Members vote in favour of expansion
At a meeting held April 4 members of the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club voted on expansion of the golf course.
At the well-attended meeting, the membership passed a motion to go ahead with the expansion.
Voting results were: 201 in favour, 106 against, with about half the membership casting a vote.
The expansion will include almost 50 acres (35 of which will be buildable) and make the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club a 36-hole course.
The original parcel of land was acquired by the Town of Osoyoos from the Crown in order to distribute effluent for the town. Longtime Osoyoos resident and mayor at the time, Chuck Emery, was responsible for the original acquisition in 1968, at a cost of $1 plus the cost of surveying, which was well under $200.
In 1971, the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club society formed and in 1973, the first nine holes were opened.
The new course will be an 18-hole desert course that will embrace the environment, said General Manager Randy LaRoche.
We value the desert very much and from a marketing point of view we have something very unique, so we want to maintain it from a stewardship kind of role.
Whatever we're not turning into golf course out there in the desert will remain as desert and be protected, LaRoche said.
In areas that are slated to become golf course, there will be an effort to remove much of the vegetation to be transplanted onto land that will be reclaimed as desert.
The board will be working with the Desert Society on this reclamation project.
We anticipate that the expansion will provide 20 per cent more prime time play for our members and visitors, LaRoche explained.
Also in attendance at the meeting were a number of experts that have been working on the project.
Architect Doug Thomson has been working with the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club for about three years, both on the expansion project and a master renovation plan, LaRoche explained.
As well, Reg Down, a certified golf course irrigation designer, and Daniel T. Hill, a management consultant were on hand at the meeting.
Plans also include renovation or restructuring of five existing holes to fix up design deficiencies. A new irrigation system will also be put in place to enhance the desert and responsibly use the water we have, LaRoche said.
The irrigation system is designed to irrigate the golf course from the outside in to minimize any spray getting out into what we want as true desert.rnOne question raised among members was 'Why now?' LaRoche explained that the club had been speculating for many years when it would grow to a 36-hole course.
As soon as the first nine holes became popular and began to get full, the club expanded with an additional nine holes (1981). Then, when demand was there again, another expansion took place (1994).
LaRoche feels the club is in a position again where the demand is there to move forward. Demand has come both from the golfers and from the town needing to deal with more effluent.
LaRoche also feels that now is the time to expand as there is support from the membership and the economic climate is good.
Members are also feeling the pinch when it comes to available prime time tee times, LaRoche said.
If you look at the demographics, the baby boomers are coming, so this town will only grow. Osoyoos is a retirement mecca and we want to be ahead of the arc. We would like to have this in place before the demand is there.rnAlthough some members questioned the process of expansion, the board felt it would be more cost-efficient to do the expansion as a whole project at once as opposed to a phased-in project. Also, by doing the project all at once, the disruption window would be shortened.
There will be some interruption to our membership but we're going to do our best to make that happen on the shoulder season.rnConcerns were also raised regarding the impact the cost of expansion would have on membership fees, but LaRoche said the board feels the revenues generated from the green fee play will carry and support this project.
The members' dues are reviewed yearly and are adjusted accordingly, usually based on inflation costs.
The total development cost of the expansion and renovation project will be $3,912,649, which includes a $325,000 contingency plan.
We expect to start very early in May. The disruptions will be minor because the new holes are independent of the existing ones. We feel that we are a strong attraction and service for the town. From a membership point of view, people are living here because we have such a great golf course and it's so affordable to belong to. We're also here to provide a golfing experience for visitors.
We expect our end result to be a golf destination very unique in character in Canada, LaRoche said.
