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Media Coverage
The Daily Courier, June 20, 2008 The Rise golf course goes Boom-Boom By Lea Storry If the views at The Rise weren't enough to take your breath away -- there are now a few holes at the Fred Couples' Signature Golf Course that will do it too. And even the world-famous golfer didn't hide his feelings when he enthused: "It's so spectacular. It's really over the top." Couples along with course architect Gene Bates were at The Golf Club's official opening on Wednesday. "Gene routes the course," said Couples. "He figures out where the 18 holes go. Then I go and see if it's playable." Couples noted Bates does about 90 per cent of the work. "I give 10 per cent per hole and it adds up to be a pretty good mix." The golfer said he loves the layout of the land with the course 1,000 feet above Lake Okanagan. The 18-hole course has a yardage of 5,100 to 7,000. Par is 72 and number of tees per hole is a five minimum. "I lost a few balls today. It has a few dog legs left and right and that's what Gene and I tried to do." The signature hole is the sixth hole -- a 180-yard par-3 with an elevated tee more than 100 feet above the putting surface. The longest hole is the par-five ninth hole, which stretches to almost 600 yards. The hole has an elevated tee and plays downhill all the way, which makes it play a little less than its true yardage. Most challenging -- at 438 yards, the par-four eighth hole demands both accuracy and distance. With the least generous landing area of any of the par-fours this hole doesn't let up until the very end. A conservative approach and some handy short-game skill will pay dividends on this hole. "For me -- I play golf," said Couples. "I think Gene and I have done close to 18 courses and I'm proud of some, but this one is over the top. I'm very proud of it." Four hockey players got a chance to take on Couples at his own game -- Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, former NHLer Jeff Finley, Boston Bruins' Chuck Kobasew and former NHLer Brent Gilchrist. "I'm a hockey nut," said Couples. "To play with those four guys was a dream." Another dream is to hold a Skins game at the Couples Course in a few years. But right now the golfer just hopes people will enjoy playing. He also had a few tips: "The greens are absolutely perfect, but get the balls in play. Don't get sucked into the views -- concentrate on your shot." For additional information regarding the project, click on the logo: 
Reprinted from The Daily Courier |
