I recently had the pleasure of playing one of Canada's pinnacles of golf course architecture, Capilano G & CC in West Vancouver, BC. The course was designed by Stanley Thompson in 1937, and has remained intact since then, no small feat in itself.
The course in nestled amongst towering trees on the steeply sloped terrain of the coastal mountains. The atmosphere is quite something, very quiet and seemingly secluded within the bustling environment of Vancouver. It does not take long before one is reminded of the city they just escaped from; the first tee plays sharply downhill with a stunning view of downtown Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean in the background. Numerous holes feature breath-taking views of the snow-capped peaks that are so ever present, rendering at times, golf as a secondary activity to sight-seeing (especially when the swing is acting up!!).
Capilano is a finely routed golf course, it's steep landscape is easily walkable. The first 6 holes take us to the low point of the course, but the ascent back to the clubhouse is accomplished in modest increments that run parallel to the mountains rather than sharply against it. Only the par-3 ninth and par-5 tenth (2nd shot) feel like a climb.
The bunkering is classic Thompson; bold and wild. It is apparent that the bunkers are maintained by hand, because the capes and bays are at times quite steep and narrow, but beautiful. The fairway bunker guarding both #2 & #3, and the one protecting #7 & #8 from the tee look like a series of 3-4 bunkers, but in reality are single, massive, artistic masterpieces. I was surprised to see the use of islands within these bunkers to help achieve their visual appeal.
The greens on the front nine were surprisingly tame, featuring only subtle breaks, with exceptions falling to #5 & #6. At five one is comfronted with two huge mounds that protrude into the green at back and front right that funnell balls into a central channel running laterally across the green and dictating the break of every putt. The back nine features much bolder greens with distinct ridges and humps that fall into the "greens within greens" concept mentioned before on this site (#11,#12,#13) and #15 which has two mounds running diagonally across the green making putts from opposite ends of the green extremely difficult.
Overall the course was a fantastic retreat into golfing heaven, a course I could easily play every day for the rest of my life. Holes of note include; #5, a left to right par 5 that begs players to challenge the fairway bunkers left to ensure the best angle (and sight line to downtown & ocean) into a severly sloped green, #7, a long par 4 that veers left to right and features a long-iron second shot from a hanging lie to a tiny green guarded by saving bunkers to the right, #8, a medium length par 4 with bunkers to the right guarding against careless drives that attempt to procure a clearer approach that enables one to use the greens contours to funnell shots to left pin, #12, a medium length dogleg right with a bunker forcibly pinching the landing area, the approach demands accuracy to a well protected green with several distinct greens within it, #15, a long dogleg left par 4 with a fairway banked away from the player running towards a creek on the right. The long approach must be played from the flatter right side to a two-tiered green that is tightly trapped on the right.
This is a very private course, and I hope I can get back to play there someday, preferrably in the summer when drizzly, wet conditions do not persist, preventing me from capturing memories with my camera. I guess my memory will have to do.
Tyler Kearns