Peace Portal Golf Course: Surrey

Overview:
The Peace Portal Golf Course located in White Rock/ Surrey, British Columbia, near Vancouver and Seattle. Established in 1928, Peace Portal has achieved a 4 star rating by Golf Digest and a "Top 100 Public Course in Canada" by Canada's Golf Ranking Magazine.

Thoughts:
Great course and well maintained.  The course started out nice and open with the tree line being very playable to progressively getting harder with the addition of some water hazards towards the end of the course.

Grounds:
Well kept greens and fairways, it was hard to find any problems with the course.  In some areas of the rough the drainage could have been a little better but that is really just looking for something to complain about.

Staff:
The clubhouse staff and cafeteria staff were friendly and nice.  Did not see a snack cart on the course though, could have been the time of day but I am not sure.

Amenities:
Nice Clubhouse and patio. As well there looked to be a cafeteria and bar side to the restaurant. There was a chipping and putting green but no range for warm up.

Facility:
Large clubhouse with pro shop and restaurant and patio.

Price: 
Weekend ( Saturday, Sunday & Holidays): $66.00
Weekend Twilight (after 3 pm): $49.00
Weekend Super Twilight (after 5 pm): $31.00
Weekend Sundowner    (after 6 pm): $25.00
Weekend Super Sundowner (after 7 pm): $18.00

Dawn Patrol (before 8am Monday to Friday): $45.00
Weekday (Monday & Tuesday): $52.00
Weekday (Wednesday -Friday): $56.00
Weekday Twilight (after 3 pm): $43.00
Weekday Super Twilight (after 5 pm): $28.00
Weekday Sundowner    (after 6 pm): $22.00
Weekday Super Sundowner (after 7 pm): $15.00

SENIOR RATES (60 years and older)
Weekday (Monday & Tuesday): $47.00
Weekday (Wednesday-Friday): $49.00

JUNIOR RATES (18 years and younger)
Weekend: $49.00
Weekend twilight: $31.00
Weekday: $43.00
Weekday Twilight and Dawn Patrol: $28.00

Course Type:
Parkland | Public | 18

Par:
72

Pros:
Well kept grounds and open treeline make finding and playing your ball fun and easy.

Cons:
Long ways out there being right at the border.  Unless your in the White Rock area it is a bit of a drive.

Contact Information:
16900 4th Avenue
Surrey, BC, V3S 2Y9

Phone: 604-538-4818
Toll Free: 1-800-354-7544
Fax: 604-538-5232

Website: http://www.peaceportalgolf.com/
Email: golf@peaceportalgolf.com

Golden Eagle South: Pitt Meadows

Overview:
Located only 45 minutes from Vancouver, Golden Eagle Golf Club is situated amidst the beautiful Thompson Mountains located in scenic Pitt Meadows. At Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows you will find 18 fun and challenging hole South Golf Course. Rolling fairways surrounded by plenty of water and bunkers lead you to massive bent grass greens testing all aspects of your game.

14th Hole Green at Sunset

Grounds:
Grounds maintenance does not seem to be a top priority on the south course.  Spotty fairways, modelled greens and bunkers that blend with the rough make some shots very challenging or worth actually moving your ball a little.  Bunkers do not look like they have had new sand in a while with pebbles showing up on top of most.

Staff:
The only person we saw on the course was the pro shop teller that took our green fees.  He was very friendly and nothing to complain about.

Amenities:
There is a beer cart but perhaps not during the week or for later tee times.  A restaurant, putting green and a couple of warm up cages.

Facility:
Nice clubhouse and pro shop.  Things looked clean and well taken care of.

Price:
$54 per round and $35 for a cart makes it a mid range course.  The twilight deal at 5pm for $25 is a good deal though as during the summer months it is still light enough to make it through the course.

Course Type:
Parkland | Public | 18

Par:
70

Thoughts:
Lots of water and creeks to help thin out your extra balls.  This course plays nicely as long as you keep the ball straight.  The grounds definately could use some care and attention,  it looks like there was some draining issues in places when it rains and then some patches in the fairways and greens.  The bunkers created a new hazard type offering a blend between rough and sand around most edges.

Pros: 
Not a long course in distance and you can find some good deals for green fees.

Cons:
Maintenance issues stand out the most and the need to hit the ball straight.

Contact Information:
21770 Ladner Road,
Pitt Meadows, BC,
V3Y 1Z1

Phone: 604-460-1111

Website: http://www.goldeneaglegolfclub.com
Email: info@goldeneaglegolfclub.com

The Falls Golf Club: Chilliwack

The Falls Golf Club is situated in beautiful Chilliwack with breathtaking views that overlooks the Fraser Valley from an impressive 750 foot elevation. Natural surroundings, towering cedars and cascading waterfalls complement your mountain side golfing experience.

View from the top of Hole 11

Grounds Maintained:
The greens had just been punched when we played here so there was rarely a putt that the ball did not bounce.  The fairways were in decent shape except for a few areas that were dry, hard ground.
2/5

Staff Friendliness:
The staff in the office and the snack hut girls were very friendly and helpful.  There was a person at the 1st tee off that helped us out by letting us know that the distance between the whites and blues increases throughout the course.  As well he had warned us of a bear on 3 that we did not come across.
5/5

Amenities:
The office area was a little small and did not offer a large pro shop for equipment and apparel, there is a restaurant and a snack shack that you pass twice during your round. There was no beer cart or driving but a large pitching/practice green.
3/5

Facility Cleanliness:
The main office area was in ok shape, an older building that did not have much appeal to it.  The snack shack looked nicer but the bathrooms were small and cramped.
2.5/5

Cost:
Currently the price is $45/round with a cart, but normally when the course is in better shape it will be up around $90.  Generally there are coupons and stay and play specials for this course that can be found online.
2/5

Total: 14.5/25

Course Type:
Parkland | Public | 18

Par: 71

Thoughts:
A very tough course to play, even if you manage to always keep your ball in play the greens offer a greater challenge with a constant downhill slope on almost every one.  Although quite a drive out of the city this was a fun course to play with friends and offers some great views of the valley. Finding a good deal on green fees will make this course a must try by any average golfer, I would not recommend it for beginners though. If driving out make sure to check the map before leaving as the signage is extremely poor.

Website: http://www.thefalls.com

Phone: 604-745-4653

Address: 
8341 Nixon Rd.
Chilliwack, British Columbia
V4Z 1L3

Links of Maggie-May: Prince George

For your golfing pleasure, the Links of Maggie May offers a no pressure 9 hole golf course in a relaxing country atmosphere with large greens and open fairways. The Links of Maggie May started as a family project over thirteen years ago, opening in 1999 and is located in the Shellglen Subdivision area just 15 minutes from downtown Prince George.

Thoughts:
This 9 hole course is located just to the east of Prince George. The grounds are a converted farm and nicely maintained by the family.

A par 37 this course overs some open and challenging holes. Although there was no sand traps there is a few water hazards placed throughout the holes. The grounds were well taken care of seeming to be mowed often but there are some spots where it was difficult to distinguish fairest from rough. As well as it was late August the forward could have used a bit more water because they were starting to be mote brown and less green. This is a good fast round and very well priced.

Website: http://www.linksofmaggiemay.com
Phone: 1.800.491.0991

Address:
4650 Shelley Road
Prince George
BC V2K 5G1

Eighteen Pastures: Mission

So you think you can golf? Eighteen Pastures is the perfect place to prove you right or wrong. The fairways are tight with trees lining both sides. Any mis-hit shots easily find the bush.

Thoughts:
This is a fun tough course. The narrow fairways are made even more so by the line of tall trees down both sides.  Anything off the fairways is most likely lost.  Found some good on-line deals that made the course a bit cheaper to play and was not very busy even for a weekend afternoon.

There was not much to the pro shop except for the cool barn building.  There was food and snacks but the soda that we got had expired almost 1 year prior! The course was pretty much empty except for a nice couple that let us play through and a larger group a couple holes ahead.  On one of the holes though a pick-up had been driven out onto the course? And was parked up by the green.

I would recommend this course to people who do not want to play on the "popular" courses with all the people that think they are "better" golfers.  Definitely a good time.

Website: http://www.eighteenpastures.com
Phone: 604-462-8622

Address:
29110 Matheson Ave
Mission
V2V 6H3

Maple Ridge Golf Course: Maple Ridge

Established in 1926, the Maple Ridge Golf Course was one of the first courses built in the Fraser Valley and sits high above the mighty Fraser River. Once home to the McIvor Family, the land has rolling hills surrounded by beautiful majestic maple and cedar trees making it a truly peaceful setting. With the elevation changes and numerous sand bunkers, the Maple Ridge Golf Course will test every club in your bag.

Thoughts:
This nine hole course is located in the middle of Maple Ridge and offers some decent views of the river and mountains.  Although a little expensive for the course compared to others in the area this is a nearby and quick course for people in the area. There are a lot of hills to walk up and down so a cart would definitely be suggested. There is no water hazards but a few trees, bush and sand traps. It is a shorter par 33 course that offers up three par 3's and no par 5's. All of the holes are pretty much a straight shot to the green and you could almost drive most of the greens with a good shot.

Unless you get a good deal or are staying nearby and have to walk I would suggest a different course in the area.

Website: http://www.mapleridgegolfcourse.org
Phone: 604.465.9221

Address:
20818 Golf Lane
Maple Ridge, BC

Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course: Qualicum Beach

Nice 9 hole course just off the ocean.  Very reasonably priced and friendly staff.  We had a group of 6 and played 3 ball best ball and there was no fuss about the large group. It was a relatively easy course with minimal water hazards and only a few green-side bunkers and open fairways.

I would definately recommend this course to someone who wants a nice relaxing nine

Website: http://www.golfqualicum.ca
Phone: 250.752.6312
Fax: 250.752.6550


469 Memorial Ave.
Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, BC