Hyde Mountain Proud To Showcase Itself As Host Of B.C. Mid-Amateur And Mid-Master Championships
Hyde Mountain GC On Mara Lake - Image Courtesy Golf BC
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
SICAMOUS -- Here in the Houseboat Capital of Canada, it makes perfect sense that Hyde Mountain Golf Course would have its own marina.
There’s no need to drive your car to the scenic course that sits on Mara Lake. Just pull your boat up to the dock located on Hyde Mountain’s fourth hole, pick up the courtesy phone and a shuttle will be there in minutes to take you to the newly renovated clubhouse.
And once you see the views from the huge triple-tiered patio outside that clubhouse, you will likely play your round in anticipation of some time spent at the 19th hole.
“Sometimes late in the summer it can be too hot, but the scenery kind of makes up for it,” Hyde Mountain owner Brian Winder says with a smile of his patio. “It has become very popular.”
In a way, the folks at Hyde Mountain feel they are showcasing their course and the Sicamous area to the rest of the province by playing host to this week’s B.C. Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master Championship.
“We are ecstatic about it,” says general manager Bob Genoway. “All of my staff, all of the volunteers, the community of Sicamous, have never had an event like this. The community and the volunteers have come out in droves to support it. It’s a big deal for us and it’s the first event of this kind and I hope there’s more to come.”
Genoway is in his second year at Hyde Mountain, which opened in 2002. He was very content running a course in Carstairs, Alta., and not really looking to move when Winder convinced him to head west and run Hyde Mountain.
image courtesy Hyde Mountain website
The View From The Patio At Hyde Mountain GC Is Worth The Visit Alone
He knew there would be challenges. The golf market is a tough one and Hyde Mountain has had to weather its own financial difficulties. But with stable ownership in Winder, a Drayton Valley, Alta., businessman who took control of the course three years ago, Genoway decided to make the move. Like anyone who has viewed the property, Genoway saw the potential of Hyde Mountain.
“The challenge is this is a beautiful facility and we need to get more people aware of that,” he says. “We have a beautiful golf course, it is mature now, the views are spectacular, the experience is second to none and we just need to get that word out.
“I am really proud that in the last year anyone who has come to Hyde Mountain has got their money’s worth, they have had a great golf experience and hopefully they are going to go back to wherever they are from and tell their friends. That is my challenge and my goal, to make this known, because every morning when I come here early and have a cup of coffee on that patio, it’s the most striking view that you will ever see.”
Genoway and Winder both think the Shuswap area is something of a hidden gem when it comes to golf. They believe it is time the area is recognized as a golf destination market. Hyde Mountain has joined forces with four other Shuswap area courses -- Salmon Arm, Shuswap National, Shuswap Lake Estates and Talking Rock -- to market themselves as the Shuswap Golf Trail.
“The Shuswap is a gorgeous place and we have some beautiful golf courses and for people looking for a buddy vacation or wanting to go somewhere with their family, this is a pretty nice area to do it,” says Genoway. “At Hyde Mountain we have our own marina, you can rent cottages on the water, you can stay in a hotel, you can take a water taxi over and play golf and enjoy our patio. It is really quite a unique experience.”
image courtesy Hyde Mountain website
Hyde Mountain Has Its Own Dock Located At The Golf Course's Fourth Hole
There’s a new hotel being built across the lake that is going to be a Fairmont property that Genoway and Winder think will be a boon for business at Hyde Mountain. “The Fairmont brand has a tremendous reputation,” Genoway says. “They are going to have a huge marina and that will be a big link for us. I am a golf fanatic and when you think about a golf vacation where you can take a water taxi to where you are going to golf and have a world-class view like this patio has, it’s pretty unique and pretty incredible.”
To make it all work, Winder knows he must sell some of the real estate on the property. The plan is to develop somewhere in the neighbourhood of 55 or 60 residential lots. “To me, the golf course is in very good shape,” Winder says. “What we have to do to get rid of debt is to come up with a housing plan and we are talking with a group right now about some of those things. We have a golf course designer who will be out here sometime in the middle of July to go through a few things and give us some ideas on what he thinks we can do. There is lots of room for housing and some of these lots might be million-dollar lots with the views they have.”
On Wednesday night, the players competing in this week’s tournament were being shuttled down to Hyde Mountain’s dock where a local company, Waterway Houseboat Vacations, had one of its boats moored and was hosting a wine and cheese reception. Hors d’oeuvres followed in the clubhouse, where Sicamous Mayor Terry Rysz was scheduled to speak.
Kris Jonasson, the CEO of British Columbia Golf, has been impressed with way Hyde Mountain is treating the players this week. “I’m really pleased to see how welcoming the club has been to all of the competitors in the championship,” Jonasson said. “Hyde Mountain has been absolutely wonderful in terms of rolling out the red carpet to the competitors so that they have an opportunity to see what is available and to tell their friends.
“Our golfers go back and talk to other people at their club and they talk about the experience they had. Hyde Mountain tonight is hosting a reception for us on a houseboat, they have done a couple of wonderful dinners and a cocktail reception and it just really shows the opportunities for people who are looking for a little more of a relaxed area with some nice amenities. I think the golf course has done an outstanding job of showcasing the area.”