Sagebrush GC Prepared For A New Season
(Photo By Colby Johannson/Par Six Golf)
By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
QUILCHENA, British Columbia – A course now named as a top play in British Columbia, Sagebrush Golf Course, is prepared to welcome guests with an ever-expanding line-up of amenities.
Sagebrush Golf Club will open for the season on May 3, 2024, and they are ready for those looking for a unique golfing experience. Located in Quilchena, just outside of Merritt, the revamping of this facility will overwhelm guests whether they choose to simply come to play or decide to spend a few days taking on this golfing challenge.
Speaking in a phone interview on April 18, 2024, General Manager Chris Hood explained how upgrades continue to take place.
“The course is looking absolutely amazing. We were fortunate (in 2023), spending a lot of time on the golf course, agronomy, and staffing, that sort of thing, to make sure the course was as good as it could be. The golf course’s superintendent Neil Pilon and his team did an amazing job last season and the course is showing that this season. We had a complimentary winter, I guess, where we had only one cold snap just after Christmas. We didn’t have a lot of snow, a lot of cold weather, and that snow left very early. We’ve been mowing for a few weeks now, watering, and everything is starting to happen. We’ll open in a couple of weeks.”
For 2024, customer services beyond the tee box have seen improvements. Hood explained that the food and beverage end of the operation has been expanded dramatically.
“We are building out a kitchen right now that should be ready to go when we open and if not, just a couple of days from when we open. We’ll have a full-service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ve hired a culinary director, Ned Bell, who’s well-known in these parts and has been on Global TV, Top Chef. He’s a consultant to us and he’s hired a couple of people that he’s worked with in the past, so we’re in a great spot. We’re making a big investment in that.
“Speaking about the golf course, it has always had a great reputation. It’s an amazing property. It’s unique and it’s always done well in rankings and things like that, but we haven’t been able to provide the full service that people are requiring. Director of Golf Randy Smith and his team will continue to service our golfers uniquely and creatively as we work to add the Food and Beverage component to our operation."
While eating and sipping a beverage or two post-round discussing your game is always a good time, golf is all about, well, playing golf. To that end, Hood said the experience one has at Sagebrush Golf Club is unlike any other.
One of the differences here is that tee times are spaced at 15-minute intervals. That, Hood said, allows groups to move at a pace where no one is on their heels hole after hole.
(Photo By Colby Johannson/Par Six Golf)
“We’re very much limited tee times, although we are doing a lot more tee times than we did in the past. It’s all about the golf and spending time on the property. Not having eight-minute tee times and groups called to the tee. You can golf, fish, and stop for a bit,” to enjoy the Hideout, a one-of-a-kind mid-round respite with a relaxed vibe, that tees up an opportunity to fly fish and includes views of others chasing birdies or eagles perhaps being made on the driveable par-4 13th hole. “We’ve built out a chipping course and a Badlands putting course so we’ve got some nice amenities on site.”
Perched above Nicola Lake in the Thompson-Okanagan area of BC, the Sagebrush Golf Club is all one could hope for from a links-style layout. From the tips, you get plenty of room to roam as the 18 holes stretch out to almost 7,400 yards playing to a par of 72. From there, the distances wind down to 6,646, 5,487 (a blue/white combo is in between those last two figures), and 4,838 from the front tees.
In focusing on 2024 and the future, Hood says they are all about customer service from start to finish and worth the drive to get there. “We’re looking at making this a real destination where people will travel far and wide to come and see us.”
An eight-suite amenity at Sagebrush is fully operational, meaning a Stay and Play package fits nicely into the travelling golfers’ schedule. If you prefer, the course also has a partnership with the Best Western hotel in nearby Merritt where players can settle in for the night to gear up for their next round at a spectacular layout in British Columbia.
Come on out and, as they say here, “Play Away!”
For more on the Sagebrush Golf Club, visit their website at www.sagebrushgolfclub.com or call 236-575-2244. They can also be contacted at info@sagebrushgolfclub.com.