Golf season is coming to a close in the Columbia Valley and courses were affected by a combination of a poor economy and some poor weather.

Numbers dropped slightly at some of the larger courses in the area but not by any dramatic amount.

Wilda Schab is the General Manager at Radium Resort.

She said the number of people playing at the course only slightly decreased this year and this happened for a variety of reasons.

“The Radium Resort course experienced a shorter season than usual with a late start in the spring and snow earlier in the fall. When we combine this with poorer weather throughout the season and a slower economy, we experienced fewer numbers of golfers this season compared to others,” Schab said.

Brent Taylor, manager of retail golf operations at the Springs golf course agrees with this assessment.

“The economy did have an effect as we had projected increased play for 2009. Also the poor weather that occurred, particularly in the shoulder months, impacted play.” But he added, “However, we can associate other factors such as the increase in the number of courses in the Columbia Valley offering speciality rates and discounts.”

The Greywolf Golf Course at Panorama also saw its numbers moving slower this year but saw improvement at the end of the season and are hopeful towards next year.

Scott Morgan is the marketing and sales manager for Greywolf Golf Course.

“The economy has had an effect on business this year,” he said. “Golf is a luxury item for many people so it’s one of the first things to get cut from the household budget. We are encouraged that business levels have greatly improved over the last few weeks and we’re hoping that momentum will continue into next season.”

Everyone who answered questions about the season seemed happy with the way this year went and seemed hopeful towards a strong year again next year.

All groups think they have had successful parts to a season that was tough on everyone.

“Without a doubt, The Springs Golf Course proved to be our greatest success of the season,” said Taylor. “Course conditions struggled during the 2007 and 2008 season; however, 2009 saw a strong turnaround and The Springs course achieved a 10 place ranking by Score Golf magazine for best public courses to play in British Columbia.”

Greywolf added another award to its growing list this year by receiving a second place ranking for public golf courses in British Columbia from Score Golf magazine.

“This award from Score Golf reaffirms our belief that Greywolf provides golfers a unique world-class golf experience. It was also great to see two other members of the Columbia Valley Golf Trail (Eagle Ranch and Radium Springs) in the top 10. No other golf destination in Western Canada can boast 3 courses in top 10,” according to Morgan.

All groups talked to stressed the point that they are always looking to improve in the future.

“Our goal is to continue to consistently provide an excellent experience for all of our guests and members,” Schab said.

For the Greywolf course Morgan felt, “Our focus will remain, as always, on providing our guests with a world-class golf experience. The course closed on October 4, but our turf care crew will remain hard at work ‘putting the course to bed’ right up until the snow arrives.”

Finally, Taylor said The Springs goals include, “finding new creative and innovative ways to promote and attract golfers to the Columbia Valley.”