By Jim Lee
On a recent trip to the Columbia Valley, I had the opportunity to play Copper Ridge. Its one of the newer courses among the well established courses of the region – Fairmont, Radium, Eagle Ranch and Grey Wolf. It adds considerably to the range of courses available in the region, taking the Columbia Valley golf consortium to 9 courses and making the region a very complete golf destination.
The two courses at Copper Point, the championship course and the Ridge Course, combine to represent what might be the future of golf courses. The new Ridge course, opened in May 2008, offers golfers an alternative to the usual 6700 yard course taking 4 ½ hours to play. From the back tees, its 5072 yards of par 62 while from the front tees its 3,575 yards. On many of the holes there’s over 100 yards between the front and back tees. Unlike many “executive” length courses, designer Gary Browning shortened the course by creating full length holes – up to 450 yards on some par 4’s – and replacing the par 5 holes with par 3 holes, of which there are 11. Staying with the overall philosophy, the fairways are generous where they need to be, and bunkers are placed appropriately. Other than playing no par 5’s you would not know from looking at the course that you weren’t playing a full length, well maintained golf course. You’ll still need your driver. The course is scenic, set among rolling hills, so there are elevation changes which make the course interesting, and carts are mandatory. Brian Schaal, the General Manager, told us that the course record is 3 above par, and that the normal round is just over 3 hours. I suspect there would be a lot more golfers participating if they could regularly complete a round in 3 hours.
The Clubhouse at Copper Point is very nice, with a large verandah overlooking the main course sloping down to the west and eventually to the Columbia River. The views of the Rocky Mountains, particularly with the sun setting in the evening are spectacular. My impression of the front 9 was not overly favorable. Although there are lots of trees, the course is a parkland style, with minimal elevation change and several holes relatively close together. It wasn’t really what I expected after having played some of the other courses in the region. One positive was the shape and mounding of the greens, with very pronounced movement, that made for interesting putts. At one point one of our group tried a putt that eventually went through a 360 degree circle.
The back 9 though, is altogether different. I thought it was very similar to Eagle Ranch, with more elevation change and holes well separate by trees. The terrain was very different from the front 9. Three holes stood out, starting with a dogleg on number 10. The bunkers at the inside corner clearly represent a challenge, but our group decided to go to the inside of the bunkers and deal with the short rough, rather than go the long way around (this isn’t in the pro tips). Number 13 is a downhill dogleg which also offers a choice of going over the trees on the inside. If you go the normal route, you’ll end up with a very long second shot to a green with one of the most pronounced bowl shapes I’ve ever seen. Finally, the finishing hole offers a dogleg around a pond which lets you bite off as much as you can, providing you can keep your slice under control.
The Golf Academy at Copper Point is very well laid out and is in good condition.
As mentioned at the outset, Copper Point compliments the other courses in the region very well and could easily serve as a focal point for a golf trip to the region. Even if golfing with a less experienced or skilled golfer, the Ridge Course will keep any golfer happy for more than one round. Try it.
