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[ peakpicks ]
FORE! 10 Tough Holes
Club selection and confidence are everything as you set up to challenge these holes
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>> by Je f f N e i l s o n
The golf courses in the Sea-to-
Sky Corridor are so spectacular that even if your
game is in vacation mode, you’ll relish the
opportunity to play these great courses.
However, you can also choose to spice it up
a little by tackling the toughest holes in the
Corridor. And 99 North has scouted them for
you from the #10 at Nicklaus North Golf
Course to the #14 at what is probably B.C.’s
most photographed course, Furry Creek Golf
& Country Club. We think the toughest hole is
the #3 at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf
Club – give it your best shot!
(See page 38 for club locations and contact information)
#4 Big Sky Golf and Country Club
PAR 5, 520 YARDS
Big Sky’s 4th looks easy on the score card, a
shortish par 5 by today’s standards. But finding
your way from tee to green without visiting the
creek that crosses four times is the test.
Longer hitters will choose to lay-up short
of the creek off the tee, and lay-up again short
of the creek that protects the green. What
makes this hole especially challenging is the
approach shot, with penalty strokes awaiting
balls short or left of the green. Even if your
approach lands safely on the green, the
sloped putting surface can lead to an easy
three-stroke putt. If you’ve ever heard Robin
Williams: Live on Broadway where he rants
about his frustrations with golf, he may very
well have been referring to Big Sky’s 4th.
#14 Furry Creek Golf & Country Club
PAR 3, 204 YARDS
Arguably B.C.’s most photographed golf hole,
what makes it so challenging is that most
golfers are taking pictures and not thinking
about their tee shot. Downwind, it’s nearly
impossible to stick the landing on this green,
unless you judge the distance precisely. Wise
golfers will favour the right side of the green;
the adventurous will surely go for the pin. The
shallow green is angled to favour a right-to-
left shot which, as right-handers know, is hard
to stop. Honestly, who cares if you hit it on the
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beach on this one... Just enjoy one of the most
beautiful and unique golf holes you’ll ever
have the opportunity to play!
#10 Nicklaus North Golf Course
PAR 3, 160 YARDS
On this tee box, most people are contemplating
their snack shack order more than their club
selection. The wind has been known to swirl on
this hole, making the shallow, well-protected
green very hard to find. A large lake extends
from tee to green, with further trouble awaiting
if you miss long or right. If you manage to find
the green with your tee shot on this beautiful
par 3, you’ll be rewarded with a relatively subtle
putting surface. Provide a decent tip at the
snack shack for best karma prior to tee off.
#14 Big Sky Golf and Country Club
PAR 4, 408 YARDS
#14 is a spectacular signature hole, a gor-
geous and challenging par 4 shadowed by
Mount Currie, which towers behind the
green like an angry gatekeeper. The beauty
and challenge of the hole can combine to cre-
ate a great expectation of your tee shot, which
can often result in disappointment if you end
up in the water or out of bounds. This hole
requires two very demanding shots for good
players, or two lucky ones for the average
player. The fairway is wider than you expect
Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s #3 hole (above) is our choice
for toughest hole to play in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor.
once you reach it, but convincing yourself of
that on the tee is another story.
#12 Nicklaus North Golf Course
PAR 3, 200 YARDS
This dramatic par 3 often plays downwind,
and stopping the ball close to the hole on this
tabletop, double-green is near impossible.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the
unique position of putting back onto the 12th
green from the third. If your tee shot misses
the target, hope it finds a green-side bunker,
as balls that don’t will often be rejected by the
slope and end up in the water. A drop zone
awaits, and so does hole #13, a gentle par 5 to
help you regain your confidence.
#13 Whistler Golf Club
PAR 4, 391 YARDS
Placement of your tee shot is critical on this
challenging dog-leg left par 4. Favour the
right side of the fairway for the best angle to
approach the green, as shots left may be
blocked out by the trees. Even a well-placed
tee shot risks having a difficult mid- to long-
iron approach to a receptive green. A postcard
view of Whistler/Blackcomb awaits your
second shot. Enjoy!
Fairmont Chateau Whistler GC
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#17 Nicklaus North Golf Course

PAR 3, 213 YARDS
Green Lake extends everywhere left of this
spectacular golf hole, and on the tee the lake
feels like a giant magnet pulling your ball.
Many great golf holes feature ponds, but
golfers are not accustomed to having a 200-
hectare lake left of the target. While pulling
off this tee shot can be most demanding, a Big Sky’s 14th hole
great one will have you smiling all the way to
the Nicklaus North clubhouse.

#1 Furry Creek Golf & Country Club

PAR 4, 339 YARDS
Furry Creek welcomes golfers with a spectac-
ular opening hole, aptly titled The Drop
Zone. The tee box sits perched on a cliff’s
edge, peering straight into Lions Bay and the
surrounding mountains. As golfers know, the
first swing of the day can often produce
unusual results, and in this case let’s hope it’s
an unusually straight tee shot that finds the
fairway some 165 feet below. A lake borders
the fairway left and impressive rapids rush
down the mountain to the right of the hole.
Nicklaus North’s 10th hole
This short hole has some bite to it, and avoid-
ing penalty strokes should be your primary
objective.

#18 Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club

PAR 4, 400 YARDS
The 18th at Squamish Valley is one of the finest
finishing holes around. It calls for a long accu-
rate tee shot and a second shot through a nar-
row opening lined with tall cedars on the right
and out-of-bounds and trees on the left. The
pin can be tucked away on the right side to
demand a difficult tee shot, or in the front to
challenge your iron accuracy. It’s a beautiful
finish to a great course.
Whistler Golf Club’s 13th hole
#3 Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club
PAR 4, 387 YARDS
This could arguably be the toughest par to
make in Sea-to-Sky golf. Measuring only 387
yards but playing straight uphill, you will
have to hit a long and accurate tee shot down
the right-hand side of the fairway to even
have a chance of reaching the guarded green
to the left. If you do hit a near-perfect drive,
your approach shot will require that you take
two clubs extra to compensate for the rise in
elevation, and then often you will have to
work the ball from the right to left, over a
ravine. Don’t be too proud to lay-up on this
hole, as the majority of golfers will do so. u

Big Sky G&CC, Nicklaus North GC, Whistler GC & Furry Creek G&CC Furry Creek’s 14th hole