|
|
 The golf clubs rattle as the car bounces over the railway tracks just
north of Nanaimo. Vancouver Island has over 50 golf courses and the four of you have nothing planned but three days on some of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world. Near Nanoose, a tiny community 15 minutes away, you pull into the parking lot of a par-71, professionally designed course. You booked the tee time a week ago and arrive with 15 minutes to spare. You grab a cold drink, step into your golf shoes and wander out to the first tee. By the time you reach the back nine you've lost three balls, you're four shots over par and you haven't even reached the tough holes. You walk along the east side of the fairway, gazing out at a lone sailboat in the bay, its sails filled with a freshening breeze. Your tee shot off the 13th hole has made a solid plop into the course's creek, its soft muddy bottom home to hundreds of golf balls. You'll make up for the bogey on the holes ahead. You brush aside your friends' friendly jabs as you line up your final putt. You sink the 18-footer, scoop your ball out of the hole and head to the clubhouse - a smiling six over par.
The sun has yet to crest the surrounding trees and the overnight dew is still heavy as you wander down the second fairway of a golf course near Campbell River. Three balls lie on the green. Yours isn't one of them, having taken a liking to the rough on the right. You spend a lot of this sunny day in the rough, possibly distracted by the numerous deer that graze on the course. Knowing you have another tee time tomorrow, you play a laid-back round, spending as much time admiring the beautiful course as you do lining up your shots. Later in the clubhouse, you laugh about your four-over-par game while admiring your buddy's two under. Tomorrow, no matter where you are on Vancouver Island and regardless of the season, there's a great golf course just waiting for you. |
© Vancouver Island Abound Outdoor Pages |
To top of page