Most residents of Cranbrook and Kimberley likely are aware of the Mission Hills par 3 golf course, due to its visibility from the highway and from the busy Theatre Road leading into the Key City. They may, however, not yet know that the course is under new ownership, and the new owners have big plans for its future.
The course was purchased by Chris and Kimberly Carrier and the deal was officially closed in March, 2024.
Kimberly is originally from Edmonton and Chris grew up in Kimberley and graduated from Selkirk Secondary School. He moved to Calgary to start a business, met Kimberly there and ultimately the two moved to Cranbrook.
He originally looked into buying Mission Hills in around 2007, but at that time it wasn’t for sale.
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“I loved the course, it’s such a great spot, and I thought, ‘that’d be amazing to buy a golf course.’ I ended up walking away from doing that deal and built a house at that time and kind of focused on my other business, Men in Kilts.”
Men In Kilts, a window and residential exterior cleaning company, flourished and Chris ended up selling it in 2021. He and Kimberly then went travelling around the world together, all the while thinking of where the right place to build a house would be.
They came to Cranbrook to visit Chris’ father and wound up going golfing at Mission Hills. Chris mentioned to the person working the desk that he at one point looked into buying the course, and was then told that it was now for sale.
At that point the sale didn’t work out and they wound up walking away and continuing their travels, but they couldn’t get Mission Hills out of their mind. They came back in January, closed the deal in March and got right to work.
“Clearing years of clutter,” Chris said. “With some new energy, a little bit of experience and some of the marketing that we have under our belts with our brand Men in Kilts was really good and I think it really translates well into what we’re trying to do here.”
They got started with a huge social media campaign, as you may have noticed on your social media feeds, and it’s gone very well so far. They also plan to branch out into other marketing mediums including print, radio and Google.
“We really want to do something to highlight that this is a perfect tourist property,” Chris said. “So we want to expand it to include a campground, we want to bring tourists to the property, fill the restaurant.”
The pair have big plans for the new restaurant at the club house, which they will call Birdies Kitchen and Bar. Work has already begun on this extensive renovation project. It will feature simple breakfast selections for those early-tee-time golfers, and then a big lunch menu, with pub foods like fresh soups and sandwiches to begin with.
Kimberly said the plan is to not just have it as a seasonal spot, but have it open year-round. They plan to have fire pits and propane heaters to keep their epic patio running as much as possible.
“We want to stay open,” she said. “We want to be able to do cross-country skiing here if there’s enough snow, anything that we can utilize this property 365 days a year. Bring the community here, this will be the hub, we hope.”
“We’ve been told that our deck is one of the best decks in Cranbrook,” Chris added. “And every time we go out there we’re just like ‘whoa.’ When you can see the mountains back there and the sun’s on them and it’s a beautiful day and it’s warm, it’s like yeah this is the place to be, it’s so beautiful.”
Kimberly will also launch a side project she’s calling the Blended Nutrition Club, that will feature healthy smoothies, shakes and mega teas.
There’s still a lot of work to do on the restaurant, not just including its installation, but also permitting through the City of Cranbrook and Interior Health, but the plan is to have it open for late May or early June.
The restaurant is one of the most major projects currently underway, but they’ve also given the driving range a facelift, with all new mats and a fresh coat of paint. They’re also bringing in some new-to-them golf carts and have just finished up a major cleanup of the course, including the removal of a massive mountain of pine needles.
Looking ahead, they plan to do a lot of beautification of the course, installing flower beds and hanging potted flowers from the light posts along its entrance.
“One of the biggest things we want to do, and this is kind of an over the top idea, but think ten years down the road and you’re walking through Mission Hills golf course and it looks like Butchart Gardens,” Chris said. “We want flowers, we want it to really be a property where people come and just go ‘oh my goodness, this is a par three golf course?’”
So far, the Carriers say the response from the golfing public has been very positive.
“People have told me that they’ve never seen so many golfers here,” Chris said. “On our opening weekend I think we had 100-plus people and that rivalled some of the summer days, like full-on in the middle of tourism season and we’re doing the same numbers on opening day.”
They’ve brought back the core of the course’s grounds crew and have brought on more. They will be looking for more new staff once the restaurant and pro shop are up and running.
“The whole clubhouse-pro shop area will be all new staff, so lots of opportunities for people young and old to come and work,” Kimberly said. “We’re looking for quite a few people, because we think this is going to be a happening place.”
Be sure to follow Mission Hills Golf Course on Facebook to follow along with the Carriers’ journey, and check out their website missionhillsgolf.ca for fantastic deals, to book a tee time, and learn more about job opportunities as they arise.