Recovering from the floods of last November, Hope Golf Club is on the rebound...

It’s hard to comprehend just how extensive the damage done to the Hope Golf Course was but pictures can give at least a sense.

Shown below is the seventh fairway that was literally washed away by the floods.

This rapid reconstruction is the result of the efforts of members of the Hope Golf & Country Club (a not-for profit society) and other volunteers who started remediation literally days after the flooding. Amazingly, they had six holes open by early March and as of April 15th, all nine holes were back in play. 

Says Society President Kent McKinnon, "The flood that occurred in November of 2021 did a great deal of damage and the Society Members have really pulled together to make the necessary repairs.

To date, Society Members have donated over 2,000 hours of hand and machine time to deal with an estimated 50,000 cubic meters of debris deposited by the flood. Our volunteers have managed to preserve all the greens and have prepared the damaged turf areas for re-seeding, which commenced in the 2nd week of May.

All the progress to date has been funded by our members and through incredibly generous donations of time, machinery and capital from local businesses, industries, and families."

The operators who manage the day-to-day at the Club on a lease and sublicense basis, Bonnie and Vince Cianfagna, also acknowledged the amazing contributions.

Says Bonnie, “It is thanks to the leadership of the HGCC and the many volunteers and donations of time, equipment, and money, that the golf course is playable. Vince and I appreciate immensely the work that has been done by the HGCC... THANK YOU!”

In a Facebook post, it is explained how they have managed to get #7 back into play, “On #7, a tributary was running through the golf course causing land to separate making the green unapproachable. A raised path has now been constructed making the hole very playable.”

One silver lining was that - almost amazingly - no greens were seriously affected.

The major remaining issue is the sand and silt that has been deposited on the fairways which staff are removing. Players are adapting to this over the short term by taking some requisite free drops.  

All of this work has had to be paid for without insurance. Because the golf course is on a flood plain, there is absolutely no insurance money or even disaster relief available to the operators, or the Hope Golf & Country Club Society.

If you want to make a donation, they are happy to see the help.

Explains McKinnon, "Insurance was not able to cover our losses due to the flood plain that we are situated upon, and we have not seen recovery funding come available yet from Federal or Provincial sources however, The District of Hope has made it possible to issue a tax efficient receipt to any donors that may wish to help us to bring The Hope Golf & Country Club back to its former glory. We wish to let your readers know that if they would like to contribute and assist us with the large body of work that lay ahead, they can do so by mailing to Hope Golf & Country Club, a cheque made out to "The District of Hope" and with a memo of Hope Golf & Country Club Recovery Fund to PO Box 197 Hope BC V0X 1L0"

Lower Mainland golfers can also contribute to the remediation by taking a short trip out to the east end of the Valley and playing one of our province’s most scenic nine-holers. For the time being, green fees will remain at $20 for 9 holes and $30 for 18, pull carts will be complimentary. 

Find out more here.