Certain golf courses engender a a great feeling just making your way to the clubhouse. Royal Colwood is just such a place, as you enter the property on a small private road which crosses between the 1st green and 2nd tee. You are immediately taken by the spectacular trees which are a feature of this 98 year old masterpiece by the great Northwest architect, A.V. Macan and yet this first corner of the course is just a forerunner for some of the best golf holes at any course in Canada. A Perennial Top 30 in just about every ranking system of public and private golf clubs in Canada, one of the lesser known facts is that it is accessible to public players, albeit at restricted times and at a not unreasonable fee of $165.
The fascinating greens are perhaps the lasting legacy of A.V. Macan, always fast and enough slope on many to make a jittery putter tremble if you find your approach above the hole. Most holes require an accurate tee shot, and although the course can stretch to 6500 yards or so it is not long by modern standards. It’s defence is the punishment for a crooked tee shot and misplayed shots to the greens.
The course begins with three par 4s which provide more generous fairways than those that follow. The first green absolutely requires an approach to stay left and below the pin, whatever its location. It is a more severe slope than it appears and 3 putting is easy.
Crossing the entrance road, a simple par 4 awaits and likely a 3 wood from the tee or accurate driver to avoid a series of bunkers which line the fairway at landing distance. The green features two tiers and it is important to find the correct level. The third par 4 ideally calls for a fade from the tee to leave a longish approach across a deep ditch which is actually some distance in front of the green but catches a surprising number of poorly struck shots. The large green slopes towards you and to the left; but of course by now you know the mantra about your approach shot. The 4th is a delightful par 3 which has a pond in front and to the right of the green – an extra club won’t hurt and although the green does slope to the water it is not as severe as many others.
The 5th is just one of two par 5’s on the course, both of which are reachable for many players, but this one requires a perfect fade from the tee (or a mammoth height tee shot over trees which must be 150 feet high). Plenty of room for your 2nd but if short you want to come in from the right side. The green has a number of subtle bumps and borrows and you need to read your line carefully.
The 6th is a terrific par 4 whose green plays to a backdrop of enormous fir trees lining the 12th fairway. Your tee shot should be long and favour a draw; the green is elevated and tucked on a plateau above and to the left of the fairway. It is hard to know exactly where the pin is located as you cannot see the green surface, but expect your approach to kick to the right and down towards the front of the green. A short, downhill par 3 follows, but the green surface is narrow and full of bumps and hollows. A 2 here rewards a fine tee shot. The 8th, a driveable par 4, is tricky in that a failed attempt to the right leaves an impossible pitch to a tilted strip of green sloping to the left (if the pin is on the front half), and a failed attempt to the left will likely find small trees and no possibility of lofting the ball onto the green. Most players lay up with an iron or some sort of 200 yard shot, leaving a controlled wedge to find an area beneath the pin.
The 9th is a medium length par 4 requiring an accurate shot to the left of the fairway, otherwise you will find yourself blocked from an approach by adolescent sequoia that line the driving range. The green sits above and to the right of the fairway and slopes gently away from you and to the left. The 10th is another indirect par 4 requiring a fade and approach to a green bordered by bunkers to the left, but has one of the flatter greens on the course and a chance for birdie with a good approach. A ridge runs across the golf course from left to right as you stand on the 11th tee, and much of this ridge features some of the largest fir trees in the city. Indeed, one of these old growth trees is honoured with a plaque describing it as over 500 years old and at least 250 feet high. This is your backdrop as you play a long iron, hybrid or fairway wood. A fine par 3 with two tiers, the safe shot is to the unprotected right side of the green, no matter where the pin is located. Even a miss here will leave you a makeable pitch. Anything left and short of the green will find you blocked out by tall trees.
The 12th and 13th are two of the of the best par 4s on the Island, although some would argue that the greens are so severe there is a degree of unfairness for the average golfer. Your tee shot at 12 is through a slot in the trees above the ridge. Narrow and long, the fairway starts to fall to the right at some 240 yards and so you should choose a club which leaves you short of the fall. This will leave you a long approach to a green which has such a pronounced tilt from left to right you could putt up and back to the hole several times were the mowing height too low. But what a splendid approach: a long shot framed by those magnificent trees and a green that is just plain fun to play – classic Macan design and so rewarding to make a par. The green at the downhill par 4 13th is just as severe, from left to right and back to front, but this green asks for an accurate approach over a ditch and pond, so try to get your tee shot as far down the fairway as possible and hit your approach softly; you don’t want your approach to have too much spin.
14 is a reachable par 5 with a small valley at some 300 yards and then a gradual rise to a generous green which slopes toward you and to the right. Out of bounds all down the right side of this hole, but if you hit a good tee shot you will have a chance for birdie. Beware the bunkers perfectly located some 100 yards short of the green to the left and right of the fairway. A tricky par 3 follows, although it is not as uphill as it appears. Your medium iron approach should come in from the right and inevitably it will run to the left leaving you an uphill birdie attempt.
The magnificient 16th has been described as a cathedral of fir trees and indeed the fairway is the nave, lined by columns of Douglas firs that are so very distracting for the novice visitor it might be hard to concentrate, but you must hit a good long tee shot and even so your approach plays longer than you think. The raised undulating green is protected by a deep bunker directly in front of it. A par is a very good score here and as you walk from the green take a moment to admire the plaque for the Sentinel tree on your way to the 17th. This hole will seem somewhat easier after the travails of the previous 5 which are the meat of the golf course. A hooking drive from an elevated tee leaves a straightforward approach and chance for birdie.
At 18, the ubiqitous Douglas firs again offer a challenging drive, up a ridge which cuts diagonally across the fairway and is punishing if missed short and left. Another hooking tee shot is ideal, and your approach is likely a longish iron to one of the few flattish greens and is invisible from the fairway. Aim left of the Oak tree to the right of the green and you should be rewarded with an easy par.
The course is set in a generous 135 acres and it is rare to find others in your fairway. It is a truly delightful walk and you will look forward to returning as soon as possible.
The club offers a well stocked proshop and a very good in house teaching facility featuring a new simulator for the latest technology in club fitting and golf swing analysis. It also benefits from an excellent and well staffed group of CPGA Professionals – a rare pleasure in a time when other clubs seem to ignore this important part of the golf experience.
Royal Colwood has been home to many fine national and provincial championships over the years, and quite deservedly, in the year of it’s 100th anniversary, it will be home to the Canadian Amateur Championship in 2013. Get out to see the course before the event, enjoy the regal Douglas fir and afterwards, a refreshment on the rooftop patio of the clubhouse.
For more images of Colwood taken in August 2011, see our Flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenahura/