Tower Ranch Golf Course sold to new owners

Tower Ranch Golf and Country Club will be in new hands when players tee off this April, although the management says it will be business as usual.

Okanagan based Durali Properties has bought the assets and business operations of the layout near the airport, from the Carrington Group of Companies.

The buyer also owns the nearby Sunset Ranch Golf Course.

The cost of the deal has not been disclosed.

Tower Ranch General Manager, James Cronk, told Kelowna10 the main direction initially from the new owners is to keep things status quo, but there’s always scope for improvements.

“They’ve made some great improvements at Sunset Ranch over the last few years and I’m sure we’ll start having some conversations about things we’ve always wanted to do,” Cronk said. That could include addressing the absence of a practice/warm up area.

Given the surge in interest in golf since the COVID-19 pandemic, Cronk was asked if there would be any major changes to the cost to play – regular green fees range from $99 to $159 depending on the time of day and month of year.

“We’ve been very strong in our opinions to not try to quickly take advantage of what has been this [increased] demand,” he said. “We’ve raised our prices a little bit each year. If you raise prices ten per cent, you’re barely covering the costs of fuel, fertilizer and labour.”

The course has a local residents’ card offering 20 per cent discounts and twilight specials for anyone with an Okanagan Valley address.

But for Cronk, the key message about the new owners is that they are local.

“Any time your owner is next door is a really positive thing. The Carrington Group were really wonderful shepherds and ambassadors of Tower Ranch … and the continued above-and-beyond service and conditioning of the course will continue with the new owners,” he said.

Tower Ranch is regarded as one of the best golf courses in the Okanagan and has been voted the No.1 Public Golf Course in Kelowna.