“I love Chateau Whistler Golf Club”, say first-time golfers to British Columbia, “the forest, the mountains and the course 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 is the 25th anniversary and the architect, Robert Trent Jones Jr., 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 Course ranked #17 in 2017 on ScoreGolf’s 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 Par3s provide beauty and challenge. The greens are excellent, and the bunkers are consistent. The fairways are not immaculate, but few mountain course fairways are.
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 par3 holes on the front side, the eighth is 212-yards from the back and 184-yards from the Blue tees. Water guards the downhill oblong green on the left, a thicket of groundcover grabs short shots and jagged rocks protect the right. With a vista of tall conifers and mountains in the background it makes our list of all-time-best golf photographs available only to our website subscribers.
Look for the large stone encased plaque on the short downhill par3 tenth. It commemorates Mike and Noreen Unsworth who hit the two most memorable shots of their life 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.
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