Wow what a start to bear season! The golf course has been frequented daily by bears who have come down from the mountain in search for food. With the second snowiest season on record on the mountains their isn’t a lot of food for the bears up top so down to the valley they come!
The Whistler Golf Club has created “naturalized” zones on the golf course. These areas are not maintained and result in fescue grasses and dandelions which the bears love this time of year. They would prefer the berries that grow on the course but its too early in the year for berries so they graze away on course. The nice thing about our course is there is a lot of tree islands they can graze beside and take cover whenever golfers approach.
The staff have nicknamed the bears that frequent here the most. “Big Boy” is well… big. He has caused a few golfers to leave their PROV1 in the rough. “Jeannie” is Whistler’s most famous bear. No cubs this year which is rare for her but she has been dropping by the clinics nightly to graze on dandelions and watch the golfers in action. “Tiny” is a small yearling that just showed up this week. He likes the dandelion patch behind 17 green.
Our bear proof bins are critical to keeping the bears in their natural habitat and eating patterns. As long as the bears are on course eating their natural food we have had no issues.For more information on Whistler’s bear population visit www.getbearsmart.com
