3 minute read
Golf Destination: Chateau Whistler
www.BlackhawkLivingCA.com @BlackhawkLivingCA #BlackhawkLivingCA
By Chuck Fox, Owner, Quintessential Golf, Resident since 2012
say first-time golfers to British Columbia, “the forest, the mountains, the course - they are gorgeous.” We couldn’t agree more. The environment is spectacular. Situated as an adjunct to the magnificent Fairmont Chateau Whistler hotel, the Chateau Whistler Golf Club provides a fabulous golf experience. 2018 was the 25th anniversary and the architect, Robert Trent Jones, returned to one of his most celebrated creations. During the colder weather it’s a popular ski-in ski-out resort. During the temperate weather, it’s a golf resort with a balance of beauty, serenity and adventure.
Chateau Whistler Golf Course Following a mountain course dictated by nature, you will traverse glacier-fed creeks, ponds and granite rocks. Snow-capped mountains and thick towering Douglas fir trees project a backdrop of spectacular beauty. Hear the roar of the rushing stream, reminding us of our bucolic mountain location. The layout is not unlike St. Andrews in Scotland. The front nine goes out linearly, turns and returns linearly with the eighteenth directly in front of the clubhouse.
Chateau Whistler Golf Club - Hole 8, Par 3 184 yard
Chateau Whistler Golf Course ranked #17 in 2017 on ScoreGolfs Top 59 Canadian courses you can play. There are no houses here. Over 250 local members call this home, but the course remains open to the public. The golf season runs from mid-May to mid-Oct. The golf staff is welcoming. Head Professional Padraic O’Rouke takes a special interest to ensure your Chateau Whistler Golf experience is delightful. The score card made from Stone Paper is waterproof, a welcome innovation given the climate.
The course is not a painless setup. Half of the holes have forced carries on the tee shot or approach but there are no blind shots. The course winds through dense woods with each hole separated from the others. Framed by tall conifers, artistic Par 3’s provide beauty and challenge. The greens are excellent, and the bunkers are consistent. The fairways are not immaculate, but few mountain course fairways are.
Stone and Glass Mountain Clubhouse
Local black bear, deer, eagles and waterfowl may be seen during the round. Enjoy the moment and relish these unexpected glimpses. It’s what the mountain golf experience is all about.
One of two monster Par 3 holes on the front side, the eighth is 212-yards from the back and 184-yards from the blue tees. The downhill oblong green is guarded by water on the left, a thicket of groundcover short and jagged rocks to the right. With a vista of tall conifers and mountains in the background it makes our list of all-time-best golf photographs available exclusively to our website subscribers.
Look for the large stone encased plaque on the short downhill Par 3 tenth. It commemorates Mike and Noreen Unsworth who hit the two most memorable shots of their life, back-to-back holes in one.
Back-to-Back Holes in One
This is mountain golf at its finest. A superb location combined with a strong layout, thick tall fir trees and tremendous mountain vistas make this an extraordinary experience.
If You Go:
Course Info
Chateau Whistler Golf Club opened in 1993 as one eighteen-hole semi-private golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Open to the public. (whistlermountaingolf.com)
Location
Seventy-Five miles north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in the heart of the forested Garibaldi Provincial Park.
Lodging
Fairmont Chateau Whistler ski and golf resort. Resort guests receive preferred tee times. (www.fairmont.com/whistler)
Quintessential Golf (https://www.quintessentialgolf.com) A source of golf travel inspiration, Quintessential Golf online magazine spotlights the most spectacular, enduring and scenic courses, resorts and golf adventures. Written from a player’s point-of-view, articles include magnificent highresolution course images. Brought to you by Chuck Fox, single-digit golfer, writer and photographer based in Danville, California, he is fulfilling his passion and dream to play, photograph and share the romance and beauty of golf throughout North America.
Chuck Fox, Quintessential Golf
