Pars and Powder

Nicklaus North Golf Course
Nicklaus North Golf Course

When I reached the base, I changed from my ski garb into golf shorts and jumped in the car for a five-minute drive to Nicklaus North, one of five courses that make up the Whistler golf experience. There’s also the Arnold Palmer-designed Whistler Golf Club, in Whistler Village, Chateau Whistler, at the base of Blackcomb Mountain; Big Sky Golf Club, 30 minutes north in Pemberton, B.C.; and Furry Creek Golf & Country Club, at the start of the Sea-to-Sky Highway, about 45 minutes south of Whistler.

Nicklaus North is a Golden Bear Signature course that Jack unveiled in 1996 to huge acclaim. I visited this course while it was being seeded and preened in 1995 but never got to play it, so it was a treat to experience it all grown up. Golf Digest gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars and it’s widely considered one of Canada’s top public courses. When I played it, it had only been open about three weeks or so, but — much like the native bears that roam Whistler’s woods — the superintendents that baby these places know just how to tuck these tracks in for the long winter. The course played incredibly well, with lush fairways and greens, firm turf, and acres of new-blooming wildflowers, alpine grasses and lots of green glacier melt flowing in the streams that feed the layout.

The design is very Nicklaus-like, for sure. While I counted water in play on 12 holes, I found the fairways quite forgiving, with lots of room for amateurs to stay in the short stuff. The course stretches out to 6,961 yards, twisting and turning through a layout that is both mountain meadow and forest-like. The signature par-3 12th and 17th holes are as gorgeous as any par-3s you could ever find — 12 a challenging island green, and 17 tucked along Green Lake, with amazing mountain views. It’s serene. Summer and early fall rates hover around the $100 mark Canadian, leaving you a few extra pennies to spend at Table Nineteen, home to Whistler’s largest outdoor patio and a highly recommended spot for your après golf hangout.

Big Sky Golf Course (photo by David Buzzard / www.davidbuzzard.com)
Big Sky Golf Course (photo by David Buzzard / www.davidbuzzard.com)

My trek also included a drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Pemberton, home to Bob Cupp’s Big Sky Golf Course. It’s one of the prettiest designs I’ve ever played, but it’s certainly one that requires good shotmaking. The course is routed across a flat valley completely surrounded by mountains; when your ball flies off the tee, it’s easy to track against the dark, alpine background. Big Sky has been rated the No. 1 course in B.C. by the PGA and a top-20 track in Canada by Score magazine, and is well worth the drive up the road. My favorite hole was the long, par-four 12th, called Great Divide. The hole is split in half, longways, by a stream, requiring two super shots to reach the green.

Big Sky hosts more weddings than any course I know of, and it’s easy to see why. I played in in twilight, and the late-afternoon shadows were more than words can truly describe. Rates are more than fair, and with the current favorable exchange rate, it’s a steal of a deal. I played this 20 years ago; to this day, when I can’t sleep, I just imagine myself playing it again, until I finally doze off to beautiful thoughts.

For lodging, I picked the Crystal Lodge in Whistler Village, both for its authentic, mountain-lodge feel, and its central location, which makes it easy to shop, eat, drink and chill anywhere you wish and be back home in a matter of steps. The driving range is across the street, and the base lift is a two-minute walk away. I stayed in a mid-priced deluxe studio, which was beautifully appointed and made for a relaxing stay. The pool and spa located outside hit the spot each night, while I sipped a local IPA and re-calibrated my body. And the Wild Wood Pacific Bistro, located just next door, was my favorite spot for dining, with locally sourced fare that reminds you you’re in the Northwest. Their banana-bread French toast was my carb-load choice each day.

With the favorable exchange rate, and summer rates on the slopes and in the hotels and eateries, Whistler is in almost anyone’s budget wheelhouse. And at only four hours away, it’s closer than driving to Spokane or Central Oregon. Whether or not you bring your skis, bring your passport, your golf clubs and sense of imagination — this experience is just for you.

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