In 2008, I was fortunate to be able to play Capilano - my first Stanley Thompson course - with fellow GCAers Bob Jenkins & Sean Leary. Capilano is the type of place that I would never have heard of without GCA. In fact, the course isn't even mentioned in the latest World Atlas of Golf. Yet I knew that I was in for a treat by reading these word's from Ran's profile:
"There is actually one architect who designed four courses that the authors’ would put among the world’s most twenty or so scenic courses. From Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia to Jasper Park and Banff Springs in Alberta, Stanley Thompson was very fortunate to have had so many first rate sites. And he was equally blessed at Capilano as much as any of these other postcard perfect places. In fact, he wrote to the club saying Capilano “may prove to be the best endeavor on this continent.” "
Capilano was indeed beautiful. Those with severe tree aversion might do well to avoid looking any further. Be assured, though, that there is far more room on the course than it might appear from my photos.
The routing at Capilano was amazing. The first six holes go downhill, but on the way back up you never get the feeling of playing or walking significantly uphill. The clubhouse sits at the highest point on the course.
The round opens with a great scoring opportunity. The first hole is a par 5 for the members. It's only 472 yards downhill. The tee is elevated and a hedge hides the player's view of the cart path below & in front.
The fairway slopes left to right, making the long approach a bit tougher. The green sits between four bunkers, with the two front right an easy place to end up with a slightly mishit approach.
The second hole is quite a bit tougher. It's a 400 yd. par 4 framed by trees. Though you wouldn't know it from this photo from the tee, the fairway is pretty wide. The bunker on the right side is a little over 200 yards from the tee and serves to steer you more towards the left side. That's actually where you want to be as the view of the green is better for your approach.
You want to be on the left side of the fairway, so naturally my shot and photo were from the right. The green is just barely visible, though you can certainly see the large bunker on the left side.
Here's why you wanted to be on the left side of the fairway. Note the steep drop on the right side of the green.
Long, left, & right are all no good here. Note the great transition from the fairway to the green. Being a little short with the approach is good here.
The third hole is another short par 5, around 460 yards. The tee shot is uphill slightly and blind. The doglegs right, but not sharply.
The fairway bunker on the right is about 235 off the tee and is right on the inside corner of the dogleg.
More holes to follow.