Parksville’s Morningstar Golf Club is no stranger to accolades, but being named as one of the top 59 public golf courses in the country “feels great.”
There were only two golf courses on Vancouver Island to earn the honour — Bear Mountain is the other. B.C. had 15 courses in all — second behind Ontario at 22 for most — named to the list, put together every other year by Score Golf.
Morningstar was also named the ninth best value golf course in the country (Bear Mountain was 38th).
“Back in 2009 we were ranked the ninth best public golf course in B.C., but to be rated not only 46th out of the top 59 in all of Canada means more, and also, to be named ninth best value golf course nationally, that’s the other big reward in all this,” said Morningstar’s Michael Loftus, vice president in charge of marketing.
“It’s a great honour, and it says a lot,” he said of the two national rankings, “I think it gives the direction of what we’re trying to do at the club, which is to provide the best product possible,” then made the point “I don’t know if you’ve played the course this year but it’s in the best condition it’s been in since I’ve been here in 2008. The golf course is phenomenal this year,” he said, “and that’s our goal, is to have the best quality facility, and the golf course is a priority to us. It’s huge. We want it to be the best on the Island, and Golf Canada, the RCGA, wants us to hold more national events here because they believe in the product.
Loftus said they are also talking to the PGA Tour about bringing back the qualifying event, “and this is all because of quality of the golf course, and this helps in our longer marketing and where we want the golf course to be.”
Opened in 1990, the 7,018 yard Les Furber designed layout has hosted numerous high profile events over the years, and employs 44 people in the peak season.
“We’re trying more and more to make sure the golf course is available to our membership, and of course to our local people as well as visitors. We believe we’re a key component in bringing tourism to Oceanside, to greater Parksville, or as we refer to it as ‘perfect Parksville.
“It’s exciting, and we really are trying to build the golf course into being one of the best, not only on Vancouver Island, not only in BC, but we want to be one of the best golf courses nationally, and we know the golf course itself is that good we’ve been told by a lot of great players.”
