Where the name comes from
"Predator Ridge" refers to the height of land between Kalamalka Lake and Okanagan Lake, where eagles, osprey, hawks and owls hunt over the grasslands. The original golf nines were named for them: Osprey, Red Tail and Peregrine. Those names live on today in neighbourhoods like Osprey Green and Peregrine Cottages (Predator Ridge, area history).
Long before golf
The North Okanagan is the traditional territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) people, part of the Interior Salish, who have lived here for thousands of years. Nearby Ellison Provincial Park protects four archaeological sites (BC Parks). The new Okanagan Gondola above Kalamalka Lake is being built on Okanagan Indian Band territory (Vernon Matters).
From 1811, fur traders travelled the west side of Okanagan Lake on the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail between Fort Okanagan and Fort Kamloops. By 1890, Commonage Road was the main stagecoach route from Vernon south to Kelowna by way of Oyama and Winfield, and that same road is still the back way to Predator Ridge today.
The Commonage ranch years
Neil McQuarie bought the Commonage property around 1898 and built a log barn that stood for close to 117 years. That same year a one-room Commonage school went up for about $20. It doubled as a dance hall and church until it closed in 1912. The Neigel family ran the ranch from 1925 to 1956. Walk the trails today and you're crossing the same grassland those families grazed.
Building a golf resort, 1989 to 1999
In 1989 Barrie Wheeler and the Paterson family acquired the land. Course construction started in October 1989, with Dave Gillespie as partner and general manager, and Predator Ridge Golf Resort officially opened in July 1991 with 18 holes designed by Les Furber plus three members-only holes. It hosted the BC Open in 1993.
Six more holes came in 1997 under a reconfiguration led by Dick Munn, and by 1999 the resort had three nine-hole courses: Osprey, Red Tail and Peregrine. The Predator Inn was built in 1998, and the first residential neighbourhood, Falcon Point, followed in 1999.
Skins Games and a new owner
In 2000 Predator Ridge hosted the Skins Game with Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir, Sergio Garcia and Fred Couples, and the Telus Skins Game returned in 2008 (resort golf history; Wikipedia). In 2007 Wesbild Holdings bought the resort, and Wesbild has shaped most of the neighbourhoods built since.
The Doug Carrick-designed Ridge Course opened in July 2010, and SCOREGolf named it Canada's best new course that year. The original Osprey and Red Tail nines became the Predator Course. A refresh of about $3.5 million followed in 2018. In SCOREGolf's ranking of Canada's best public courses, the Ridge placed #10 and the Predator #23, up from #35 in 2021 (resort post, updated May 2026). For hole-by-hole detail, see the Predator Ridge golf guide.
Sparkling Hill arrives
In April 2010 Sparkling Hill Resort opened on a granite bluff above Okanagan Lake, within the Predator Ridge area. Developed by Gernot Langes-Swarovski, it has 149 rooms, more than 3.5 million Swarovski crystals and a 40,000 sq ft KurSpa for guests 16 and older. Predator homeowners can buy day access to the KurSpa through a partnership (Sparkling Hill; resort partnership post).
Firsts and records
- FireSmart since 2016. A resident FireSmart committee formed in August 2015, and the community has held FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition every year since 2016 (PRCEMC).
- Wildfire sensors. In spring 2024 Predator Ridge became the first resort community to install SenseNet wildfire-detection sensors (Castanet).
- Canada's first Ritz-Carlton branded residences. Announced on 9 May 2024 as the first standalone Ritz-Carlton branded residential development in Canada (Castanet).
- Vernon-made golf carts. In 2026 the resort rolled out a fleet built by Simolo Customs in Vernon, among the first Canadian golf resorts to use Canadian-built carts (Castanet).
- Mostly full-time. In 2022, 76% of residents said Predator Ridge was their primary residence (Castanet).
Predator Ridge by the numbers
| Figure | What it is |
|---|---|
| July 1991 | Golf resort officially opens |
| ~1,200 to 1,300 acres | Resort land area (Wikipedia and the resort's 2026 release differ) |
| 1,000+ units | Homes across the neighbourhoods, per the resort, of about 2,000 authorized |
| 35+ km | Resort trails, linking to a network the resort puts at 75+ km |
| 36 holes | Predator Course (par 71) and Ridge Course (par 72) |
| $31M+ | Annual resale volume cited in the resort's September 2026 release |
| 35 years | Anniversary celebrated in 2026; golf opened April 8 |
What's next
The resort's 2022 village-centre plan included future medical services and more commercial space. Ellison Landing is building out now, Vista opened in 2025, and the Ritz-Carlton Residences are listed as "coming soon". Just outside the resort, the privately funded $100M Okanagan Gondola is scheduled to open in spring 2027. Follow the latest on the market and news page.