What do Vancouver Island’s grizzly bears, earthquakes, and golf have in common? A “duck and cover” strategy, that’s it! New technology has allowed even novice golfers to hit the ball a lot. The problem is, when you’re just a couple degrees off course and hit the ball far, then you are really off course, causing more and more piercing bellows: “Go ahead!”
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is a golf Mecca. Imagine, on this beautiful 500 km (300 mile) long island in the Pacific Northwest, there is a golf course for all abilities. No matter what your skill is, you can find the course that best suits your needs.
There are no bears at Bear Mountain … but lots of deer! The 19th hole is an optional bonus – it hangs from a cliff with a spectacular view of Greater Victoria. Bear Mountain, at the western end of Victoria, is one of the most scenic courses you’ll find.
The golf carts, fully equipped with GPS systems, are included in the green fees. Get too close to the green, the car shuts down and tells you to back up on the screen. Then at hole 8, a reminder pops up that you can ask for food to be ready at the end of hole 9. Awesome, huh! There are four sets of tees, with excellent equalization for beginners and shorter hitters.
An elevated green set against the backdrop of a waterfall is typical of the Olympic View golf course, also on the western side of Victoria. The 12th hole is where nightmares are born: a precise tee shot to a narrow fairway next to a long water hazard, followed by a precise second shot to a raised green. This is just one of the many challenging holes here. A golf cart is recommended for the hills. Olympic View has the best-equipped practice area of any course on Vancouver Island.
Well-tended greens, sculpted fairways, and panoramic ocean views make Cordova Bay, on Victoria’s east coast, one of the best courses you’ll find on Vancouver Island. Four sets of tees allow you to choose the challenge that best suits your game.
Sometimes you come across a hole where you would like to have a serious conversation with the course architect, such as at Crown Isle Golf Course, where a good tee shot put me 12 feet ahead of the hole. I putt about 18 inches past him, then the unthinkable happened: my ball found a groove and rolled at right angles to my putt line, off the green, inches from the water hazard! My chip back on the green was very close to the hole. Yes … it rolled back to me! My fourth shot couldn’t be short, so I blew it 10 feet past the hole. I tentatively put towards the hole and the hollow that ‘eats’ balls. Naturally, I put light and with great disgust, I rolled a six.
The Crown Isle Resort has some of the best facilities of any course on the island. It is typical of the tourist fields with nearby urbanizations. The clubhouse is spectacular.
If living on a golf course is your lifelong dream, Vancouver Island has many courses with houses lining them: Arbutus Ridge, Morning Star, Bear Mountain, Pheasant Glen, Crown Isle and others offer exemplary housing.
Imagine a field in which every street is lined by a tall Douglas fir, practically isolating it from the others. This is Storey Creek. Each hole is different and the course offers challenges with narrow fairways, water hazards and strategic sand traps. If playing along the edge of housing developments irritates you, try Storey Creek, just south of Campbell River.
With a Mount Arrowsmith backdrop, manicured greens and fairways, an executive-length golf course awaits – Mount Arrowsmith Golf Course is one of the island’s best-kept secrets.
An automated telephone reservation system facilitates access. Drive 10 minutes north of Qualicum Beach and you will play one of the best executive courses on the island! It has a par 5 hole (the rest are par 3 and 4).
There are approximately 60 golf courses on Vancouver Island, each of which offers something for everyone. Read a synopsis at:
http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/vancouver-island-golf.htm
