Golfing in Vancouver                                                                                                                              August 2004

There's plenty of good golf in the Vancouver area.  We had hoped to join a private club here, but soon discovered that was not an option.  There were waiting lists and non-refundable, high entry fees at all the nearby courses.  Fortunately, there are lots of public or semi-private courses to play, and tee times are readily available.  Most of the courses we played didn't have homes on them, giving them an agreeable, country or country-club feel.  Moreover, if you're willing to take what's available, there are reduced rates for next-day tee times (call 604-878-1833) at some of the best courses around. 

Dick and I most often played the University of British Columbia (UBC) course; it's perhaps the closest to downtown Vancouver, just 15 minutes from our Burrard St. condo.  This is a good quality, walkable course that's wooded; somewhat bunkered, with relatively wide fairways and interesting enough holes.  Tee times are10 minutes apart, so the pace of play is usually excellent.  Fees are a little high for the quality; they run CDN $60 weekdays and $70 weekends, carts ($32 for 2) are extra.   Because the course is near the ocean, temperatures tend to be more moderate than inland courses.  I was lucky to be able to join the Saturday Business Ladies Group and met some very nice women here. 

Northlands is about 30 minutes from downtown, in North Vancouver.  It's a nice hilly course that can be walked, though it's a hard walk and definitely not recommended on a hot summer day.  There is no driving range here, but there's a practice area and a waterfall.  This course has plenty of interesting holes, even when playing from the ladies tees, which are quite short.  Rates are slightly lower than the UBC course, above.  If you plan it right, you can head over to Deep Cove on the waterfront for lunch or dinner afterwards, making it an all-day adventure. 

There are three Vancouver city courses south of downtown: Langara, McCleary and Fraser View; these are the least expensive 18-hole courses around (Can $45-57).  Frazer View is apparently the best of these, though we didn't get around to playing it.  I did play Langara in a competition and found the course to be in good shape, with wide fairways and fast and tricky greens.

There are lots of other courses within a hour of downtown, several of which are well-known (at least in BC):

Mayfair Lakes is about 30 minutes from downtown.  It's flat with plenty of water, most of it not really in play, though you couldn't tell by my game.  It used to be a PGA venue when Air Canada had profits and money to sponsor a tournament.  Unexpectedly, the normal "happy, feeling good" Witta wouldn't come out the day we played here.  I just went through the motions, waiting for it to be over, losing too many balls. 

Northview, the Ridge course.  We played this pricey course (about $110 each, with cart) with some friends and really enjoyed our day.  It's rather hilly, and since it was warm and sunny, riding was a good choice.  The cart also helped with some of the blind shots, as we could ride up and see where we were going.  The par 3 on the left had lots of texture.  The other 18 hole course at Northview is links-like, a bit cheaper, and more walkable.

Furry Creek on the road to Whistler has some great view holes, including one par three along the water's edge (see photo above).  Unfortunately, there are also some rather marginal holes and quite a few blind shots.  We played on Friday the 13th, but it turned out to be a lucky day.  Dick got his 5th! hole-in-one on the 5th hole.  A slightly thin, but straight shot right into the cup! 

You do get your money's worth from the required carts at Furry Creek: there's lots of distance between the holes and tees, it may be the longest cart ride I've ever taken.  There's no driving range, which means you'll have to be content with a few chips and putts to get ready for play.  Although the tee times are 10 minutes apart, the target pace of play is set at four hours and 40 minutes; because of waits, it took us almost 5 hours to finish.  Worth seeing, but once is enough for us.  We did their twilight dinner deal and thought the food was excellent; portion sizes were huge.  

Point Roberts -- This course is actually in the state of Washington, but it's on a peninsula jutting out from Canada, so it can only be reached by boat or plane, or by driving through the border.  This little bit of the USA (it's less than 25 sq. miles) has not been built up the way it's neighboring town, Tsawwassen, (in Canada) has.  It feels like 1950 in Point Roberts and, although there are 1000 permanent residents, there are three times as many summer homes.  The golf course is well worth the trip (only 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver) including the quick stop at customs.  The holes are interesting, well-bunkered with water often in play.  The greens are fast, and the course was well-maintained and not too crowded.  Food was excellent, and gas prices were about 15 cents/liter lower than in Canada, so plan to fill up.  This was the first course where we needed mosquito repellent, so be forewarned.  Also, there are blackberries snacks everywhere, if the season is right.  It was mid-August and we pigged out on lots of luscious big ones!

Morgan Creek -- This is a semi-private, walkable course in White Rock, near the US border.  It has a great front nine and a good back nine; the latter is unfortunately marred in my opinion by rows of houses.  Dick thought this was the best course we've played in the Vancouver area.  There are plenty of hazards to get over, often requiring a lay-up or taking a risk.  There are also plenty of  bunkers to find. The greens were fast and the course condition was excellent.  Green fees are pricy, CDN $95, carts extra.

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