Golfing in BC

A lush and well-forested island, with mild temperatures throughout the year, the main island – and the surrounding Gulf Islands – are a cherished habitat for wildlife and humans alike. Many areas of the island remain natural and unspoilt, allowing visitors to explore a wonderful area in a fresh way.

All these factors, and the island’s vast capability for hosting tens of thousands of guests each year, have combined to create a haven for golfers. Courses have sprung up across it, with quality and comfort firmly in mind, and visitors are often enchanted by the friendly, warm reception they encounter at golf facilities of the highest calibre. The ease of travel around the Island also allows golfers an array of choices within reach of their accommodations, with several world-class facilities in relatively close proximity.

Vancouver Island’s blooming flora and hilly topography are a wonderful mix, letting course designers use a great amount of natural elements to shape the courses. Raised tee boxes are frequent, as are descending fairways. Seaside links offer the added challenge of adjusting for wind. The lush nature of the Island climate also ensures the preponderance of bent-grass greens, with fresh rainforest surroundings sheltering the fairways.

Read more about Vancouver Island, Victoria City, the Gulf Islands and Golf Courses in this region.

Feted as a cultural Mecca and artistic hub, Vancouver is a dynamic city bursting with life and endless recreational opportunities. At 600,000 residents and growing (over 2 million in the greater metropolitan area), it has all of the attractions and services of a major urban centre, including a busy international airport.

Vancouver and many of its surrounding communities enjoy a relatively high standard of living, and this has translated into a spate of golfing sites stepping up to answer demand – there are half a dozen courses within an hour of the city centre, and several practice facilities as well. Moving outside of Vancouver proper, the traveler can choose from over 50 nearby public and semi-private courses, all displaying the amply green cover associated with the West Coast.

The Lower Mainland is a florid region cradled by low mountains, and this has translated into attractive course design incorporating intact natural formations – large stands of intact (and often ancient) evergreens and deciduous trees are a hallmark of golfing near Vancouver, providing difficult doglegs. Challenging crowned greens are also common in the area.

Read more about Vancouver City, Greater Vancouver , the Fraser Valley, and Golf Courses in these regions.

Originating along the beautiful coastlines of B.C., the Sea-to-Sky corridor climbs steadily through some of the most picturesque terrain on the planet, up into the mountains of the interior. As diverse as it is awe-inspiring, the route from the coast up to Lillooet skirts numerous beautiful provincial parks, and stops in some of the province’s most popular holiday sites, including Whistler and Pemberton.

With varying landscapes along the Sea-to-Sky route, leading designers have jumped at the chance to create unique courses with panoramic vistas, diverse topography, and mixed physical features. Most golf sites include stunning perspectives of the surroundings – out onto the vast ocean, into the sheltered bays, across the endless forests, up to the towering peaks – and players are often treated to shows of spectacular wildlife.

Golfing in the Sea-to-Sky can involve a test of accuracy: raised tee-boxes, funnelling fairways, and punchbowl greens combine to create an excellent match for the long-game expert. Driving from highly-elevated tees places a heavy importance on wind adjustment and ball placement. The location of many courses along the coast provides an added danger of lateral water hazards; as well, waterways running across the hole layout further inland make for natural but daunting challenges.

Read more about the Sea to Sky region, Whistler Village and Golf Courses in this area.

Famous for its prodigious fruit production and wineries, the Okanagan region is also a favourite summer playground. The industries welcoming gourmands, oenophiles, and outdoor activity enthusiasts have created a vast infrastructure for entertaining and pampering visitors from around the globe.

The Okanagan enjoys some of Canada’s most favourable weather, with hot, dry summers around the numerous lakes combining to make a sportsman’s heaven. Days of water sports, hiking, nature tours, fishing, mountain biking, and more are wonderfully capped off with delectable West Coast cuisine at fine eateries across the region.

These attractions have been complemented by a flourish of golf course construction and expansion. Once again, many courses are situated within a relatively small geographical area, creating an excellent destination for the golf vacationer with a taste for new challenges every day. The rolling hills of the area are perfect for creating natural barriers and hazards, as well as laying a foundation for gently undulating fairways and sloping short-game areas. Parkland courses and bent-grass are the norm, with playability and comfort foremost in design, although the natural ease of the terrain is often offset by barrancas and very tricky greens, even a few island greens in the lake country. Home to some of Canada’s only true deserts, sand bunkers are seamlessly worked into the design, and the nearby lakes make water hazards easy to incorporate. Orchards also make for ideal course surroundings, and some courses even offer "pick-and-play" packages.

Read more about the Thompson Okanagan and Golf Courses in this region.

North America’s most impressive land formation provides an outstanding backdrop for truly unique golf experiences, and the region has responded by developing a number of respected courses. Soaring eagles, black-tailed deer, moose, bears, elk, and much more are residents in the stunning mountain habitats of B.C.’s Eastern mountain ranges, and awe-inspiring (but safe) encounters with these impressive denizen can be part of the golf experience.

Thickly-treed and watered by glacier-fed crystal streams, the peaks of the Rockies are a must-see for any visitor and a must-play for any golfer – unique designs and challenges arise from playing in such wild environs. Dramatic changes in elevation, as well as valley-guided fairways, create the illusion of golfing in a truly untouched hinterland. Many courses feature split fairways, where the strategy for approaches must be thoughtful and intricate. The narrow corridors carved through handsome alpine forests make for tough doglegs, and the rocky outcroppings create near-invisible pin placements such that golfers need to rely on intuition and ingenuity to conquer these picturesque courses. The dastardly roughs and hazards of the mountain play call upon the strongest ball placement skills of any golfer, and each course is a new challenge with every round due to its intricacy and complex design.

The mountains of B.C. are replete with outdoor activities throughout the year, and family-friendly fun can be had at the drop of a hat. The region is well-known for its many getaway resorts, complete with natural hot springs and fine-dining, enticing visitors with relaxation as much in mind as golf.

Read more about the Kootenays and BC Rockies and Golf Courses in this region.

British Columbia is an expansive territory, with as many distinct regions as there are different natural settings, and golf can be found in just about every corner of the province. Travelers can embrace this diversity by finding their golf getaway in out-of-the-way towns and villages, with the added bonus of experiencing a unique and historical way of life.

The aptly named Sunshine Coast draws many golfers every year in search of the epitome of seasonable B.C. climate in which to hone their skills. The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region also has several courses which display the best assets of the landscape, from coastal areas to lake country to rolling hills. Northern B.C. offers golfers a true wilderness experience to go along with their sports vacation, and players can swing in stunning scenery, places within reach of mountain glaciers and the Alaska Highway. Even the enigmatic, spiritual, and remote Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) region plays host to two courses.

Read more about the Sunshine Coast, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Northern BC and Haida Gwaii