Trickle Creek Golf Resort has wintered well and will open its gates to the public on Friday, May 14.
“We’re very excited to get open for the 2021 golf season,” said Ted Funston, area manager with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
“It’s been a long year of COVID for everyone, but golf has been an outlet for many people, just like skiing was in the winter, and so we’re happy to get people back out on the course. We saw lots of locals golfing last year, and we expect that this summer will be a busy one, too.”
The course is looking green and should be in great shape for the opening day.
“Mother Nature is the biggest thing we deal with in the spring, but we have an extremely good staff that care about the place so it’s been fun and I look forward to another year,” said Trickle Creek superintendent Ray Guimont.
“We have the luxury that we’ve had people who have been here for quite a few years, so our staff does not change a whole lot through the years.”
Mother Nature can certainly present challenges for golf courses, and courses at high elevation like Trickle Creek which is at 4200 feet, are no exception.
The same wind that forced Kimberley Alpine Resort to close the chairlift and knocked down numerous trees on the hill back in January also downed some trees at Trickle, including the huge tree on the eighteenth hole. This resulted in more cleanup than usual for staff, but they as always were up to the challenge.
READ MORE: All chairs at KAR closed for the day due to dangerous winds
“We have the luxury that we’ve had people who have been here for quite a few years, so our staff does not change a whole lot through the years,” Guimont explained. “We have an extremely good staff that care about the place so it’s been fun and I look forward to another year.”
Guimont himself is well versed in what it takes to get the beautiful course ready for play in the spring. March 1, 2021 marked 30 years of working at the course, he started in 1991 during its construction and has seen it grow and develop and transition in ownership from the City to the Lake Louise Group and finally RCR.
“The main thing with Trickle when it opened was the foresight of Jim Ogilvie the Mayor,” he said. “We were basically the first thing that was built transitioning the town away from a mining town to having a tourist base. And it’s been quite successful in accomplishing that.
“I think our claim to fame with Trickle is it’s just a unique 18 holes of golf you can’t really play anywhere. Our back nine has got nine really unique golf holes that you can’t really find in the city and people enjoy it. It’s a pretty site and you’re two minutes from downtown but you feel like you’re out in the wilderness with the animals and nature out there.”
Funston said that there are some great deals in place for May this year to encourage locals to come out and play, including twilight rates all day from May 14 to 27. Locals five and 10 Rounds Pack Holders can bring up to three guests for 50 per cent off the daily rate. All green fee rates include golf, cart and range.
The resort implemented numerous additional safety measures last year to keep staff and golfers safe as the pandemic set in, and those are still in place.
“Just like we did last summer, we will have our COVID-19 policies and procedures to keep guests and staff safer,” Funston said. “We appreciate people reviewing these on our website before coming to the course. We look forward to a time when many people have been vaccinated and we can go back to fairly normal operations.”
The Clubhouse Restaurant will be open for takeout and for eating on the patio. The resort has added a tent on their patio due to the current restrictions prohibiting indoor dining.
“The truth is we have one of the most beautiful settings for a patio around, so we feel we can service guests well and safely under the current restrictions,” Funston said.
To book a time or learn more about the resort visit www.tricklecreek.com
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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