Whistler Resort

Jim Lee

With the venues now completed in Whistler for the 2010 Olympics, the excitement is building.  The Village is being groomed and the hotels, restaurants and shops that make Whistler one of the top resorts in the world are now ready.  All of this makes a golf trip to Whistler all that much more exciting and interesting.

The Whistler area is home to four award-winning golf courses designed by internationally-renowned architects and players Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Arnold Palmer and Robert Cupp. The combination of courses, scenery and the Resort Village make Whistler one of those “must play” destinations.

Nicklaus North, one of Jack Nicklaus’s first Canadian designs, lies on the shore of Green Lake, slightly north of the main Village.  The course is well known for its conditioning and challenging design and has hosted a number of events, including the Skins Game.  Ponds, creeks and marshes are used extensively to create visual distractions and water comes into play on all but 4 holes.  The signature hole is number 12, a 200 yard par 3, which features an island green.  The water in front provides enough of a distraction, but the mountains in the background provide even more of one.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club is the one true mountain course in the grouping.  It climbs up from the level of the hotel to a bench-land on the side of Blackcomb Mountain where the views of Whistler Valley are spectacular.  The elevation changes on some holes border on extreme, but add to the interest.  Creeks that are lined with rock retaining walls on some of the lower holes pose a hazard that will make errant balls bounce in any direction.

Just a few minutes from the heart of Whistler Village lies the Whistler Golf Club, the first course Arnold Palmer chose to design in Canada.  The course winds through the valley and between stands of towering fir and pine trees.  Water is used extensively to define holes and create hazards.  On a number of holes, fairways are divided by meandering creeks that challenge the golfer to play strategically and resist the temptation to hit away.  

At the Big Sky Golf & Country Club in the nearby town of Pemberton, the unobstructed view of snow-capped Mount Currie generates a humbling feeling – its “in your face” on many holes.  Big Sky is always in good condition, sheltered from some of the worst of the weather which make its bent grass fairways a pleasure to play.  One option offered by the course is a helicopter ride to the top of the 8,000 foot mountain to play their 19th hole.  You’ll hit the longest drive of your life using biodegradable golf balls, dropping off a cliff 1500 yards towards the valley below.  The views of course, are truly spectacular.  Cameras are required!

For more information on Whistler and other BC courses, as well as golf packages, visit www.golfbritishcolumbia.org or call 877-322-1223.