Hoodoos, trains and a beautiful landscape

I visited Tobiano outside of Kamloops, British Columbia a total of three times before playing this magnificent course. This public course has gained rave reviews across Canada. The first two times were visits of pure pleasure to see the topographical features and green fairways carved in among brown rough and huge elevation drops. Anticipation and my strong patience made playing it even more fun.

David Craig, Director of Retail/Guest Services was nice enough to provide some history and insight about the course before inviting me to play with a member, Bruce Vennard who resides in nearby Cache Creek. I find it a more enjoyable experience to play with a person who can teach me the nuances of their course and provide inside stories. And they were delivered.

The twenty minute drive from the Trans-Canada Highway to get to Tobiano is a marvel of scenery. After your round, take just a ten minute drive up the road beyond Tobiano so you can see the course terrain from the road. Incredible.

The golden and green landscape arrives just before you turn into the club. Kamloops Lake and a large home built to take advantage of the sight lines are seen to your right as you take the short drive to the comfortable pro shop and nineteenth hole.

Stand outside, on the patio, and survey the field like Patton would before a decisive battle. This is a special place that blasts your senses with magnificent imagery. A great practice range, a pitching green and an ample putting green are provided to visitors. For those of the practice tribe, you will want to take advantage of these facilities. They are included in the green fees.

This is a course that a power cart is needed and two bottled waters are ready to get you started on shots you will remember for years to come. The GPS cart provides digital suggestions on how to play the hole and there is even a quick video of the famous groundhog from Caddyshack doing his unique dance at the turn to remind you that you may want to purchase food. Who can forget the funny moments from this favourite golf movie that includes “it’s in the hooollllee” that only Bill Murray can utter.

The sun was shining so I got to see the course in all its glory. The par 5 first is certainly not a warm up hole. You get right into the round. Breathe in before trying to land a ball in the proper slot and don’t go too far left, like I did, where deep rough gobbles up balls. Local rules say to drop the ball at point of entry in order to keep the pace of play going. This hole dramatically dips you down into a valley and then steadies you to the green. These greens are some of the best shaped greens I have putted on in a long time. They roll beautifully…and fast.

Bruce offered up his first tidbit about the surrounding area. The signature mountain found across the lake was pictured on the back of the $100 bill a couple of versions ago. I never thought of such an image since I rarely carried $100 bills in my wallet. But I liked the thought that the Canadian Government thought a wondrous place off the beaten track would warrant a spot on our currency.

Off we sped to play the shorter par 3 over long grass/trouble and then the good par 4 third. We played the Spur tees (neat names for the five set of blocks) that were middle of the road at 6600. The Iron and Tour tees were respectively at 7100 and 7357 yards. I peered back to see where the back tees were and shook my head. They were a cart ride away and these sets of tees offered one heck of a challenge. By providing five sets of blocks it gives golfers a chance to play from different perspectives.

Five and six were fantastic back to back par 4’s. Five was a long brute needing a long drive to carve on this dogleg right. The decline in the fairway allowed the ball to gain some momentum. The hole forces players to strike a fantastic downhill second shot with a green protected by long rough on both sides and an imposing sand trap at the front right. Grey clay hills are seen on the left side to contrast with the immaculate green of the fairways and the brown sand traps. Take a picture.

No. 6 offers a couple of visuals. One, the large house you see on your drive is an incredible 9,000 square foot home with a basement garage that can house up to 24 cars. The owner also built the marina that sits just off the golf course grounds. The second shot on this hole can make you feel peculiar. Players will see the pin and some of the green but your eyes see just the hills in the background. It is as though the hole dangles by itself and a shot that goes long will go over the precipice. Just hit the shot with a trustworthy club and watch the white ball disappear into the mountain backdrop before landing on the green.

No. 7. What a hole! You have to blast a good drive to carry a cliff. The further right you push it the closer you get to tumbling down the abyss. After you achieve the first segment in this dramatic play, players have a blind second shot that needs to be aimed to the left side of the fairway or a big crevice snatches your ball. A sand trip is your visual for proper aim. Everything will roll to the right on this sloping fairway and may drop your ball into the rough for an awkward lie. Shot three is no easier. Sand traps protect both sides of this narrow green. I played a green side, sand shot with relatively hard sand and feared that I would launch the ball over the putting surface into more lousy stuff. Fortunately, my negative vibes disappeared long enough for me to hit a shot close to the hole. Whew…I looked back to admire this hole from the green and said Wow!

No. 8 is a nice slightly downhill par 3 that is all carry. Bruce pointed out that both railways run through Kamloops. CN travels the North Thompson River route and CP takes the South Thompson route. I took a moment to view the long line of railway cars leisurely travelling down the tracks. Not too long afterwards we saw a CP train weaving itself by the marina and a house boat that serves hamburgers, fries and other fare to those who want to breathe in the air and view the calm water. Boats are docked here and paddle boats and other watercraft can be rented.

No. 9 is a demanding positional drive downhill to a wonky lie. Many times throughout your round you will find out that level lies should not be taken for granted. My ball caught the right rough and I found it to be a good place entering this par 4 green. Bruce wasn’t as fortunate as he needed to play another ball. He mentioned that you can sometimes venture into the long grass and gather a bunch of lost balls in a short time. I thought this doubtful so while he was preparing to hit his shot I strolled into the right rough. Oh…a Pinnacle, then a Precept, a Titleist Pro V1, a tired low grade ball and then a half decent Taylor Made. “Hey Bruce, I was just in here for 20 seconds and found five balls”. He smiled.

A wide open par 5 starts the back nine. Admire the view from the green as it provides a great view. Look back to the pro shop and see several holes unfold below. This hole is followed by a par 4 that forces you to hit to the left side of the fairway or the ball will roll into the two sand traps on the right hand side. The green sits above the fairway and you need to place the ball on the green or it rolls back down to your feet. I thought I played the right bump-and-run links type golf shot when I was short in two, only to see the ball roll back. Three attempts later, I was close to the hole. Use enough club!

A par 3 with a carry over long rough is followed by a par 5 that makes you ponder for a bit. The left line makes you feel like you can carry for a shorter angle to the green. My line was too tight and went into the long stuff and disappeared. The right play is to keep it right with the bunker as your guideline on the right hand side. As I took a quick look in the nasty stuff I decided to keep my search short. Earlier on the front nine, I had asked Bruce about any snake situation. He said that bull snakes are popular and rattlesnakes can lurk. Kamloops, like West Kelowna, have desert like qualities, is arid and can be extremely hot without the Ontario humidity. The thought of a snake made me hit my next shot.

No. 14 is a neat blind shot where you can choose many different clubs. A driver can cut the left hand corner on this dog leg left to funnel down the fairway. Or, you can strike a more conservative line to the right with a hybrid. The downhill second shot is a delight with the green down below, the lake in the background and the hills with a train passing by for your memory bank. This is another picture moment and you may want to hit one less club or the ball can disappear into the nasty stuff in the right, left or beyond.

No. 15 is another shorter par 3, slightly downhill. All carry. Thanks to Bruce, he took me through sagebrush behind the tee, down a path opening at the back so he could show me hoodoos. These are beautiful rock formations of sandstone and clay. It would have been easy to miss if you were focused on score and the next hole. Bruce also mentioned that Roger Sloan, a Canadian from nearby Merritt, who earned his way onto the PGA next year with a brilliant win in Nova Scotia, was married on this tee nicely tucked in the corner of the property.

No. 16 is certainly a great risk reward par 5 and picturesque. This is a severe downhill shot and if done properly you can smash it over the left hand side of the rough and bunker, hit the proper fairway slot and rumble the ball way down there into position for a crack to hit it in two. I did what my mind wanted to do and saw grand results. A five iron into the green in two gave me an eagle shot. The best back to back shots of the day drew a congratulations from Bruce. His guidance throughout the day allowed me to soak in how special this place is.

The final hole, a downhill par 4 is an inviting one but don’t go too far into the right rough. Finish the round and then take a last look from that angle. Tough shots, scenic shots, green contrasting with brown, a lake, marina, trains and fantastic conditioning.

We saw David at the end and I commended him on the great course and the immaculate shape. Dinner on the patio is a perfect end to a course that needs to be experienced and appreciated. I was convinced that golfers should make the trek to this outside of Kamloops area beauty. For more information on green fee rates and other information visit Tobiano