Poised for success
Whiskey Jack Resort hits its own hole-in-one
: Whiskey Jack Resort will have its 18-hole golf course ready for play in 2012.—Image courtesy Whiskey Jack Resort
The news of various resort golf communities foreclosing or not moving forward forces people to remember that we are not completely out of economic recession—not yet, anyway. But there are those success stories out there and Whiskey Jack Resort in Sparwood is one of them. Phase one is complete, with 115 out of 119 lots sold and 31 homes currently being built.
Stuart Koch, along with Joe Valentine, are the two principles of Whiskey Jack and they partly attribute their success to their own $9 million investment into this 675-acre project. Koch also said that their geographical location is ideal, which has contributed greatly to Whiskey Jack’s success.
“The Elk Valley is a jewel in North America,” said Koch, “because of the mine and its expansion. We felt the recession but people here didn’t really feel it. They forged through the hard times but they didn’t struggle half as much as the rest of the world.”
Koch said that the 18-hole golf course is being designed by Fred Couples and his design partner, Gene Bates, who won an award for golf course designer of the year in 2004. Koch said that their plans are to have the golf course done sometime in 2011 so that it will be ready for play in 2012.
“We are ready for drainage, irrigation and seeding for next year,” said Koch. “So we plan to get it done next year and then we would open sometime in 2012 and that opening is determined on grow in time.”
Koch said that he is very aware of market demands and what people would like to see. He believes that for a golf course to be popular, it must respond to what the market requires. Koch said that the most important thing for him is for each golfer to have a fun, relaxing and enjoyable experience.
“We found the golf courses that are operating now that are successful have rates between $70 to $90 with a cart,” said Koch. “We are going to do that. We are going to be $90 with the cart—this is not cast in stone—but we will be based on what the market demands. We will have specials for locals and memberships that will allow you to play golf at a reduced rate. It is about filling the golf course for rounds. We want to make the golf experience an enjoyable one, tough enough for people that are good, and not so tough for people that are novices.”