It’s been a busy summer so far. I got back from my trip to Europe, was home for half a day and then was off again on a fun “boys weekend” golfing in the Okanagan. This trip had been planned for over six months, so the timing was not something I could adjust. Sadly, my golf game (and back) were not really up to the challenge and my scores over the weekend reflected that. Still, we played some amazing courses, had a great time and had a fantastic trip.

We left early on Thursday morning, and drove to Kamloops where our first course was located. Tobiano, probably the most spectacular course we played. And probably the hardest. Lots of canyons, huge gaps to drive over and huge elevation changes. It was amazing!

The clubhouse at Tobiano looks more like a winery.

One of the early holes funnels you down into a canyon.

This hole gives youa good sense of the elevation changes.

The lake was a dominant feature from many places on the course.

This is one of the toughest par 3s I’ve ever played. A narrow green perched on a cliff.

You had to drive across the canyon to reach the fairway.

The course was in amazing shape.

After the round, we tried to recover - it was one of the worst rounds I’ve ever played - and had a drink before making the 2-hour drive to Kelowna where our condo for the weekend was. Dave, who had organized everything (and did a spectacular job of it) had found us a three bedroom condo in a building overlooking the lake. My horrendous play had resulted in me being stuck with the couch, but that was OK.

The view from our condo on the 24th floor.

And looking out the other direction.

Friday we were playing Tower Ranch, just outside of Kelowna. Another spectacular course that was very similar to Tobiano with massive elevation changes and a habit of killing me. This was definitely ended up being the worst round of golf I’ve ever played - but the course was amazing.

Once again, there were lots of elevation changes on this course.

And of course I found those bunkers with my tee shot. The sand in all of these courses was surprisingly poor.

The feel of the course changed a lot on the back nine.

Looking out over some of the upcoming holes - I should have been more concerned.

I think this was the only par 3 I hit all day.

It was a long way down to this green.

Friday night Gord cooked up a feast and we had a fun night in trying to figure out how to play Chinese Poker. The game itself was OK - it was the keeping score we never quite figured out.

Saturday we played the Bear course at the Okanagan Golf Club. This course was a very different style of course from the two we had played previously - no less amazing, just different. I played a little better but still not good.

This golf course was much more in the forest, which was a nice change.

The back nine opened up a bit more, but was still very nice.

After our round of golf, Gord took us out on his brother’s boat for a ride on the lake! It was a great end to the day, and we spent some time swimming and enjoying the warm afternoon. Gord’s nephew did some wakeboarding, and then Gord went out for a ride on the board as well.

Sunday was our last day, and we ended up playing what I think was my favorite course - The Predator course at Predator Ridge. Predator Ridge is a fair ways north of Kelowna, closer to Vernon and is a fully planned community that is also the summer home to Hockey Canada. The course was almost a mix of the best elements of the three previous courses. And it didn’t help that I played the best of any of the days. It wa sa great wrap to the weekend.

There were ground squirrels all over the course - so cute!

Trees and elevation changes.

The most dramatic of the downhill par 3s

This course also had some big carries off the tee.

Eventually there was water which I had to put a ball into.

The last hole of our amazing trip.

A post-round drip overlooking the course.

After the round, it was the long drive back to Vancouver. Despite playing badly, and the back issues were a huge part of that, it was still a great trip and something I hope we do again.