Tom Lehman and Tom McBroom soaring with The Raven GC at Lora Bay

Media Release Sept. 9, 2003

THORNBURY, ON - Construction is set to start this fall as Intrawest Golf brings its Raven Golf brand to Canada for the first time with the creation of The Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay near Collingwood, ON.

Intrawest Golf, a subsidiary business of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Intrawest Corporation, is calling upon two of the top names in the design business, PGA Tour veteran Tom Lehman and Canada's Tom McBroom to create one of the most exceptional and memorable golf experiences anywhere.

"I have a really strong belief in golf course design," said Lehman, who spent Monday and Tuesday walking and discussing plans for the site with McBroom. "Last week at Hamilton, the star of the week was not Bob Tway nor Mike Weir, it was Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Maybe as a Canadian you want Mike Weir to win, but as a player, the course was the story because of the fact that it was expertly routed. It was laid atop of the topography and everything fit perfectly. Here it's the same thing. The course fits the land and that's the beauty of it."

They're collaborating on a 7,200-yard championship layout that is being carved from some of Ontario's most breathtaking shoreline terrain along Georgian Bay. Set on the dramatic Nipissing Ridge, the 18 holes will overlook Georgian Bay while meandering through wildlife preserves, pastureland, craggy rock outcroppings and deciduous forest.

"We have the skeleton here of a course that is really going to be quite unique," McBroom said. "It will reflect the local character of the neighborhood and the land. We're talking about preservation of barns and stone walls, rather than knocking down and recreating - to celebrate the site rather than re-invent it. We think the site is strong enough just the way it is with Tom Thomsonish views of Georgian Bay, the topography and the gorgeous trees."

Lehman, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife Melissa and three children, has had a hand in designing 13 golf courses in the United States over the last six years. The 44-year-old has already worked with Intrawest Golf having designed the Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks (Colorado) and the newest Raven Golf Club at Verrado (Arizona). This is his first international project.

Site clearing and initial construction is set to being this fall on the 200-acre golf property. Intrawest Golf anticipates its seventh Raven to take flight in the summer 2005.

"The Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay will be a tremendous addition to the Raven network of clubs," said Intrawest Golf President Jeff Stipec, who was also on site with the two designers. "Our team was excited about taking the brand international last year with The Raven at Cabo San Lucas, but to now return home to Canada - we are elated. It's a great opportunity for our group to complement our existing Monterra facilities (another McBroom design) at Blue Mountain with an additional 18 holes of championship golf."

This new Raven Golf Club will act as the centrepiece of the 580-acre Lora Bay recreational lifestyle community. The golf course itself will be constructed and operated by Intrawest, while the surrounding residential real estate is being developed by The Lora Bay Corporation, headed by President and CEO Jim Wilkinson and Chairman Arnie Cader.

"There is no other piece of land to develop in this area that offers everything a vacationer or resident could ask for - easy access to Highway 26, the Georgian Trail and the beautiful shoreline of Georgian Bay," Wilkinson said. "Lora Bay has all of that and more."

The Village at Blue Mountain is a thriving resort similar to other Intrawest showcase villages including Whistler in British Columbia and Mont Tremblant in Quebec. The Village at Blue consists of 500 resort homes, townhomes and single-family lots all surrounding a pedestrian village center with 14 shops and restaurants. The total scope for Intrawest's master plan at Blue Mountain is the development of 2,000 resort homes and 70 shops and restaurants making Blue Mountain to Ontario what Tremblant is to Quebec.