Sliding Canadian dollar hurts local golf courses

Canada’s sliding currency is forcing snowbirds to tighten their belts, so much, many stayed home this winter.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Megan Terlecky first reported on this last fall. Valley businesses and real estate have all been impacted to some level.

Since then, the Canadian dollar has fallen even lower in relation to the American dollar and Valley golf resorts are feeling the downturn.

“I wanted to play golf with my son and granddaughter and enjoy the great weather and have break from the winter,” said Marc Billard, visiting from Montreal.

Billard’s reasons for visits are most common Canadians head to the Coachella Valley this time of year. However, this year, is shaping up to be a lot different.

“We’ve just seen a lot less Canadians. It’s just too expensive for them to travel, to play, to go out and spend their currency,” said Michael Tebbetts, Indian Wells Golf Resort director of sales and marketing.

Currently one U.S. dollar costs $1.40 Canadian. For a $100 round of golf, it costs 40 percent more for Canadians and that adds up quickly.

“If you see that kind of a trade it’s a little bit of a shock, it makes it very tough on the Canadian traveler to do that, I can understand why they might stay home,” said Tebbets.

Several people cancelled their reservations at the Indian Wells Golf Resort because of the exchange rate.

Canadians like to play a lot of golf when they are here and it has impacted us, but it means we have to work a little harder to replace them,” said Tebbets.

SilverRock Resort in La Quinta and local golf retailers also report a decline in Canadian business

John Gorman did make the trip from Calgary, but he’s cut back.

“It’s tough, we come down here quite a bit and we are definitely reducing our trips to the U.S. this year,” said Gorman.

Instead he’s making trips to Mexico, where the Canadian dollar goes further.

“We have to go with it, there is nothing we can change about it,” said Billard.