We offer here a look at 9 of the favourite golf holes found in BC’s interior according to golf professionals and executives from many of those facilities. Roy Wood spoke with Head Pros & Directors of Golf to get their input on what they consider their ‘favourites’ from their home tracks. Another 9 holes will be profiled later in the summer. - ed

By Roy Wood, British Columbia Golf

There are a number of factors that go into what makes a golf hole someone’s favourite — difficulty, risk/reward, natural beauty and much more. Inside Golf was curious about the views of folks with up-close relationships with various courses.

So we spoke with head professionals and directors of golf at a number of Southern Interior courses from the Okanagan to Kamloops, to the Kootenays. In the first of a limited series, here are responses from senior staff at nine courses. The interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

Osoyoos Golf Club, #2 Desert Gold Course, Par 4, 330-422 yards
John Swanson, Manager of Golf Operations
www.golfosoyoos.com

Image Credit: Roy Wood/BC Golf

It’s a classic risk/reward hole, in that if you want to hit driver as far as you can, it will create a good angle coming into the green. Or you can play safer and take the bunker right and sage on the left out of play. The challenge is coming in because of the undulation of the green and the variety of pin positions, including back left, which is very tucked. It’s the first hole of the true desert links style. It’s a challenging hole, but if you hit two good shots, you get rewarded with a birdie or a par and you’re off to the races.

Okanagan Golf Club, Kelowna, Bear Course, #13, par-5, 432-531 yards
Lee Ranger, Director of Golf
www.okanagangolfclub.com

Image Courtesy: Okanagan GC

This is the first of three holes in the links-style section of the golf course. The player gets to blast away on a par five with a chance to reach in two. If going for it, the player should favour the right side. He can bounce it up, or fly it on if he’s a long enough hitter. Otherwise, there is a generous landing area for a layup to give yourself a favourite yardage. There is water down the left, but plenty of room. Hole locations on the right side of the two-tiered green are generous. The left side is guarded by a bunker.

Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course, Oliver, #6, par-5, 492-602
Todd Tweedie, Acting Head Professional
www.nkmipcanyon.ca

Image Courtesy: Nk’Mip Canyon Desert GC

Our sixth hole is a 605-yard monster from the back tees. It requires three good shots to get to the green, which kind of falls away. To make matters worse, the hole often plays into a stout north wind. The prescription for success is a solid drive followed by a long-ish layup to a good yardage. The third shot is to a good-sized green with subtle undulations. A shot into the green with a longer club will tend to run through. It is easily the toughest hole on the course. It’s also beautiful, with the McIntyre Bluff chief’s head in the background.

The Rise, Vernon, #3, par-4, 243-443 yards
Mike Van Horne, Head Professional
www.therisegolf.ca

Image Courtesy: The Rise GC

This par-4 encourages a draw from the longer tees. A solid tee shot will tend to fall toward the middle of the fairway from both sides. Accuracy with the second shot is critical. There is a pond on the left front of the green. If you’re short, you’re wet. If you’re too far right you’re in the sage. The hole has a gorgeous look to it. It’s slightly uphill with a little turn to the left and the trees in the background. The green seems set in a stadium with the hillside to the right. A solid tee shot inside the 150 makes this challenging par-4 birdie-able.

Penticton Golf and Country Club, #17, par-4, 310-375 yards
Guy Dow, Director of Golf
www.pentictongolf.ca

Image Credit: Roy Wood/BC Golf

Seventeen is a very interesting, short-ish par four, requiring precision off the tee and approaching the green. The hole features a dogleg to the right and a player who takes on too much of the corner will end up blocked by the Weeping Willows. The approach shot is into a long, narrow and very undulating green protected by out-of-bounds close on the left and long. You have to hit two good shots. A well-placed tee shot to the corner of the dogleg will set up a short-to-mid-iron approach. It is important to finish on the correct level of the green.

Shadow Mountain Golf Course, Cranbrook, #17, par 5, 426-606 yards
Doug Schneider, Director of Golf
www.shadowmountain.ca

Image Credit: Shadow Mountain GC

It’s called ‘The Monster’. It’s a hole where hardly anyone will have a chance at eagle. The tee shot plummets about 200 feet to a narrow fairway with bunkers on the right. The hole doglegs right to the layup landing area at 100-150 yards out. And it narrows as you get closer to the hole. You want to be coming in with a lofted club, as there is water left and no room for error long or right of the green. Prescribed strategy is an accurate drive, solid layup and a wedge to the middle of the large green. Even for me to make par is satisfying.

Golden Golf Club, #11, par 4, 307-378 yards
Graeme Kreiner, Director of Operations
golfgolden.com

Our signature hole is many people’s favourite. Holt Creek flows past the tee boxes and all down the right, crossing the fairway before the green. On a hot day, the creek seems to cool things off about five degrees. It’s a very pretty hole framed by trees and with Mount Seven in the background. Best way to play it is to lay up strategically to the 150-yard markers, leaving an approach over the creek. There is a small but well-placed bunker in front that catches a lot of short approaches. The challenging green slopes back to front, and it’s rare to have a straight three-to-four-footer.

Tobiano Golf Course, Kamloops, #6, par 4, 288-462 yards
Shannon McGeady, Head Professional
www.tobianogolf.com

Image Courtesy: Tobiano GC

I love number six because it’s a shot-maker’s hole. From the longer tees you’re forced to hit a lengthy and accurate tee shot over a canyon to a fairway that doglegs gently to the left. Then the second shot, likely a long iron or even a fairway wood, should be a high, soft fade for a right-hander. The green is slightly elevated so you can’t actually see where the pin is, although the GPS on the carts helps. Looking up, it’s kind of like an infinity green, you get the backdrop of the mountains. There’s a large bunker complex in the front right of the left-to-right sloping green.

Copper Point Golf Club, Invermere, #3, par-5, 400-538 yards
Scott McClain, Head Professional
copperpointgolf.com

Image Courtesy: Copper Point GC

Our first couple holes are kind of friendly, and then you come around the corner at number 3 and it’s, “OK, here we go.” With the Purcell Range of the Columbia Mountains in the background, the tee is elevated and so it’s bombs away. It’s a three-shot hole for most, but longer hitters can go for it in two because you can roll it right up the centre. Strategic bunkers protect landing areas off the tee and on the layup. Players need to be aware of the green, which is two-tiered and sloped with bunkers short right and back left. In the summer the greens are super slick.