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It was another boom year for Kelowna golf

Despite COVID-19, the sport continued to grow in popularity.

  • Golf courses thrived during pandemic
  • Players discovered more local courses
  • Many were first time players

While many businesses saw a drop in revenue due to the pandemic, golf courses around the Okanagan continued to enjoy a surge in business.

With ongoing international travel and some provincial restrictions, many people were forced to stay close to home and explore local courses.

“This year’s been crazy,” Kelowna Springs Golf Manager Sam Striker said. “This place has been known for being one of the busiest courses pre-COVID. But with COVID happening, it’s kind of exploded a little bit and it’s not just our area, it’s golf courses all around.”

Striker said golf was a great outdoor outlet for people when the pandemic struck in 2020 and things have not eased off.

“Golf was one of the very few things people could do and I think people were pretty grateful that we were open and other courses were open.”

Along with their usual members choosing to stay put, lots of first-timers embraced the sport.

“People try it once and it’s an addicting sport and they want to come back and we’re happy to have them,” Striker said. “People just stuck with it and it’s an outside sport you get your steps in, you get to walk, you’re competitive with yourself and your playing partners.”

Another well-known club with a good turnout was Michaelbrook Golf Course.

Norman Parent, who bought the course eight months ago, said over 38,000 rounds of golf were played.

While the fairways were frequented by regulars, Parent saw many newcomers.

“[We] noticed the difference this year with a lot of father-son, mother-daughters combinations,” he said. “We really try to promote that it’s not just a golf course, it’s a recreation place.”

Parent said the only thing impacted by the health guidelines was the seating capacities in the restaurant. However, he discovered the benefit of working with a smaller group.

“Sometimes bigger isn’t better,” he said, adding how some of the changes actually made managing the business better and improved profitability.

Parent expects the surge in golf popularity will continue for some time.

“It’s not just wineries and bike trails, but the golf courses, and there’s a good broad level of golf available for every level in the Okanagan,” he said.

While Michaelbrook is closed for the season, Kelowna Springs remains open, weather permitting.

Published 2021-11-08 by Connor Chan

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