If you’re a golfer, the decision to close Takaya Driving Range may have left you bawling.
But don’t get your high socks in a twist just yet, because səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation – which has owned and operated the popular golf facility for 31 years – has already gotten the ball rolling on another project to revitalize the site and continue to promote sport in the community.
Friday Sept. 29 will be the last day that the piece of land at 700 Apex Dr. in North Vancouver will host a driving range. The kicker: Tsleil-Waututh Nation has teed up plans to convert the property into a turf field, primarily for soccer.
For decades, Nation members have been very competitive in soccer but there hasn’t been a place to put a field, said Whonoak (Dennis Thomas), elected councillor at the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
“It’s been brought up many times with different previous chiefs and councils,” he said. “We as a Nation, and our members as well, decided that a sports field primarily focused on the game of soccer would be the best use of that land at this time.”
With kids from the Nation fielding six or more teams, from age five all the way up to 18, the new field couldn’t come at a better time, Thomas explained.
Like the golf centre, the new field isn’t just for Nation members. It will be open to the surrounding community as well, Thomas said, adding there will be rental opportunities for academies, adult soccer leagues and other activities.
“The field is meant to be a sports field, not just soccer,” he said. "There will be a track around the outside, which we planned for.”
Thomas noted that the field will be easily accessible by residents in the Raven Woods development, once a new road is built that will connect to the Takaya Driving Range area.
“It’s the beginning of a beautiful opportunity for our Nation, to be able to maximize use in a very health-conscious way when it comes to rebuilding our economy,” he said.
In terms of employment, there will be three to four positions in the clubhouse building, which will be carried over from the existing driving range.
“But what really stands out and provides further benefits is the health opportunities of being active, and the power of sport,” Thomas said. “Being active is such a huge thing.”
Work on the site is expected to begin in the next month or two, with an opening date for the new facility as early as summer 2024, he said.
Nation thanks local driving range customers over the years
While many will be excited about the new field in the area, others will be sad to see the driving range go.
Thomas thinks back fondly to when Takaya opened in June of 1992. In his previous role with the Nation’s department of economic development, he helped oversee the range for eight years.
“It was our very first economic development business,” he said. “It’s been such a staple and stepping stone for a lot of members.
“A lot of people started their careers off … either in the golf industry or running multiple businesses as their future career,” Thomas added. “The whole intent of the driving range was to create employment for our members, while providing a service for the broader community.”
But over the years, revenue dipped up and down, and the driving range's covered-tee structure would need a significant overhaul to continue operating.
Thomas said the driving range staff and Nation leadership really valued all the local customers.
“The success and the longevity of having the driving range wouldn’t have been met without their support,” Thomas said. “We really raise our hands to all of the locals that came there year after year, decade after decade.
“Unfortunately, decisions like these have to be made – especially within economic development – to make revenue, to provide jobs, to provide health and wellness opportunities as it relates to sport.”
