High-end golf courses in Vancouver
Give golf the respect it deserves and the game will always reward you. These Vancouver golf courses understand that adding a few extra touches elevates the game for everyone, with special features like superior greens and facilities.
Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club
3251 Plateau Blvd, Coquitlam BC V3E 3B8Becoming a member here is more luck of the draw than hard work, as they selectively open up membership spots throughout the year. Once you join, you’ll want to dress your best when you take to the Michael Hurdzan-designed 12-hole course, which is one of only a small handful of 12-hole courses in the country. It’s also where you can spot some of Canada’s newest golfing talents showing off their skills, but only during the season, from April to October.
Richmond Country Club
9100 Steveston Hwy, Richmond BC V7A 1M5You’ll have to either become a member or be invited by one to play at this prestigious course. But signing up is worth it, because once you see the A.V. Macan-designed course, with its sprawling 6,800 yards, you’ll see why it’s been the site of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship, BC Men’s Amateur Championship and RCGA CN Canadian Women’s Pacific Championship. The 15th hole will give you fits with its multiple water and sand hazards.
Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club
4300 Marine Dr Sw, Vancouver BC V6N 4A6The location is fantastic, the scenery is like something out of a magazine and the course has seen plenty of high-profile players take to the greens, including Warren G. Harding, Jean Chretien and Bill Clinton. As you stroll from hole to hole, take note of the landscape: there are more than 150 varieties of trees, with some of them more than 200 years old. The dress code is very strictly enforced, so leave the jeans and sleeveless tops at home.
Morgan Creek Golf Course
3500 Morgan Creek Way, Surrey BC V3S 0J7When Thomas McBroom designed this golf course, he did so with the intention of being able to frustrate golfers unbiasedly, regardless of their age, gender or experience. It’s almost 7,000 yards where par 72 is the goal, with the 8th and 16th holes sure to make you pull out your hair. They both feature bunkers on either side of the fairway, where just a little bit of wind means a bogey, no matter what your tee colour.
Northlands Golf Course
3400 Anne MacDonald Way, North Vancouver BC V7G 2S7To say this course is challenging is like saying Arnold Palmer can decently hit a ball. Les Furber has outdone himself in design, as even the most seasoned golfers will be muttering curses under their breath when yet another ball misses the fairway and ends up in a bunker. Water hazards are something to watch out for on the back nine, but so is the landscape, which can easily distract you with its beauty.
Vancouver Golf Club
771 Austin Ave, Coquitlam BC V3K 3N2Prestige matters just as much as play, if not more. This course dates back to 1910 with a strong history of excellence and aesthetics, with designer H.T. (Mike) Gardner turning 176 acres into one of the most beautiful — and challenging — courses in the province. The 18 holes can roughly be divided in half, both of which demand a different kind of accuracy: the front nine necessitates strength, while the back nine focuses on perfect ball placement.
Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club
5460 Number 7 Road, Richmond BC V6V 1R7It consistently ranks in the top 10 golf courses in British Columbia, with an exquisitely designed course by Les Furber that’s as challenging as it is gorgeous. As you tee up on each shot, lakes and mountain ranges surround you with the former demanding extra attention on 13 holes. The 11th and 18th holes are little monsters because they demand long shots and surgical precision, especially with the nearby water hazards.
Kings Links Golf Course By The Sea
3388 72 St, Delta BC V4K 3N2For starters, the scenery is unbeatably breathtaking, with the mountains all around you and an ocean breeze coming in off the coast. It’s also more challenging than average, with this links course demanding a par of 72 over its 6,865 yards. Each hole may look easy on paper but once you factor in wind speed and how lightning fast the greens are, just making par will seem like quite the achievement. Accuracy and patience are absolute musts.
