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Freddie puts his distinctive stamp on

The Rise golf club

By Roger Knox

Fred Couples took a bite out of Vernon in 2000 when the PGA golf pro won the Export A Skins Game at Predator Ridge.
Now, seven years later, Couples has returned to the North Okanagan to have a look at the golf course he's helping design.

The 1992 Masters champion was in Vernon on Friday to view the Golf Club at the Rise, on the hills above Bella Vista Road.

"It's been phenomenal, it's been a full day here," said the amiable Couples, 47, a 15-time winner on the PGA tour, during a 15-minute meeting with local media at the course Friday afternoon.
 
"The Rise is on the rise. The guys have been working awfully hard. Gene Bates (design partner) has done an incredible job."

Couples met the media on what will be the 16th tee box, a picturesque par three that the Seattle native says will be "spectacular". Asked what will be the signature hole, Couples chuckled and pointed to where he had just come from: the 15th.

"It might not be the signature hole for the course, but from that tee box, you'll want to bring your family and friends, because you can see everything. It's an amazing view from there," said Couples.

Growing up just two hours from Canada, Couples is quite familiar with the province.

He won the B.C. junior championship at the Vancouver Golf Club, and captured the B.C. Amateur title at Marine Drive in Vancouver, beating out a field that included the likes of well-known provincial golfers, Jim Rutledge and Doug Roxburgh, before turning pro.

Couples, who lists Augusta National in Georgia, home of the Masters, as his favourite course, lends his hand to designing two-to-three new golf courses each year. The Golf Club at the Rise is his first signature course in Western Canada.

"It'll be in perfect shape when it's done," guaranteed Couples. "This place has a lot of different feels to it. You feel like you're in the mountains, but it's also flat and there are a lot of plateaus. You don't have to be a billy goat to play this course."

The par 72, 7,000-plus yard championship course offers the most breathtaking views of Okanagan Lake, and has been integrated into the rugged natural topography of the Bella Vista highlands.

"The land flowed nicely," said Couples. "We've chiseled and chipped away at it a bit, but not a whole lot of dirt has been moved. We'll be putting in some more pine trees to go with the poplars and scrub brushes. But the design just fits. We're not carving any of the mountains here."

Asked if he would bring a skins game to his own course in Vernon, Couples said it's an idea that's been talked about.
"The Skins Game (at Predator Ridge, where Couples defeated Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Canada's Mike Weir) was incredible, and we'd like to do something like that here."

Construction on The Golf Club at the Rise is near completion, with Couples coming in to make some adjustments to the final shaping and grading.

The former PGA Tour Player of the Year said he hoped the course would be open in late September or early October, with Couples returning to play with some local junior golfers.

The grand opening of the golf course is slated for 2008. The course is being constructed by Blackpaw Construction under the guidance of Ian Renton, whose course construction credits include the award-winning Greywolf at Panorama Mountain Resort, and The Dunes in Kamloops.

The Rise is a master plan resort community that will include, besides Couples' signature golf course, a winery, vineyards, hotels, village centre, private lakeside beach club and several neighbourhoods made up of home sites and villas.

"The Rise is happening, and it is exciting watching it all come together," said Leona Snider, president and CEO of The Rise. "With his experience, skill and popularity, Fred Couples represents the best in golf and golf course design."

"We believe The Rise offers the best of what makes the Okanagan great, and we expect the demand to be high again this year."

The Rise is currently comprised of four neighbourhoods: Clearview, Sagecroft, Sagecroft Villas and the exclusive Watermark. Home sites at the Clearview, the first neighbourhood, are completely sold out.

Sagecroft Villas has proven to be the most popular neighbourhood, with 15 homes sold in the first three months.  

For additional information regarding the project, click on the logo:

Reprinted from Kelowna Capital News
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