After parking in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Hotel lot and handed a valet tag we were quickly shuttled to the the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club found in Upper Whistler Village. The trip only took a couple of minutes. Staff at the course took our clubs and said they would be waiting for us on the GPS guided cart. Ready golf and one minute search rules were posted on the cart to keep players to the 4 hour time frame they expect. Nice to see two bottled water sitting in there to keep us hydrated. A cart girl would not be working today but there was a shack to grab food and drinks.
We checked in at the pro shop with another friendly face and she connected me with Jennifer Brophy, the Sales and Marketing Manager who I had dealt with. We were off quickly.
The par 5 first hole gave us a beautiful look at homes on the right hand side and some trees along the left hand side. I quickly saw that a 3-iron would be a sufficient club to land my drive. The next step was to lay up in the area before a sand trap and then follow that with a wedge shot. The fairways were in great shape and the greens were impeccably groomed. You could not tell that eleven of them had been re-done this year. A sign marking a large red cedar to the left of the green sends you on your way to Number 2.
Number 2 is a shorter but diabolical par 4. The pond/creek fronting the green caught a couple of my balls. There is little room for error. Finish the hole and look back along the fairway and see the chalets lined up nicely on the side. This course oozed character, beauty and individuality of holes.
The next couple of holes are hugely testing. The uphill par 4 No. 3 is a tough one with water protecting the green. Holes continue to challenge you throughout the front nine. Balls will be lost. Every hole has its distinct flavour and the course makes you pick your spots when you want to hit the long stick. I see it as a course to be careful with but in the same breath, admire how beautiful it is. Mountains everywhere, trees over there and silence. Every hole bracketed by trees. The sixth is a very long par 4 and a great one that needs two long and exacting shots. This and No. 3 are your testers on the front nine for par 4’s.
The eighth is a scenic and long downhill Par 3. A fantastic hole and a favourite of mine. The big pond to the left will intimidate. As I putted, all I heard were nature sounds.
Number 9 is a par 5 that needs stick-handling. The drive does not have to be long but you should be left due to this slanted fairway. Then a shorter iron to the left hand side is needed and then parlay your third shot into the large green. A roller coaster ride of wonky lies and angles.
As we stood off the short par 3 10th two distinguished gentlemen climbed towards the green. While I pondered my club they asked Alison if they had seen the black bear on No. 7. We had not and I thought to myself “timing is everything”.
I engaged them with conversation when I saw one of them wearing the famous red S on his white hat. “Are you a Stanford Cardinal” I asked to get the chat flow going. He smiled and said he was and so was his colleague. One of them had a place in Whistler since the 1990’s and loved coming to golf and exploring the beauty. The other chap had come back after a previous visit. It was mentioned one of their friends from Southern California wanted to buy at Whistler. Hmmmm…these Americans in a golf mecca state with the names of Pebble, Torrey Pines and La Quinta wanted to be here instead. Yes, there is an opportunity for personalized golfing packages with a bear appearance for this fine B.C. destination.
No. 11 is a good up hiller. It plays longer than you think to attain a par 4. We were amused at seeing a man in non-traditional garb on No. 9 green. We decided it was a wrestling suit and his buddies were probably having fun at his expense for a stag.
The rest of the back nine is a delight that offers scintillating downhill drives and risk reward shots. No. 12 has a tight driving zone and a strong par 4. I licked my chops on No. 13 where it was only 350 yards downhill with the wind. Bunkers were revealed clearly and positioned to nicely capture errant balls but that didn’t enter my mind. I unleashed and unfortunately the blasted trees to the left got in the way of a wee tad pull. I lost the ball but I dream of having that shot again. Another downhill par 4 on No. 14 proved to be better for me but interestingly, after I hit a less than a stellar shot, the ball actually bounced in the bunker and rolled to within birdie range. The sand, in some cases different colours, was harder than usual. This was even more surprising when I surveyed the large lip of the sand trap leading to the green.
Sixteen is a short to mid range par 3, beautifully cut in the trees. The running water could be heard. What I think is the toughest par 4 on the back is the 17th. It requires a delicate shot not to go too far left and into the water (which I did) or right into the trees. A tree blocks any shot coming from the left hand side and a creek runs in front. Now that is a thinker’s hole!
The 18th is a good par 5 and was into the wind. A couple of good strikes are needed and you see the modest but very nicely built clubhouse sitting on the back.
I asked a gentlemen near the clubhouse if you could walk the course. He said that only 5 or 6 golfers had done so this year and there had been over 21,000 rounds played. They must have been Scotsmen that were used to the rugged terrain. This really is a cart golf course. I think some of the holes on the front could have been challenges to walk but I think it could be done.
We loved the course. The views were spectacular, the conditions were top notch, each hole was cut into nature and everyone seemed happy, even our new found American friends. There is a David Leadbetter Golf Academy tucked nicely on the course.
Touch points came from several points including from the top Norman Mastalir, Managing Director of the Hotel, Nick Droulis, Director of Golf, Jennifer Brophy and the Australian, English and Canadian staff. Fairmont represents class and it deserves this reputation on this course.
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