Front – Duck and cover; Vancouver Island: The Mecca of Golf
What do grizzly bears, earthquakes and golf on Vancouver Island have in common? A “duck and cover strategy”, that is! New technology has allowed even novice golfers to hit the ball from far away. The problem is that when you go a couple of degrees off course and hit the ball far, then you really go off course, prompting more and more piercing yells: “Forward!”
Vancouver Island in 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 every skill level. No matter what your ability, you can find the course that best suits you.
No bears on Bear Mountain…but lots of deer! The 19th hole is an optional bonus – it hangs on a cliff with a spectacular view of Greater Victoria. Bear Mountain, on the western edge of Victoria, is one of the most picturesque courses you’ll find.
Golf carts, fully equipped with GPS systems, are included in the green fees. If you get too close to the green, the cart shuts off and tells you on screen to back up! Then, on the 8th hole, a reminder appears that you can ask for the food to be ready at the end of the 9th hole. Awesome huh! There are four sets of tees, with excellent equalization for novices 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 onto a narrow fairway next to a long water hazard, followed by a precise second shot onto an elevated 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.
Manicured greens, sculpted fairways and sweeping 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 find a hole where you’d like to have a serious discussion with the course architect, like Crown Isle Golf Course where a good tee shot put me 12 feet ahead of the hole. I putt about 18 inches, then the unthinkable happened: my ball found a groove and rolled square to the line of my putt, off the green, inches from the water hazard! My chip back to the green was just before the hole. Yes…it came back to me! My fourth shot couldn’t be short, so I flew 10 feet past the hole. I set tentatively towards the hole and the hole that ‘eats’ balls. Naturally, I put on light and, to great chagrin, rolled a six.
The Crown Isle Resort has some of the best facilities of any course on the island. It is typical of holiday camps with nearby housing estates. The clubhouse is spectacular.
If living on a golf course is your lifelong dream, Vancouver Island has many courses with homes lining them: Arbutus Ridge, Morning Star, Bear Mountain, Pheasant Glen, Crown Isle and others offer exemplary homes.
Imagine a field where every fairway is lined with tall Douglas fir, virtually isolating you from others. This is Storey Creek. Each hole is different and the course offers challenges with narrow fairways, water hazards and strategic bunkers. If playing on the edge of housing developments irritates you, try Storey Creek, just south of Campbell River.
Set against the backdrop of Mount Arrowsmith, manicured greens and fairways, executive length golf 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’ll be playing on one of the best executive courses on the island. It has a par 5 hole (the others are par 3 and 4).
There are approximately 60 golf courses on Vancouver Island, each offering something for everyone. Read a synopsis at:
http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/vancouver-island-golf.htm