results, using weighted rankings, three groups of deserving facilities were identified: B.C.’s top-20 courses; B.C.’s top regional facilities (the top-ranked public-access courses from each of five regions across the province); and B.C.’s top-10 hidden gems.
“With PGA members being both competitive players on, and instructors at, all of the top courses across B.C., it was a natural fit to poll our membership to find their selections,” said Donald Miyazaki, association executive director. “Overall almost 100 courses received multiple votes and that just goes to show the depth of the quality of the province’s courses.
“Congratulations must go to the deserving facilities who made the three lists. We are sure that these selections will elicit a fair amount of dialogue.”
The ranking is a partnership between the PGA of B.C. and Inside Golf Magazine.
Said Inside Golf publisher Jeff Sutherland: “It became clear as we received responses that two clear favourites were emerging and that Shaughnessy and Capilano would battle right down to the final few votes for No. 1.
“Eventually Shaughnessy would take top honours by the smallest of margins. On the public-acess side, Big Sky (Pemberton) has always had a solid reputation and now they have the No. 1 ranking to go along with it.”
A number of community-owned courses were counted among the pros’ favourites – Campbell River’s Storey Creek earned an impressive top-10 provincial ranking, Oliver’s Fairview Mountain came 13th and Bowen Island, Castlegar, Golden, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Squamish Valley and Sunshine Coast were all included on the hidden gems list.
Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, built in 1960, West Vancouver’s Capilano G&CC, built by Stanley Thompson in 1937, and the Victoria GC, built in 1893, were voted the top-three.
Regional courses cracking the top-20 include Kamloops’ Tobiano (No. 6) and Rivershore Golf Club (No. 12), Chase’s Talking Rock (No. 9), and Kelowna’s Tower Ranch (No. 14), Gallagher’s Canyon (No. 17) and Kelowna G&CC (No. 19).
