Tee Times Fall 2016

TH 25 ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Predator Ridge Resort and Lifestyle Magazine

COOL SHOTS PREDATOR RIDGE:

25 YEARS OF AMAZING MOMENTS

RODEO DONE PREDATOR STYLE

LINKSOUL EXPEDITION

TH 25 ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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COOL SHOTS THE STARS COME OUT FOR THE AT&T NATIONAL PRO-AM PREDATOR RIDGE THEN AND NOW A LOOK AT 25 YEARS OF PREDATOR RIDGE HISTORY PREDATOR RIDGE TURNS 25 A SEASON-LONG 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER ALLAN SPEEVAK LINKSOUL EXPEDITION: IRELAND R ENOWNED DESIGNER JOHN ASHWORTH AND FRIENDS VISIT THE EMERALD ISLE 19TH HOLE RICHARD ZOKOL PAYS TRIBUTE TO ARNOLD PALMER

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PHOTO: MARK SUSSON

COOL SHOTS 1 ON THE PROWL Although Tiger Woods continues to recover from back issues that have kept him from playing competitive golf for more than a year, he was a welcome – and conspicuous – presence at the 2016 Ryder Cup held in September at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. Woods was a non-competing Vice Captain for the victorious U.S. team, a role U.S. Captain Davis Love III offered him several months ago. By all accounts, Woods embraced his duties and offered wise counsel to Love and the U.S. team, which regained the Ryder Cup with a 17-11 victory over the Europeans. Woods had hoped to return to the PGA Tour at October’s season-opening Safeway Open, but had to withdraw prior to the event, citing continuing issues with his recovery and the state of his game.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Cover | Contents | Cool Shots | Then And Now | 25th Anniversary | Contributing Photographer | Linksoul Expedition | 19th Hole

PHOTO: MARK SUSSON

COOL SHOTS 2 HEATING UP Dustin Johnson let the FedEx Cup slip away with a poor final round at the seasonending Tour Championship in Atlanta, but rebounded quickly with a strong performance at the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

Johnson picked up two points for the U.S., which regained the Cup from Team Europe for the first time since 2008. DJ teamed with Matt Kuchar to win in foursomes on Day 1, and then won his singles match on Sunday over Chris Wood, 1-up. DJ and fiancee’ Paulina Gretzky, Wayne’s daughter, celebrated the Ryder Cup victory with a trip to a beach resort in Mexico with friends and family members, where Dustin definitely didn’t need the jacket.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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COOL SHOTS 3 CHEF JEREMY MEETS THE ROYALS On September 27, our own Executive Chef Jeremy Luypen with a few other chefs from the Okanagan Chefs Association - had the honour of presenting their “Chefs in the Classroom - Edible Education� program to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Kelowna.

The event was held at Mission Hill Family Estate in an outdoor classroom, the Chefs along with 50 local children presented a condensed version of the usual 7-week Chefs in the Classroom program. The kids & the Royal Couple had a chance to taste local Okanagan fruits and vegetables and learn how to make tomato sauce and fresh apple sauce.

Modeled after other successful edible education classes all over North America, Chefs in the Classroom is a unique Okanagan inspired, hands-on curriculum with links to our Aboriginal community and practices.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Cover | Contents | Cool Shots | Then And Now | 25th Anniversary | Contributing Photographer | Linksoul Expedition | 19th Hole

PREDATOR RIDGE: THEN AND NOW

By Robert Thompson

A HISTORY OF PREDATOR RIDGE R

arely does someone think about their possible legacy when they are creating a business. They don’t think about what it might become — they are simply too busy trying to get it to stand upright in the first place. That’s what Dave Paterson was attempting to do when he first ventured to the property outside of Vernon, BC, that would eventually become Predator Ridge.

Paterson and his father, Herb, were noted in the Canadian golf business for distributing the Titleist line of equipment. That endeavour had made the family very successful. But by the late 1980s, that business was on its last legs. The Paterson family was looking for its second act when Dave ventured to Vernon on Oct. 25, 1988.

“Things were positive in the golf business, the economy and the world, and I was naïve,” says Paterson, who was 36 when he went to look at the property.

What he found was a parcel of land measuring 1,200 acres. The site was significantly remote and not readily accessible, having a lineage of being used by settlers and First Nations communities for grazing cattle. It was generally called “the commonage.”

“At the time the Okanagan Valley wasn’t what it is today, but it was an interesting place,” says Paterson. “It was a ‘build it and they will come’ thing. The land was for sale and zoned for a course.”

The partnership wasn’t the first to think the land was suitable for a golf course. In the 1970s a group considered building a course on the site, but the economy faltered and they never accomplished their goal. In the ensuing years golf started to build in the area, and Paterson knew that at least one local course had become a success with serious real estate possibilities. That made the site near Vernon attractive.

Barry Wheeler first heard about the site from Herb Paterson.

The two shared a Titleist connection—Barry had distributorship for the United Kingdom, and Herb for Canada. “I met Herb in 1965, and I had a long meeting with Titleist, and Herb was waiting for me to come out. We went for a drink and became friends,” Wheeler explains.

Both parties knew that Titleist would eventually take back the distributorship and both groups were plotting their next move. The

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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Patersons had partnered with Bill MacWilliam to create the St. Andrews East private course north of Toronto, a successful venture that provided further insights into the golf business. Herb Paterson asked Wheeler whether he might be interested in joining a golf course development project in Vernon.

“Herb had done golf courses before, and we knew it would need quite a bit of money and didn’t want to get into the banks,” Wheeler says. “We went into it very thoroughly and had a good idea of what the golf course would cost. We had good numbers. Golf ball sales are a good barometer of where golf is played, and the Patersons knew that. They also had demographics and knew the Okanagan was climatically the right place for a golf

course. They’d done a lot of homework and a lot of those things turned out to be right.”

The group had to decide who would design their course. A number of names were considered, including Robert Trent Jones Jr., who visited the property. Eventually Canadian Les Furber, from Canmore, was picked. Furber, it turned out, had a longstanding connection to the course. A veteran architect, Furber was part of the initial group that tried to acquire the land in the 1970s, only to come up short when the economy turned against them.

He knew the land and understood what they could pull off on the property, with its valleys, rolling hills, and dramatic setting.

“Les’ background was working for Trent Jones Sr. He gave a better quote than Trent Jones Jr.

and he’d been involved with a course that I was a member at in Spain, so I knew what kind of work he did,” says Wheeler. “He was very good.”

Furber’s initial plan called for 36 holes, but the Patersons only wanted to build 18. That meant Furber built 14 holes from one proposed course and four from the other and linked them together.

“To his credit, I think what Les did was to leave the land the way it was and plant grass on it,” says Paterson. “That’s an exaggeration, but he didn’t move a lot of earth. Compared to what people were spending on courses at the time, we spent a lot less.”

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Success came quickly, as did the accolades.

SCOREGolf has regularly rated Furber’s work highly in its biannual ranking of Canadian courses, and the comments have remained extremely positive for more than two decades.

“What thrills and amazes me every time I visit Predator Ridge is the feeling that I’ve entered a kind of golf heaven,” wrote golf writer Brian Kendall. “The red hills of the Okanagan Valley, a landscape Mother Nature made especially for golf, roll endlessly toward the horizon.”

But when it opened, not everyone was convinced it would be a success.

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“People thought we were absolutely nuts,” says Paterson. “We heard all the time that no one from Kelowna will drive to Vernon to play Predator Ridge. But we thought if it were good enough they’d come. And as is so often the case, the people nearby thought we were daft, but those farther away thought it was worth investigating if it was special.”

The golf course quickly became established, leaving the Patersons, led by Dave, to plan their next steps. It was clear they’d add another nine holes, and after consulting with Jack Nicklaus’ design team, they went forward with that. It made business sense, says Dave Paterson, because the infrastructure was already in place to support the addition of more golf, so the expanded facility simply drove more revenue. However, there were bigger decisions looming, and Wheeler wouldn’t be part of them. The cost of moving into residential 8

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real estate was significant, says Wheeler, and was more than he could afford. The Patersons bought him out and began preparing to make Predator Ridge into a golf community.

“In 1998 it was just my father and I who were the partners, with some real estate partners,” says Paterson. “And we needed some more real estate capital because the next step was a big one.”

They moved forward with the real estate without taking on additional debt. The cottages that were established became the foundation of a successful real estate movement on the property. By 2007, the Patersons were aware that taking the resort to the next step would be a massive undertaking.

“After eight or nine years we’d had so much fun,” Paterson says. “We’d rolled the dice two or three times and would have to roll them again. The previous years were really positive and the real estate and courses were profitable. What Predator Ridge

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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“That really says something about what they were trying to do at Predator,” says Carrick.

It wasn’t an easy property. The new holes would be built on spectacular but difficult land overlooking Okanagan Lake. The land was rocky and challenging, but Carrick devised an impressive routing that capitalized on the incredible vistas. Holes like the par-3 fifth and the par-4 sixth, which features a tee shot through a dramatic rocky ravine, are among the most breathtaking in Canada.

“There was a chance of getting down to the lower part of the property without blasting a ton,” says Carrick. “I thought if we could get a tee shot down there on six, the fairway was actually pretty receptive. It was finding the location of least resistance. I recall standing on the tee after we had it completed, and the wind was howling off the lake, and I thought it would be a tough tee shot. But I scrambled up the hill and found a tee shot with an

had achieved was a critical mass. A lot of golf properties never got to that point. We didn’t have a crystal ball, but selling at that point made sense.”

The buyer was Wesbild, a privately-held real estate developer that had been an industry leader since 1981 and specialized in master planned communities. The goal was to take Predator Ridge to the next level, and one clear way of doing that was to build additional golf.

That’s where Toronto architect Doug Carrick became part of the story. Carrick, one of Canada’s most prolific designers—and the man behind creations like Bigwin Island in Muskoka, Eagles Nest in Toronto, and Humber Valley in Newfoundland— had visited the site with Dave Paterson and Bill MacWilliam and began plotting what might be done if the resort added more golf holes.

Carrick, a quiet, unassuming architect whose vibrant golf vision contrasts with his low-key personality, was told by Wesbild’s president, Randy 9

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incredible view.”

Pundits immediately praised the Ridge Course, as it became known. SCOREGolf named it the best new course in Canada when it opened in 2010, adding the course included “some of Carrick’s most breathtaking work in a career of building stunning golf holes.”

When Paterson returns to Predator Ridge, he’s always impressed by how far the resort has come from its humble beginnings.

“I played with some friends there recently and they said, ‘You know, this place is really great. Not sure you know that,’” he says. “And after 30 years of watching it, it is easy to look past that. But it is a special place.

“You go out in the evenings, say around six, and there are some incredible parts of the property that are just so beautiful,” he adds. “There are few places like it.”

Zien, that the resort needed new holes, which had to be tied into the existing property.

“Their initial thoughts were that the final nine needed to be part of the new course because of the way it tied in to the resort. I think they felt it would be a renovation, but, fairly early on in the process, it turned into something more,” Carrick says. “I first saw the property in the early 1990s just after the first course opened. It was a beautiful property and setting. The routing of the original nine wasn’t too bad. They followed the terrain that was most workable. They had some valleys and steep ridges, so I didn’t think you could change the routing too much, but there were some obvious things.”

He went to Zien’s team with several plans, including one that was bold: to add numerous holes and extensively renovate the existing ones.

To his surprise, he was told to move forward with the project that would lead to the best golf course.

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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T H E P R E DATO R R I D G E S TAT E O F M I N D We’re celebrating 25 years of amazing moments at Predator Ridge.

With fine dining, a NEW banquet facility, state-of-the-art fitness centre, over 25 kms of hiking and biking trails, a general store, pet friendly amenities, NEW outdoor patio, two award-winning golf courses and the only outdoor yoga platform in the Okanagan... there is a lot to celebrate!

HELP US SHARE OUR 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS BY TAGGING YOUR PHOTOS WITH #PREDTURNS25 ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM & TWITTER!

PREDATOR RIDGE 25TH ANNIVERSARY

A WORTHY CELEBRATION FOUR MONTHS OF EVENTS SHOWCASE A QUARTER CENTURY OF AMAZING MOMENTS

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here is really only one appropriate way to celebrate 25 years of amazing moments – you have to go big. Huge.

The resort’s staff were determined to create a celebration that would be as memorable as the place itself – a four-month-long series of events, capped off by a private rodeo weekend exclusively for homeowners, members and their guests.

THE RODEO According to all who attended, they pulled it off in grand style.

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“The rodeo was the most fun weekend we’ve ever experienced here,” says Brad Pelletier, vice president of Wesbild, the development company that owns the resort. “Rodeos are all about bringing the community together, so this was our way of acknowledging the essential role our homeowners and members have played in our history and development.”

The event kicked off Friday night with a barbecue and barn dance at Lone Pine Ranch. The drool factor was high: head chef and chief loca-

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vore Jeremy Luypen and his team transformed Okanagangrown bounty into mouth-watering ribs, brisket and pulled pork, along with cornbread and baked beans, followed by fruit pies. It was the perfect start for a night of dancing, with Lee Dinwoodie and his five-piece band laying down the tunes in the beautifully restored barn.

Local craft brewery Tree was on site serving up their Thirsty Beaver Ale and other favourites.

On Saturday, Predator Ridge homeowners and members brought their family and friends to get up close and personal with enormous local bulls and former world champion bull rider Cody Snyder’s Bullbustin’ team, with riders from all over the world.

Tethered hot air balloon rides, the Okanagan Chef Association’s Junior Brisket Cook-Off, wagon and carriage rides, a bluegrass band and a moving performance by the Spirit Dancers kept young and old smiling, laughing and applauding throughout the day.

As the sun moved toward the horizon, Canadian rock legends Tom Cochrane and Red Rider took the stage on the Ridge course practice facility. With the Monashee Mountains in the background and the North Okanagan’s immense skies overhead,

ALL SUMMER LONG …

The Predator Ridge 25th Anniversary celebrations spanned four months, focusing on some of the aspects of resort life that make it great: regional cuisine, wellness, pets and community and the Okanagan’s spectacular four-season outdoor lifestyle.

After launching the celebrations in May with Culinary Month, June was Golf Month, July brought Wellness Month and Yoga Expo, August was Pet Month and it all wrapped up in September with Cycling Month.

CELEBRATING OKANAGAN FOOD CULTURE

they performed a set of their iconic hits.

The weekend wrapped up with a ranch-style pancake breakfast and Western-themed golf on Sunday, open to all.

“It was all so well done that the whole community was in awe,” says Susan Morris, the manager of Predator’s fitness centre.

A shuttle service brought homeowners up from the resort so no one had to drive. “Everyone brought out their best cowboy duds. It was so great watching them get off of the bus in their cowboy hats and big belt buckles.

“I was very lucky, because I had my nine-year-old granddaughter here at the time, and it was amazing how much she got to do. It’s something she will never forget.”

“Our mantra here at Predator Ridge is fresh, local, better,” says Trevor Jones, the resort’s director of food and beverage. “As much as possible, everything we serve is sourced direct from local farmers, and we showcase whatever is in season.”

This commitment was the foundation of Culinary Month this past May, when – as part of its 25th-anniversary celebration – the resort dedicated four weeks to showcasing the region’s renowned food and wine.

As the Okanagan’s harvest season is just getting started in May, with asparagus and ramps, the celebration menus were built around locally raised beef and pork. “We’re second only to the Fairmont

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WELLNESS MONTH AND A YOGA EXPO

Hotel Vancouver in terms of whole animals purchased through BCBeef.net, a website where farmers market directly to chefs, with information on where and how the animals are raised,” says Jones. “It’s important to us that the food we serve is responsibly, sustainably farmed, and we then use the whole animal, preparing, smoking and slow roasting in-house.”

The celebrations also highlighted the region’s award-winning wineries, and daily specials included $25 bottles paired with complementary $25 special dinner features.

“Wine is a big part of what we do here,” says Jones, noting that Range Lounge & Grill also offers a by-the-glass program that includes about 200 labels. “Our objective is that the guest who comes in for a glass of wine has an opportunity to try one of the Okanagan’s best.”

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The Predator community “really gets behind wine and food events,” he reports. “It doesn’t have to be a wine-paired, seven-course meal; they’re just as happy to have a pig roast, which we did on the 25th of May.” The day started off at 11 a.m. with the first farmers’ market of the year at Predator, an opportunity for homeowners and guests to meet local farmers and sample their produce.

Executive chef Jeremy Luypen supervised preparations, with a locally raised animal spit-roasted over the new deck barbecue. Pulled pork sandwiches with house-made Portuguese buns were served on the golf course throughout the day; the dripping, sweet pork roast was balanced with a selection of salads for dinner, with signature Mai Tais on special to kick off a memorable evening.

It was all made possible by the Okanagan’s farmers and producers, an appreciative community and the fact that, as Jones puts it, “our chefs are exceptional.”

Luypen is the president of the Okanagan Chefs Association, known throughout the region for his contributions to the local food movement. “He’s running an extremely complex, scratch-cooking facility here,” says Jones. “We now have three fulltime pastry chefs making fresh bread daily, as well as pizza dough for Pallino’s and morning pastries for Commonage Market. Across 1,200 acres, we’ve got fresh food everywhere you go.”

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Sure, Predator Ridge is renowned for its two golf courses, but the courses are just two of this resort’s world-class amenities. With tennis courts, a lushly appointed fitness centre, 15 kilometres of hiking trails, and a spectacular outdoor yoga platform onsite; stand-up paddle-boarding and kayaking on Lake Kalamalka a few minutes down the road as well as easy access to skiing and snowboarding during the winter, it’s also become a four-season outdoor lifestyle mecca.

The result is a healthy, active and connected community culture that the resort spotlighted with Wellness Month and a Yoga Expo in July. “The whole month was just fitness, fitness, fitness. Not that it isn’t every other month – but July was our celebration of fitness,” says fitness centre manager Susan Morris, laughing.

The three-day Yoga Expo included classes on the resort’s cedar platform overlooking Lake Okanagan, sunrise hikes, open-air meditations and wine on the beautiful fitness centre patio at sunset. “Just being on the platform is an amazing experience,” says Morris. “In front of you is Terrace Mountain, the highest peak in the North Okanagan, and you can see all the way down to the west side of Okanagan Lake.”

Throughout the summer, Predator Ridge’s hiking group meets at nine a.m. each Thursday morning to head out and explore the many great trails in the Vernon area, and on Thursday evenings throughout the summer an early evening hike was followed by yoga at the outdoor platform and a glass of wine on the patio.

The resort once again hosted its annual five-kilometre community fun-run for the Vernon Chapter of Habitat for Humanity in mid-month. “It’s ‘bring your dog, push a stroller’ – any way you want to get to the five-kilometre mark,” says Morris. “We serve coffee and muffins, and there are prizes after.

People bring their grandkids, including some that are really serious about getting through their very first 5K. “It’s always fun, and you really feel that great sense of pride in our community.”

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RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS SURPRISE AND DELIGHT PREDATOR RIDGE GOLFERS June was Golf Month at Predator Ridge, but it wasn’t just about the golf. Throughout the resort’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, the operations team looked for ways to surprise and delight members, homeowners and guests with a weekly series of random acts of kindness.

Those efforts may have peaked when Canadian golf great Mike Weir surprised four golfers on the course and presented them with $600 TaylorMade M1 drivers. “They each got a dozen golf balls, and got to hit a tee shot with Mike,” says Cameron Craig, director of golf operations.

“Seeing the looks on their faces – as the greatest Canadian golfer who’s ever played gave them a free club – was just so much fun.”

The random acts of kindness events were inspired by a practice that Craig implemented not long after arriving at the resort. “Our golf courses are great, but we’re clear that we need to be a lot better than just great courses – there has to be a great experience. We’re experience driven, and that starts with our people, the team that is greeting our customers every day.”

To help ensure his team has everything they

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need to create great golfing experiences, Craig began enlisting help from guests. “I greet them in the parking lot and ask them to do an internal audit for our team. In return, we provide a free day of golf. At the end of 18 holes, we have a bite to eat in the restaurant while they tell me what they’ve noticed and where they think we can improve.”

Not surprisingly, guests are delighted to participate. “For us, there is nothing better than seeing the smile on someone’s face when you tell them about the day they’re about to have,” he says.

Acts of kindness included treats such as lunch or dinner at Range, complimentary rounds of golf, Predator Ridge shirts and hats, a boxed lunch prepared by head chef Jeremy Luypens and delivered on the course, and a par three contest with two-time PGA Tour champion and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame inductee Richard Zokol. August Motors of Kelowna were onsite each week with Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Maseratis available for test-driving and touring.

“From the start of their day to the end, we took care of everything,” says Craig.

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

PET MONTH CELEBRATES THE LOVE BETWEEN DOGS AND THEIR HUMANS After the stunning views and the tranquility, the first thing many people notice about Predator Ridge is a sense of ease and welcome. From the warm Okanagan-style professionalism of the staff to the thoughtful design expressed in the resort’s many amenities, arriving here feels like coming home.

That welcome is extended to the furry companions of the resort’s homeowners and guests, too.

During Pet Month this August, four-legged guests and residents felt the joy even more than usual as they went through their daily routines. Executive chef Jeremy Luypen and his team created gourmet dog treats all month long, with samples available throughout the resort and for purchase in Commonage Market. The Dueck family from local, sustainable Sterling Springs Chicken farm also dropped by with some special treats.

The month wrapped up with the first annual #PETadorRidge Classic “dog and human” golf tournament, with great prizes and photo ops. “Each of the dogs got a goodie bag, including a wonderful name tag engraved with Predator Ridge on the front and the dog’s name on the back,” says homeowner Marilyn Scott, who serves as spokesperson for cocker spaniel-poodle cross Bonnie.

Everyone had a great time, she reports – but

then, who wouldn’t enjoy “a dog’s life” at Predator Ridge?

On Sunday afternoons, dogs are welcome to join their human friends on the golf course. Walk time is a delight for humans and canines with 15 kilometres of groomed trails, and water bowls and pet stations throughout the community make it all easy and convenient. “They really bend over backward to make dogs comfortable here, so everybody who has a dog feels very comfortable too,” says Scott. “When we travel, there are always neighbours who are more than delighted to dog-sit.

“I always tell people that, although this is a resort, it’s really a community. Most of us have come from somewhere else so everyone is receptive to making new friends, and there are a lot – a lot – of social events. It’s a pretty special place.”

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BIKE MONTH AT PREDATOR RIDGE – AND WHAT A MONTH IT WAS

September is always bittersweet in the Okanagan, with glorious fall weather that makes saying goodbye to long, relaxing summer days a little bit easier. At Predator Ridge this year, it also brought the final month of the resort’s 25th-anniversary events, which wrapped up with a celebration of cycling in the region.

“The North Okanagan Cycling Society has done a fabulous job of creating trails, so much so that the Vernon area is becoming known as a premier biking destination for both road and mountain bikers,” says Susan Morris, manager of Predator’s fitness centre.

Recognizing that – for many of us – going down hills is a lot more fun than coming up, the resort added a fleet of pedal-assist rental bikes this year.

“They’ve been very popular. People try them and are hooked – you still get a good workout, but it gives you that little extra boost so you’re not struggling.”

The pedal-assist option is also great when one member of a couple is an avid cyclist but the other 14

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isn’t, she adds. “It becomes something they can do together and enjoy much more.”

On the 15th of September, cyclists enjoyed the North Okanagan Cycling Society’s Toonie Ride, sponsored by Predator Ridge. Starting out at the resort, they were led by Sun Country Cycle through the Ellison Provincial Park trail system before returning to Predator for Pallino’s pizza on the patio. The resort also hosted the Intrepid Stage Ride Okanagan, a challenging three-day stage cycling event.

Avid cyclists and Predator Ridge homeowners Tracy Huntley and her husband moved to the resort in 2012 and soon started doing the spin classes at the fitness centre. They began meeting other residents who were equally excited about cycling in the region, and when others joined their regular road rides, a formidable riding group began to develop.

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

“We have about 14 regulars now, just wonderful, like-minded people,” says Huntley. “We even have our own cycling kits this year, so we look good too.”

The hard-core Saturday morning group the Huntleys ride with travel between 50 to 100 kilometres. “We do go hard, so we get a good workout,” she says. There is also a larger Sunday cycling group with more “stop for coffee, smell-the-roses riders,” says Huntley.

Beautiful, quiet country roads; rolling hills; farms and orchards; and stunning lake and mountain views make the area one of the most attractive in the world for cycling, she says. “My husband and I have travelled in Europe and cycled in Italy, and wow, it’s far superior here.”

Cycling together makes it possible for new residents to connect with the community and make friends quickly, she adds. When a new Predator Ridge homeowner recently moved from North Vancouver, she reached out to Huntley. “As soon as the season started, she and I started riding together. She just is in awe every time we go out, and it’s exciting to see the beautiful views here through fresh eyes.”

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ALLAN SPEEVAK

25TH ANNIVERSARY CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

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e would like to extend a special thank you to Predator Ridge resident Allan Speevak for capturing our 25th Anniversary rodeo so amazingly. Allan and his wife Kay moved from the Lower Mainland to Predator Ridge on Labour Day weekend in 2014 and haven’t looked back. Their mover commented “you know, you’ll add five years to your life just living here” as he unloaded their possessions.

Allan is a recreational photographer who has a passion for capturing the “Predator Ridge Moments” that he experiences throughout his life here at Predator Ridge. One of his favourites is the visit he

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and Kay received on their very first morning living at Predator Ridge from a praying mantis, and capturing its beauty, intelligence and grace on film. We would like to thank Allan for all of the amazing photos he has shared and for the passion he continues to hold for our amazing community.

Help us share the magic of Predator Ridge and our 25th anniversary by tagging your photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with #predatorridge and #predturns25 or email them to us at social@predatorridge.com Cover | Contents | Cool Shots | Then And Now | 25th Anniversary | Contributing Photographer | Linksoul Expedition | 19th Hole

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CO M MO N G R O U ND. S H AR E D VA LU E S. TH E CO M MO N AG E.CO M

LINKSOUL IRELAND TRIP

By John Ashworth & Geoff Cunningham

LINKSOUL EXPEDITION: LAHINCH TO WATERVILLE, IRELAND

The game of golf was born on the Links Land of Scotland and was quickly and easily adapted on the Links Land of Ireland. This is just one of the incredible vistas at Lahinch.

The definition of ‘Links’ - The sandy dunes where the land meets the sea.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

THE GOLF APPAREL FOUNDERS FIND THEIR KIND OF PEOPLE ON THE EMERALD ISLE O

ur latest Linksoul Expedition follows Linksoul founders John Ashworth and Geoff Cunningham and Golf Channel travel insider and Linksouldier Matt Ginella across the pond to the west coast of Ireland, en route to the 27th Annual World Invitational Father & Son Golf Tournament.

John, Geoff and Matt met up in the Shannon Airport and made their way across Ireland, stopping to play Lahinch Golf Club, Dooks Golf Links and Waterville Golf Links.

Upon return home, further review of the epic trip was mandatory.

John Ashworth (JA): When Matt invited me to be his partner in the tournament I asked, “Who’s the dad?” to which he replied, “No man, they have an Adopted Division… It used to be called the Bastard Division but they cleaned it up.” Of course I said “Hell yeah! I’m in.” So I told Geoff, and we were off.

Geoff Cunningham (GC): With Linksoul, our mission is always to “reconnect people to the soul of the game”. And we mean it, but the irony is that sometimes we are working so hard at it that we can lose that connection too. These kind of trips help remind us what we are all about.

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JA: That night we stayed at the Moy House in Lahinch, one of the coolest spots I’ve ever stayed with incredible food to match. In the morning, Matt managed to ask former Lahinch Men’s Captain Denis Creedon, “Where would you play on the way to Waterville?”. Which is a great question because the locals always have their favorites. Same in surfing, same in golf. He tells us to go play Dooks Golf Club, which turns out to Matt Ginella contemplating strategy during the practice round at Waterville for the Adopted Division while his partner John Ashworth rips a persimmon driver down the middle.

JA: Especially these trips to real links golf, where the land meets the sea... These are the roots of it all. So, we meet Matt in Shannon Airport and it’s an easy trek out to Lahinch. A few pints of Guinness and lunch at O’Looney’s Surf Bar and we are ready to tee it for the afternoon.

GC: All we hear is how it has rained for the last two months and this is the first day of sun all summer. The colors are electric and it feels like the photos are taking themselves, which helps because I’m trying to balance a camera, my golf game and my jet lag all at once.

JA: I don’t mind that after 125 years they decided to name all the holes at Lahinch, but I think I liked it better when they only 19

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It’s easy to see why they called the 6th hole at Lahinch ‘Paradise’. Although it’s no push over at 424 yards from the back tees heading toward the ocean with a long undulating green this hole is index: 2 on the card. named “The Klondike” and “The Dell” for holes #4 & #5…a couple of character holes unlike any other.

GC: Lahinch is otherworldly. I remember learning how, when sculpting, Michelangelo felt as if the statue was in the marble waiting to be released. This is what good golf courses feel like to me. When I walk these courses in Ireland, it doesn’t feel like the architects made them as much as they just revealed them.

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GC: As breathtaking the golf is here, those memories are all interrupted and outdone by the infectious laughter, the dirty jokes, the endless “true stories” and spontaneous full volume singing that make the Irish like no other people on earth.

JA: If I could only take one more golf trip the rest of my life with friends and my boys it would be without hesitation to the stunning links land of the west coast of Ireland…yes because of the quality of golf but more so because of the people.

The Irish should be in charge of teaching the rest of humanity how to behave to each other and to strangers. My favorite quote, which I over heard a few times and I get the feeling that it’s burned into the subconscious of every child: “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice.”

GC: I was trying to unravel the mystery of what makes the Irish so unique in a crack of dawn conversation with my cab driver on the way to the airport to fly home. “You all just seem happier than everyone else,” I said.

“No,” he replied quickly. “No, we aren’t any happier than anyone else. We’re just more relaxed.”

Be sure to visit linksoul.com to see more of Geoff’s pics from the trip and keep up with the latest expeditions.

The lovely walk on a grass path between the grassy sand dunes up to the 8th green at Lahinch. The tee box for this hole is right on the edge of the sea side. be another one of those hidden gems... off the beaten path, but totally worth the effort.

GC: Dooks was awesome. A pure golf experience and a reminder of how great the game is on so many basic levels when done right. Right off, on our way to the first tee we pass a mom just finishing her round with her nine year old son. Both with big smiles. Four men in their 70s play in front of us (none in carts), all laughing like they were kids, all in this stunningly beautiful valley.

JA: We then made it to Waterville for an epic four days of shotmaking and socializing between 20

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82 teams from 13 different countries. Sixty-two of the teams were Father and Son teams, with another 20 teams in the our “Adopted Division.” This event is the essence of Linksoul: a friendly competition, a links course with a two-club wind, 18 holes per day, mix in a few pints of Guinness and a couple of shots of Jameson and you have a recipe for bonding like no other … a testament to how this game can link souls in powerful and positive way.

The competition is held annually at the Waterville Golf Links, a course built in 1889 but renovated into a masterpiece by Tom Fazio in

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

2004. The tournament, travel and entertainment are organized and run seamlessly by Carr Travel, lead by the one and only Marty Carr, son of perhaps the most famous amatuer golfer in Irish history to this point, JB Carr.

Know your history, kids. JB Carr won the British Amateur three times, played in the Masters tournament in 1961, made the cut and was low amateur.

In 1991, he was the first Irishman to be named as Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews. He was, for all intents and purposes, a badass.

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Š 2016 Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. #1 Driver in Golf and The #1 Driver in the World claims based on combined 2015 wins and usage on the PGA, European, Japan Golf, Web.com, Champions and LPGA Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc.Â

19TH HOLE

By Richard Zokol

REMEMBERING A LEGEND O

n September 25, 2016, the golf world was saddened with the passing of Arnold Palmer.

Arnold Palmer, “The King” as he was known by his peers, was a real American folk-hero who not only transcended the game of golf but was the pioneer of the “business of sports” with his agent Mark McCormack. Arnie introduced tournament golf to television, which was the launching pad that fueled the golf industry as we know it today.

On a personal note, I had the privilege to play the third round of the 1983 San Diego Open with Arnold when I was doing the “Disco Dick” thing. On the first tee, Arnold wanted to try on my headphones. After listing to the rock ‘n roll music I was playing, Arnold graciously gave back the headphones. It wasn’t for him.

One of the happiest moments in my career happened when I received a signed letter from Arnold congratulating me for my induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Arnie knew how to make other people feel great and gave this gift to everyone.

We at Predator Ridge Resort would like express our gratitude and appreciation to all of Arnold Palmer’s impactful contributions, on and off the golf course, that have made this world a better place.

We will miss you Arnie… and we will celebrate you forever.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Richard Zokol is a Real Estate Specialist for Predator Ridge.

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Dick Zokol Former PGA Tour Player #ArnoldPalmer #ArniesArmy

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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