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Is this too much for a Golf Website?

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Photo Provided by Rossland Tourism | Photographer: Dave Heath

The headlines today from business websites paint a difficult road ahead for Canada, and perhaps the world, from an economic standpoint. The Canadian dollar reaches a 12 year low at 70 cents and change. Some top analyst have the cdn dollar going to 60 cents and oil prices going to $20 a barrel before we see a turn around. The truth may be slightly less but all in all it’s a difficult scenario. While we lament our forgone trips to US hotspots and come to grips with higher lettuce prices we need to not lose sight of the opportunities.

Does this sound like too much info for a Golf Website Blog? Beer drinking and fun loving golfers are also keenly aware of how prices affect their ability to recreate and spend their hard earned dough. Why read on? Simple! Redstone and Rossland in Super Natural BC is one of the most beautiful places in the World and now it’s on sale. Everything from Golf to real estate is on sale with no specific ending date. Rossland B.C., the home of Redstone, is constantly being touted as one of the last great places. The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine and Sunset Magazine have all done articles on Rossland with the same theme ; a genuine town with super people and loads of recreational opportunities.

Malcom Gladwell has written many insightful and thought provoking books over the last ten years. Gladwell’s “Tipping Point” is a book I have read twice. I am obviously not a writer, nor would I presume to condense his book into a single sentence, but here it goes anyways… The book reveals a set of conditions that need to exists for a small number of people start to behave differently causing a ripple effect. Gladwell refers to “Mavens”, “People Collectors” and “Salesman”. You know a Maven. They meet someone on a chair lift or at the golf course and invite a perfect stranger to a potluck thus collecting another friend. You also know the salesman. The person who tells all their friends that they discovered Rossland and encourages or sells the idea that you should ski, golf or mountain bike in Rossland. They are so passionate about it that their enthusiasm encourages people to act. There are external conditions that also need to happen to make all of this work. I believe that there are Mavens and Salesman in our midst and perhaps the drastic drop in the Canadian dollar is exactly the condition that causes the cocktail to fizz and flow over the top.

For those of you that don’t know, in the late 80’s you could buy a home in Rossland for $10,000, the ski hill was owned by a club, the golf course was a 9 hole community run course and mountain biking was just starting to develop. On top of that Black Jack Nordic Trails were operated by a small group of volunteers pulling a small groomer with an old sled and downtown had empty shops and the infrastructure (pipes in the ground) were rotting due to age and neglect.

Fast forward to 2016. The ski hill was sold to private hands and has added 4 new lifts and renovated the day lodge. A couple hundred condos were built, Grey Mountain was added, a new hotel is being built. Redstone golf course was built with 51 new homes in the subdivision, downtown was renovated and upgraded and new specialty shops have popped up everywhere. Mountain biking has become an industry with 100’s of kilometres of Trails and Blackjack Nordic club has new day lodges, a biathlon course and has been upgraded with modern grooming equipment. With 600 plus members.

Have we tipped yet? Not yet. Our population is about the same as it was in the late 80’s but we have extended our reach. In other words, with all of the infrastructure built in the last 26 years and the capacity planned and developed for the next 100 years, Rossland is at the cusp of a giant step forward. The average person in Rossland does not see it, but they feel it. Especially this ski season. The lines at the grocery store are longer. The variety of languages in the check line are not as familiar. The faces at restaurants, shops and liquor stores are ones we just can’t place.

Have we tipped? Not yet. I predict (yes this may be stupidly bold) this winter is the year that Rossland, B.C. tips. Why? Over the years, all of the impressive articles written about the place were developed through the eyes of someone that could see the future. In many ways it has taken 26 years for Rossland to develop and fulfill all the promises that so many people have written about. The lower Canadian dollar will be the catalyst for a next wave of growth. I believe this impending growth includes population increases and increased development of services that people require. That’s the opportunity part.

Yes the dollar and lower commodity prices are painful, and will require adjustment to the Canadian economy, but Rossland has matured and planned for the next phase.  If you’re ready to live in the “Recreation Capital of Canada” then don’t hesitate, because once we do “Tip” you may find yourself saying, “I remember Rossland when it was X$’s to buy a home.”

I have loads of anecdotal evidence to support this but this is just a Golf Blog,

Cary

Canada Day is a Lifestyle Day

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Canada Day Hike in Rossland

Lifestyle is so important to us here at Redstone we just feel compelled to tell you about it in our town. In honour of Canada Day Rosslanders hike Mount Roberts and place a Canadian Flag at the top. In the 90’s I lived in Alaska and on July 4th Seward Alaska had the Mount Marathon. Both a Celebration of a great day and Lifestyle. I encourage our friends in Fruitvale, Trail, Montrose, Genelle and Castlegar to come out and hike Mount Roberts. This is our Kootenays and the best way to see it is from the top. To top it off we are having another lifestyle contest with the centre piece being Valhalla PowderCats and Redstone Golf. ONE DAY FOR TWO PEOPLE this winter Cat Skiing and 4 rounds of golf at Redstone for your group to use this summer.

This contest has a twist. You must sign up to be on our list and you MUST play golf at Redstone before Tuesday July 7th. Make your tee time today and WIN a Lifestyle Upgrade

Strangest thing ever turned in to the lost and found

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Well this is a mystery. We get all sorts of things turned in to our lost and found but this one takes the cake! Our members are so great about turning things in that they found on the course and we are always finding stuff in the golf carts that have been left behind but this one is the strangest. Does anyone know what it is and the story behind it. Would love to know who it belongs to and what it means or is used for. What are your guesses? My guess is a bird leg of some sort and it’s use….back scratcher????

Real Estate Facts

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For immediate release
BC Home Sales Continue at Brisk Pace
Vancouver, BC – June 15, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 10,174 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in May, up 16.6 per cent from the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume was $6.4 billion, a 30.4 per cent increase in comparison to the previous year. The average MLS® residential price in the province rose to $632,182, an 11.8 per cent increase since last May.
“Home sales for the month were at an eight year high for the month of May,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “Strong consumer demand is pushing home sales up in most of the large urban areas of the province.”
“A dwindling inventory of homes for sale in the face of strong demand is putting upward pressure on home prices in many regions, with the single-detached market segment experiencing most of the gains. We haven’t experienced inventories this low since prior to the financial crisis,” added Muir.
Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume increased 35.5 per cent to $25.5 billion, when compared with the same period in 2014. Residential unit sales climbed by 22.4 per cent to 40,265 units, while the average MLS® residential price rose 10.5 per cent to $631,941.

The Redstone Subdivision has 7 homes under construction with a net value of approximately $3.5 million. While the Province has seen continued strength the West Kootenay has been more subdued. Its likely we will see increases in value and sales in 2016. Stay tuned for Redstone’s next release. We are seeing a need for homes with secondary suites for short term golf/ski rentals. If you would like to discuss a business opportunity in short term rental ownership call me at 250 368-1688.

Thanks

Cary

Father’s Day

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That’s my Dad the year we bought the course. He and I golfed at Redstone before the rebuild. He taught me to fish, play hockey and treat all people with respect. Respect was a big thing with him. For a time, we did not see eye to eye but in the end family is the most important thing to me and time has a way of softening all things said or done. This father’s day set aside some time to spend with your father or at the very least give him a call. A call can change everything.

Better yet take your Dad for a round of golf. Spend 4 hours just passing time with the guy that has done his best raising you and setting you on your path. Like golf, life has hazards. Bunkers, trees, water and poor decisions but with the help of a good Dad we can avoid the worst.

Cheers to all the Dads out there and specifically, happy Fathers day Henri I’ll call at 9am.

Cary

PS Its almost crazy that I don’t tell you that fathers day is one of the busiest days for all golf courses so book your time now by calling 250 362-9141. I posted this yesterday but I wanted to add Redstone has a SPECIAL walking rate of $45 for 18 holes for both saturday and sunday if you book online

Bonnie’s Muffins

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Ahhh, look at that! Here’s our Bonnie pulling out her fresh baked cranberry orange muffins, proud as punch with the results. Oh the amazing smell of fresh baked muffins just coming out of the oven. First thing you do is smother it with butter while it’s still hot! Reminds me of home. Bonnie Langman, bakes them fresh every morning and, I can tell you this, they are delightful. She doesn’t just bake muffins. The Redstone crew has baked fresh baked apple strudel, cookies, brownies and lots of other goodies. It’s a great thing to grab with a coffee just before you head out on to the links. The clubhouse is open every morning at 8am for breakfast. We are getting some amazing reviews. They have all the classic’s but if you want to spice it up a little, Bonnie loves the Mexican flare. She does some an amazing Breakfast burrito with chorizo sausage, cheese, salsa, peppers and more! Doesn’t that sound good!?

If you are coming for an early tee time, get them to whip you up a breakfast wrap or a bacon and egger. And for goodness sake don’t forget a fresh baked muffin and coffee. Every weekend we have some amazing specials for breakfast and dinner! And hey, Bonnie would love to hear from you. Have you had one of her fresh baked muffins? Let her know what you think!

How much do we care about our greens?

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I can tell you flat out that greens are the most important part of a golf course to our owners and our staff. I can live with bumpy cart paths (and we have those) and I can live with an unpaved parking lot but not poor greens. That’s why we have an extra green or a nursery green for situations where things don’t go our way. This winter was warm with plenty of freeze thaw cycles. We ended up with six greens having 5% to 15% ice damage. Sure we could punch them and over seed but that could take until Mid July to grow in. Our plan is to have the best greens every year so we re-sod. I have attached the before picture. Its scary and had some members really worried about the quality of greens. That was one week ago. Check out our greens now: http://redstoneresort.com/?p=3163

You should have trusted me

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Judy Jarrett is the genius behind our restaurants popularity. We are packing them in lately. And for good reason. Judy and her team have created a great menu but those specials are amazing. On Tuesday the special was a pineapple peanut chicken stew. Now I was hesitant to try it. Never been a fan of stew. So I chose a safe meal and had the Monte Christo. One of my all time favorite sandwiches which is rarely on a menu these days. It exceeded my expectations. However, I kept smelling something that really interested me. Sure enough, several of the other patrons had chosen the stew. It didn`t look anything like what I had envisioned. It looked so ymmy and was served on a bed of brown rice. I asked my friend how it tasted. She said it was just delicious and gave me a bite. Well, was I ever sorry I that I hadn`t ordered it. It was a little spicy, a little sweet and just incredibly tasty. I popped my head into the kitchen and gave Judy a big thumbs up and told her I wished I had ordered it. All she said to me was “You should have trusted me“ I certainly won`t make that mistake again. In fact, I liked it so much that I ordered it to go! Took it home and had if for dinner the next night.

Have you been to our Breakfast Brunch? Judy puts out some amazing specials for breakfast on Sundays. From Eggs Benedict to her famous French Toast. We serve breakfast everyday but the weekend breakfast specials are fantastic and at a real reasonable price. Come on down to Redstone this weekend and check it out. And while your there, make sure to say Hi to Judy and let her know “you trust her”!

National Caesar Day at Redstone

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It’s National Caesar Day and we’re celebrating at Redstone Resort! I’m not positive about who created them or why,  but I do know it is a very popular
Canadian drink. I couldn’t let the day go by without showing you our Ultimate Redstone Caesar. Doesn’t it look good? I can’t give away all our secrets on how we make it but I can let you know that we use a very special rimmer and of course we have the usual clamato, worcestershire sauce, tabasco and spirits… but we add a little something extra to make it especially good. We create the best skewers ever with pepperoni, gherkin pickles, pickled onions, and pepperoncini’s. It’s almost a meal.

In honor of National Caesar Day we will be running a special on them for this weekend only. Just like MacDonalds they are only here for a limited time so come on down to the Clubhouse and give one a try. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Too much work not enough golf?

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These days we all (Unless we’re retired) rush too work and check our emails to start our day. During the day we answer emails, texts and phone calls. In fact, its likely that we are working outside of work because the cell phone is in our pocket and people can reach us at any time. Ever get this text?, “sorry too bother you but can you give me a call?”. Personal time has been replaced with 24 hour access. My father just laughs because he doesn’t have a PDA. He says people golf less because they work too much. He also says that people don’t take enough time for themselves and golf is not the only thing they have slowed down doing. I checked it out. In fact in 2014 Golf was up slightly and really over the last several years the number of new players are replacing players who have retired from the sport. So not net loss but no real gain.

At Redstone we want to change that. We created the twilight membership for working people that want to golf but need to work. It’s just $699 and the only restriction is you must golf at 2pm or later. This is a great intro to golfing at Redstone.

See you at Redstone

Cary