Golfing the Vertical

Jim Lee

Crisp, fresh, cool air. Unabated scenery. Twenty yards more of ball flight. Blue, grey mountain peaks. All of these are characteristics of mountain golf courses that any golfer could visualize. But what distinguishes a mountain golf course from a course in the mountains?
 
There are more of the former than of the latter. Most mountain courses are built in the valleys or benchlands of mountains. What distinguishes mountain golf courses are the changes in elevation as mountain courses go up, across and down in their mountain settings. These courses don’t just make use of a mountain setting, they challenge their settings.
 
British Columbia, crossed from north to south with a series of mountain ranges from the Rockies to the Coast Mountains offers up a number of the premiere mountain golf courses in the world. The common characteristic of these courses, besides a mountain location, is elevation change. These are courses where changes of elevation on holes influence the design and the way the course is played. The vertical often is more important than the length of holes. Vertical holes create views, drama and excitement that other courses simply can’t offer.  
 
Greywolf, in the eastern part of British Columbia in the Purcell Mountains, is one of the best known of Canada’s mountain courses with a total vertical of 505 feet. Located at Panorama Ski Resort, it eases up the slopes of Panorama Mountain for its first three slopes in a steady grind up 364 feet that makes each hole 100 yards longer than it shows on the scorecard. The reward is found on the fourth, a par 4 that offers splendid views of the surrounding mountains and the valley below. In the dryer conditions of summer, 300 yard drives are the norm, providing you keep the ball on the short grass. However, Greywolf is best known for its par 3 – Cliffhanger, perhaps one of the most photographed holes in Canada. Depending on the tee box selected you’ll need to hit it about 180 yards, including  110 yards of bottomless chasm to a green sitting in splendid isolation on a promontory. When you reach the green, make sure you look back.
 

 
While Whistler is one of the worlds top ski resorts, only one of its 4 signature courses is truly a mountain golf course. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler course rises up 400 feet from the clubhouse climbing most of this up the first 4 holes.

 
One wouldn’t normally expect to find a mountain course 30 minutes from downtown Victoria, but the mountain course at Bear Mountain Resort boasts 475 feet of vertical. While Skirt Mountain isn’t necessarily that high a mountain, the Nicklaus designed course makes use of a lot of the elevation change, particularly on the back nine. The 14th, a par 5 climbs about 120 feet over its 500 yard length. At the top however, lies one of the most interesting holes in golf – the 19th – a short par 3 with spectacular views of Victoria and the Olympic Mountains to the south. Put some money on the hole for a KP.  The  16th, also a par 3, drops 85 feet dramatically to a long, narrow green below.

 
Perhaps the most scenic mountain course in Canada is found at Furry Creek, just north of Vancouver on the highway to Whistler. The clubhouse, about ½ the way up the mountain side, commands spectacular views of Howe Sound and the Coastal Mountain Range. It even boasts its own rushing waterfall. Two holes stand out – The first hole, which is like teeing off a cliff to a fairway 175 feet below and the 14th, par 3, which takes the golfer out to the shores of Howe Sound and an – almost – island green designed by nature.

British Columbia’s mountain golf courses offer golfers an exhilarating experience. Few shots in golf can rival the flight of your ball arcing high against a mountain backdrop to a green surrounded by forest far below. Its one of those moments that make the game worthwhile.