In British Columbia, all of the activity seems to be on Vancouver Island and in the Okanagan valley. The price of real estate near the City is most likely why nothing is being built nearby.
Tower Ranch, which is near Kelowna, will open in the spring.
www.golftowerranch.com Thomas McBroom design. From the website, pics show lots of great views and elevation changes. Bunkering looks like a collection of cloverleafs. Thomas McBroom is also working with Annika on a course at Red Mountain in the West Kootenay Valley but that is in the early stages, only recently announced.
Sagebrush, advertised as a "minimalist" design, will open in the Quilchena valley, between Vancouver and Kelowna. Rod Whitman and Richard Zokol are listed as the architects and our Jeff Mingay has also been very active at the site. It will be very private and pics show how dry the climate is in that area. Course looks fabulous.
Gil Hanse is working on a course at Union Bay, mid way up the east coast of Vancouver Island. Apparently clearing was complete this fall and serious design work will get underway in the spring. I would guess the course will open in 2009 but not sure.
Greg Norman is designing another course on Vancouver Island called The Cliffs over Maple Bay but that would seem to be a 2009 entry as well.
"The Rise" a Couples signature course was scheduled to open this year but rumours are it is having financial problems. It is near Vernon, just north of Kelowna and would have fantastic views of Lake Okanagan. Should be some word on that in the spring. Gene Bates has done most of the design. Freddie visited the site for the first time last June.
All of these areas are easy trips from Washington / Oregon. Hopefully we can arrange a GCA outing this summer.
Bob Jenkins