Nanaimo Golf Club and Nanaimo Mens Amateur Tournament
Nanaimo golf club is another outstanding Vancouver Island gem. Located just north of the city centre, it sits beside a busy highway, and the first impression is somewhat discouraging. But don’t be deceived – other than a little noise on the first two holes which run along a thick stand of trees beside the road, the whole course is an absolute delight, and a brilliant layout in a setting as natural as if it was recently cut from the forest. Ocean views, fast, deceptive greens, narrow fairways bordered by plenty of tall trees, and some of the best par 5s on any course on the island combine for a hugely enjoyable experience.
Don’t take too much notice of the 60’s era clubhouse – it is slated for replacement next year and anyway, the members are friendly and the beer is cold, which is mostly what a golfer wants from his club.
There are four fascinating par 5s on the course, all of which are around 500 yards. The first bends slightly to the left and then right again to a large undulating green with water on the right. Your tee shot should find a narrow slip between bunkers on the corner and trees on the right. Longer hitters can cover the bunkers with a drive of 260 +, which leaves an approach of around 220 yards. It is no cop out to start your round by selecting a club which leaves you short of the bunkers at 220 or so. It’s an easy second and your approach will be be less than 100 yards. The next par 5 is the downhill 9th hole, which calls for an accurate tee shot to cut a little from the dog leg right, otherwise you will find a series of bunkers on the left corner of the dog leg and an automatic lay up (which might be a good thing!). Cutting the corner will leave a shot to a two tiered green protected by bunkers and a large pond on the right. Willow trees abound on this hole, and a short missed approach to the left will leave a very difficult pitch under the fronds and over sand. Similarly a short lay up to the right will find the same pond. I personally favour going for it as the lay up is almost as tricky as the attack.
On the back 9, the 14th and the 16th are the two fives and are both reachable with a good drive and second. The 14th is an uphill tee shot, and a fairway which cambers to the left. In fact, much of the course sits on the slope down to the ocean and so it is important to find the correct side of all the fairways since gravity will take your ball down towards the water and it is easy to be blocked from the greens by tall trees. The 14th might be the only 5 where a lay up makes sense. Sloping to the left, the narrown green is bordered by tall fir trees to the right, out of bounds to the left and bunkers left and right. This is also one of the trickiest greens on the course, with 3 tiers and a steep tilt to the water. It is probably much easier to make a birdie with a wedge in your hand as opposed to a long iron or fairway wood. If you do go for it, you have to attack the right side of the green as it will invariably roll to the left.
The 16th is a flatter par 5 with a narrow fairway and mounding on the left at 240 yards. Keep your tee shot down the middle or favour the right side. You should get some roll here and then are faced with a shot of no more than 220 to the front of the green. A large pond sits between you and the green, but again, it is visually deceiving, as it ends more than 60 yards from the green. As a lay up is difficult, it makes sense to go for it. You really only need to clear the water by a few yards to find the ball rolling down toward the green. Come in from the right on this shot if you can – the slope in front cambers to the left. Another devilish green awaits. Rule # 1 at all the greens at Nanaimo is to keep your approaches below the flag on the very slopiest greens; a 20 foot uphill putt is considerably easier than a downhill 6 footer.
The par 3s at Nanaimo are all excellent, with large greens and a good variety of clubs depending on pin location. The 4th and the 8th require you to add at least one club for elevation, whereas the 13th is severely downhill and you should subtract at least one – but beware of the trouble left and short at this hole. The 17th is a little uphill but your shot must come in from the right to hold the green.
The par 4s require accuracy off the tee. Often, the driving areas are even narrower and many players hit 3 woods and irons for safety. If you are feeling confident and probably not playing in a tournament, there are two driveable par 4s, and maybe 3 for the very longest hitters, at the 2nd, the 5th and the 10th. The latter is very risky as the hogs back green is narrow and bordered by sand and water on the left and OB long. The 5th favours a gentle draw from the tee starting further right than you think, and is quite reachable for any player who hits the right shape.
The 350 yard 2nd is very flat and requires a drive, 3 wood or rescue club to the right of the bunkers some 100 yards from the green. But you will be rewarded as the approach is to an uphill green which is steeper than you think.
All of the par 4s have very challenging greens. It is important to stay on the correct side of the fairway, to make sure your approach is under the hole, and to play the break of the water on your putts. Play this way and you can probably play at or better than your handicap. Get too aggressive in any of these categories and you will find yourself chipping from under a tree back into the fairway, making 3 putts and adding up double bogeys on your card.
One of the great features of Nanaimo, other than delightful ocean views between trees, are the outstanding water features. Course designers should take note. Though every pond is artificial, soft edges of bullrushes, reeds, and natural plantings make the water hazhards part of the golf course. There are no hard edges, rip rap stone walls, railway ties, stackstone bricks or other eyesores that so bedevil modern golf courses.
Green fees are very reasonable, at around $75 in the high season. Even better value is the annual Nanaimo Mens Amateur, a 3 day event with over 70 volunteers who run the event as well as any professional tour stop. At around $250, you’ll play 3 rounds, eat like a king, and if you are lucky, take a walk to the largest prize table I’ve seen at any golf event in many, many years. You’ll need an official handicap below 18 and plenty of patience as the greens can make even the best putter tremble. I won the putting contest this year and yet I had five 3 putts in my first round. It did get a little better – by the last round I managed to get my total down to 35 putts, which is some improvement, but one of the top players, a former Willingdon Cup player in his 60’s had 26 putts the first day, an experienced player who knows the greens well and proves that it is possible to get to know the greens.
Nanaimo is easily reached from Vancouver, either by float plane in 25 minutes, or car ferry from Horseshoe Bay north of the city or from Tsawwassen south of the city, both journeys take around 90 minutes. From Nanaimo, you can explore the beauty of the northern part of the Island, enjoying some of the world’s greatest fishing, take in more golf at Campbell River and Storey Creek, enjoy sandy beaches and warm water in Parksville and Qualicum, or go whale watching and see resident Orca Whales. You can also reach Tofino in 2 hours, where the Pacific Ocean provides some of the best surfing on the Island, or admire 800 year old fir trees at Cathedral Grove on the drive out there.
Get your entry into the 2012 Nanaimo Amateur early. Visitors to the Island can contact Athlone Golf and Travel in Victoria for a Vancouver Island summer golf experience like no other. They can be reached at 1 800 488 1857 or info@athlonegolftours.com