By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
Spectacular. That’s a word you’ll use time and time again when you tee it up at The Rise Resort in Vernon, B.C. Spectacular holes. Spectacular views. And, spectacular memories at the end of the day when you’re relaxing in the brand-new, spectacular restaurant and lounge area overlooking Okanagan Lake.
About the allure of this Fred Couples design, Chad Scott, the Director of Operations and Executive Professional, noted the draw is due to a few things. “Mainly the location,” he began. “Where we’re situated in the valley in terms of elevation. And, it’s away from everything. No houses. No roads. It’s one with nature. The course winds through alpine, mountainside. It’s a getaway and a place to relax, play an undisturbed round of golf.”
If you haven’t seen this layout, it’s worth the drive up the mountain to check it out. The holes here are secluded, fun to play, and as always this place is in top-notch shape for those taking on the challenges. Over the years there has been some criticism about the difficulty of play here, especially on the opening two holes. However, Scott explained, things have been softened a bit there, especially that demanding second hole, which has seen the pain eased with a simple number change.
That second hole, initially a par-4 playing ‘only’ 363-yards off the Regular tee was, simply put, a beast. It was an uphill slog with a dogleg thrown in for good measure. Needless to say, a bogey here was considered success. Changes though have been made and it’s amazing what those have done, the pro said.
“We’ve changed the par on that to a par-five and we expanded the fairway,” which originally was bordered to the left with trees and to the right with thick rough,” Scott explained of the small, but huge change. “Changing the par was amazing! It was truly a par-5 for most people before. We leaned into the difficulty of it,” and found that simple change of numbers on the scorecard has been an overwhelming success with patrons.
Other changes have also come into play during the Rise’s lifespan. “We’ve done things over the years to soften the course in areas. One thing we did a number of years ago, that they never did when they opened for whatever reason, was to build a sixth tee box. We put that into play about five years ago. We call it the Social Tees. So, when someone says the course is too hard our rebuttal to that is we have a variety of tee boxes suitable for any level including beginners and juniors. That Social Tee box measures about 3,300 yards so there are definitely a lot of options with that.”
Other tees, from the depth of driving distances are 6,600 yards (which seems short until you play from back there!); 6,200 yards; 5,700 yards; 5,000 yards; and 4,200 yards, meaning, as the pro pointed out, everyone can find a comfortable place to start their memorable adventure around this layout.
“We don’t hide the fact that it’s a challenging course but it is a mountain play,” Scott continued. “It’s a place to have a lot of fun. We find a lot of people looking for this experience. If you’re a purist, looking for a flat, nine out, nine in sort of thing it may not be your cup of tea. But people these days are really seeking that fun sort of play. You’re not coming here to break the course record but you want to get away into that environment to have fun and an experience.”
Some other changes have been incorporated as well over the years, including finishing a few projects. “We’ve put in a waterfall on Hole 6 (a par-3) which was in the original design. We completed that feature about four years ago and I want to say it’s absolutely gorgeous!”
One of the most notable changes came on Number 18, which was pared down from a par-4 to a par-3 with the addition of the new Edge restaurant and bar backing the green. “We think that’s one of the best finishing holes around,” Scott said of the lengthy, downhill test. As for the new building itself, he noted, “We don’t call it a clubhouse. It is amazing!,” and includes full food-and-drink and dining venues offering, yes, spectacular views to end a great day on a unique, and fun, golf course.