A32 - North Shore News - Wednesday, July 3, 2013
TEE TIME
Fairways lush and well tended From page 31 It is one of the busiest golf courses in Canada, and over the years a round at Burnaby Mountain became equated with slow play. No longer. The people at the City of Burnaby know they are in a competitive market and are conscious of delivering a toptier playing experience. Tee time intervals have been increased and pace of play is closely monitored. Course condition has also been significantly upgraded. A massive investment in a wallto-wall drainage system has left the course playable after even the most torrential rainfall. Aggressive turf maintenance is a year-round focus and bunkers have been re-filled and rebuilt, incorporating the improved drainage process. Tee boxes have been rebuilt and expanded to add length, making for a more interesting range of choices in the daily setup. There is a new state of the art, two-storey driving range and learning centre and a full list of CPGA teaching pros ready to help you with your game. I was joined at Burnaby Mountain recently on the first full day of summer by friends Dan Rothenbush, Don Hartwigger and Larry Verigin. I have to confess that I was among the local golfers who had written Burnaby Mountain off as a destination a long time ago. New information gave me hope and we were there to see if it was all true. It had rained very heavily a few days prior but fairways and bunkers were dry and ready to go. We checked in and went off to the practice green. Because it had been so long since I had last played the course, it was like playing it for the first time. My overall impression was of size. This
course was built when land was fairly available and construction costs a little lower. You spend your round surrounded by forest and there are no houses jammed along the fairways. It’s just you and your playing partners. The opening hole is a west facing, 462yard par 5 over a ridge to a large green. A long tee shot gives you a peek at the green, but for most of us, your second shot is a hit-and-hope proposition. The good news is that there is plenty of real estate on the other side of the ridge and little trouble if you’re relatively straight. Fairways were lush and well-tended. The roominess of the course layout made it easier to relax and concentrate on our shots. Even if your line was a little off, the wide playing surfaces and lack of serious trouble meant a safe landing and a good look at your next target. The putting surfaces were in very good condition and held their lines well. For a course this busy, it was the sign of an excellent overall turf care program. Holes two to six weave their way back and forth across the ridge alternating between heading west and heading east. The third hole, a 505-yard par 5, has a pond in front of the green and, for most players, it’s a blind shot back over the ridge, so consider yourself forewarned. Water is also in evidence on the pretty 171-yard par-3 fourth hole. This is slightly uphill and judging distance was tricky. It was almost as if the sheer scale of the course made distances appear deceptively closer than they really are. Number 5 is a big, swooping dogleg left See Birdsong page 34
photo Mark Hood
THE first hole at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course is a long tee shot, and for most players the second shot is a hit-and-hope. But there is plenty of real estate on the other side of the ridge and little trouble if you’re relatively straight.
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