The gorgeous Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Chateau Whistler, enrolled in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, is a much tougher walk than Nicklaus North (at least for the first few holes) and, with 400 feet of elevation change, boasts superior views. Cut out of the deep, dark forest at the edge of Blackcomb Mountain and the Upper Village, Chateau Whistler at times gives one the feeling they are heading out into the wilderness, so golfers shouldn’t be surprised if they encounter a large, furry mammal or two. Don’t let that put you off, though; these bears are black, rather than grizzly, and provided you don’t try prodding one with your 7-iron, you should be just fine.
Whistler may be a great golf trip by itself, but you should tag an extra day or two onto your stay by taking advantage of the stay-and-play packages at the Crystal Lodge at Whistler, which will currently book golfers for two-night’s stay and free rounds at Nicklaus North, Big Sky and Furry Creek for as little as $299 CAN ($230 US). Just the room, or the golf, alone could easily command that same amount, making Crystal Lodge’s package one of the best you can find in the Northwest.
Staying the extra couple of nights will give you time to call in at both Big Sky, an awesome Bob Cupp course set at the foot of massive Mt. Currie, 25 minutes north of Whistler in the village of Pemberton; and the aforementioned Furry Creek, overlooking the impossibly beautiful Howe Sound an hour south.
Robert Muir Graves somehow managed to stick Furry Creek to the side of a mountain — one which first-time visitors have trouble believing could possibly accommodate a golf course. As you pass the entrance gate and turn steeply up the hillside, you may consider returning to the highway, convinced you are on the wrong road. Keep going, and you’ll audibly sigh with relief as the clubhouse eventually comes into sight. Over your pre-round cup of coffee, you’ll start pondering where on Earth the first tee could be; putting out on the first green, you’ll wonder where Graves could possibly have fit a second hole, and so on for the next four hours.
Opened in 1993, Furry Creek is a golf course made up of 18 detached avenues of splendid eccentricity, some of them world-beaters and others absurdly quirky, but all exceptional in their own way. There’s no denying this is an exhilarating golf course that holds your attention from start to finish, and one that represents an incredible feat of engineering.
Whatever you think of the course’s strategy and shot values, the surroundings are distinctly British Columbian. Furry Creek shares with so many of its neighbors — from Nicklaus North and Big Sky in the Whistler area, to Arbutus Ridge and Bear Mountain across the water — a beauty and splendor that Washingtonians might be familiar with, but which will captivate others. And with attractive greens fees (by example, Furry Creek’s rates peak at $109 CDN, about $90 USD), fantastic accommodations and dining, an impressive list of après-golf activities, not to mention staff members as conscientious as Gracie Wilcox, Whistler and Vancouver Island really should figure somewhere in your travel plans this summer.
They certainly will mine.
Tony Dear is a regular contributor to Cascade Golfer. In January, Dear was honored with a first-place prize in the Editorial category at 16th Annual ING Media Awards, honoring the year’s best golf writing. He is also the author of The Golfer’s Handbook, a fun, 126-page take on the game available at amazon.com.