Victoria BC - Simply Beautiful
Dan Kilbank - OttawaGolf

Getting to Victoria from Vancouver can be quite an incredible voyage in itself. One could simply take one of the regular twenty minute flights on a small plane, but the ferry is far more enjoyable. It is a short half hour drive from the Vancouver Airport to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen. The ferry ride itself is a leisurely hour and a half, most of it winding through the salt Spring Islands, offering wonderful scenery. It's like taking a mini-cruise. Sail boats of all sizes are plentiful throughout the waters around the islands Their brightly coloured sails add to the spectacle. Don't miss the chance. Take the ferry, relax and enjoy the trip.

Once on Vancouver Island, you are completely immersed in natural beauty. Provincial Parks are abundant and the entire island is lush and full of majestic old growth trees. Totems and other aboriginal icons are everywhere. You can spend a lifetime hiking around the island with the eagles and hawks for company. During the salmon run in August and September you can witness one of nature's true spectacles, just by walking along one of the numerous streams, or visit one of the estuarial beaches. Salmon will leap in shallow water of the estuaries, and the streams will overflow with them jumping over each other to get upstream to spawn.

Downtown Victoria is a bit like home, with the parliament buildings resembling ours, and the Empress Hotel, echoing the Chateau Laurier in both prominence and appearance. The harbour with it's sea of masts adds a very nice touch to an already attractive city core. The downtown area is very Victorian in style, which seems fitting. A quiet and peaceful setting, where stopping at a a sidewalk cafe for tea just seems like the right thing to do.

The style of the architecture, and the November drizzle makes a trip to the island in the winter feel very much like Great Britain. Fortunately Victoria rarely gets snow, and the rains end in February, yielding to the coming of what we would consider an early spring, with blossoms everywhere.












Cordova Bay Golf Course- Victoria BC

Cordova Bay Golf Club in Victoria overlooks the San Juan Islands, which lay in the straight of Juan de Fuca, in between Vancouver Island and the US mainland. From many points on the course you can see the islands and, on a clear day, even some of the big mountains on the mainland, such as Mount Baker.



The Canadian Tour holds the Victoria Open on a rotational basis on four golf courses: Cordova Bay, Royal Colwood - Gorge Vale and Uplands. I have not played the others, but this one is incredible. The $55 green fee is a real bargain. I have been to Victoria many times, and on every visit I play this course, usually more than once. It is always a highlight of my trip.

The course is built on what used to be "Mattick's Farm". It is hard to find much flat land anywhere in Victoria. The course has gentle swales humps, bumps and valleys throughout. There is a fairly large forested hill in the north of the property that is surrounded by parts of both the front and back nine. The layout is challenging, with holes that demand precision. At 6600 yards from the back tees, the long hitters have their work cut out for them. We play from the whites, and at 5800 yards it plays longer than it measures, since it is target golf, and the driver is often not an option.

We had a great day on the course to be sure. My only regret was that I only had time to play it once on this trip.

There is also the terrific 18 hole par 3 course which offers a an excellent view of the straits. Great conditions and rolling landscape make it a very attractive place to work on your short game.








Olympic View Golf Course- Victoria BC

Carved out of 550 acres of rugged forest, there is a wonderful feeling of isolation in the wilderness as you make your way around Olympic View.. 12 lakes and 2 man-made waterfalls accent the layout. Beautiful views from elevated tees and dramatic terrain make this course very special indeed.

Grooming is top notch, fairways and greens appear to be trimmed with fingernail clippers, and the wild areas add a rustic natural look that fits very well with the pristine manicured look of the fairways. Conditions on the day we played in mid July would be tough to match anywhere in the world.

On a clear day you can see across the Juan De Fuca strait to Washington, where the Olympic Mountains rise over the sea. In the picture of myself to the right, you can just see the mountain range on the left side of the picture. While the "Olympic View" is not too majestic, the course is a true test of golf. keeping the ball in play is a must.

The most memorable hole for me was a very satisfying par on the very challenging #12 (pictured to the right) There is a lake right of the tiny landing area. This landing area plays more like an island green, as the water comes into play both short and long off the tee. You must carry 150 yards, but a 220 yard drive is wet. To the left of the fairway is a cliff. The center of the landing area leaves you a 150 yard shot, with 100 yards of carry over the lake, to a large sloping green that is about 30 feet above you. Don't let your guard down for a moment. Service at Olympic view was excellent and worth mentioning. The friendly and courteous staff made us feel like we were the only ones who mattered. The $95 price tag was a bit high, but not as outrageous as all that when compared to courses of this calibre. Locals can play it for $55 so my brother got a better deal than I. That was OK though, he bought the post round beers!