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Bootleg Gap Golf Course
| Course Overview |
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| Par |
72 |
| Championship Length |
7,157 |
| Championship Rating / Slope |
73.1 / 125 |
| Course Architect |
Les Furber |
| Clubhouse Facilities |
Lounge / restaurant, BBQ, outdoor patio |
| Season Length |
early April to mid October |
| Driving Range |
Yes |
| Putting Green |
Yes |
| Club Rentals |
Yes |
| Power Cart Mandatory |
No |
| Beverage Cart |
No |
| Price Range |
$41 - $61 (includes cart) depending on month, day of the week, and tee time
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| Opening Year |
2002 |
Course Overview
Opened in July 2002, Bootleg Gap is a sensational new 27-hole public facility in a gorgeous valley setting. Designed by renowned architect Les Furber, Bootleg Gap features an 18-hole championship course and a worthy 9-hole course that features a par of 34. Some tough driving holes and a great par-five provide a unique challenge on the nine-holer, which is already an extremely popular component of Bootleg Gap.
Bootleg's championship course - which has what many consider to be the best back nine in the Kootenay Rockies - combines some spacious driving holes with some tighter riverside holes where accuracy is at a premium. The par-three 12th, featuring a nervy 70-foot drop to the green, is the early candidate for the 'signature hole'. The 12th begins a thrilling three-hole stretch that rims the beautiful St. Mary River.
Set at an altitude of 3,500 feet at the south end of Kimberley (population 7,000, with one ski area, one traffic light and three golf courses), the 7,200-yard layout starts in an alpine meadow, then parades golfers past the hoodoos, a row of sandstone formations that resemble organ pipes. The beige-and-ivory hoodoos, their columns rising 75 feet, are spaced along the banks of the St. Mary River. The course then climbs to higher ground, with holes carved from a classic B.C. palette of towering ponderosa pine, spruce and fir. The views, like most of the panoramas on the western flank of the Continental Divide, are astounding: to the east, towering Fisher Peak and the Steeples; to the west, toothy spires pushing 9,000 feet in the Selkirk Mountains. These are among the most beautiful mountains on the continent. As a golf setting, their grandeur is unrivaled.
The back nine at Bootleg Gap returns players to the river by way of a signature hole, the par-three 12th, which drops nearly 75 feet to a green backdropped by Bootleg Mountain and the St. Mary River Gap. The large green, while well- defended by mounds and bunkers, looks easy enough to hit from the elevated tee, but swirling river winds can play tricks with your tee shot; club selection can range from a driver to a six-iron. The course then meanders through the river valley before asking players to make the climb home by way of the 18th, a short but stout uphill par five that better players can reach in two-if they're accurate.
According to Bootleg Gap's General Manager Darrell Burak, "We wanted a playable, maintainable golf course, a durable layout that could handle plenty of play." Flatter than the area's other courses, most of which are carved from mountain slopes and the tops of canyons, Bootleg Gap is no pushover, but it's a little gentler than most.
Burak adds that Furber, a Trent Jones disciple, tends to use bunkers to defend his greens left, right and sometimes center. "We requested open-entry greens, so that higher handicappers with lower ball flights can bump-and-run their shots onto the putting surface," Burak says.
Don't be deceived by Bootleg's low green fees. It is easily one of the best layouts in the BC Rockies and is its best bargain. Be sure to include Bootleg in your Ultimate Rockies golf package if your travels take you to the southern reaches of the Columbia Valley.
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