Bear Mountain’s
Valley Course
touch-screen
cell phones. Robot vacuums. Some
inventions fall into the no-brainer
category. For golfers, the advent
of the golf trail was also an “aha!”
moment.
What travel-loving golfer
wouldn’t want to grab his or her
sticks, hop in a car, and follow
a trail bursting with beauty and
birdies?
For golf nuts, the golf trail
might be the greatest thing since
sliced bread. In North America,
there are dozens of golf trails that
summon swingers. The very first,
Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones
Golf Trail, recently turned 25.
Today, there’s a trail to suit
every highway-happy hacker,
from Vancouver Island to P.E.I.
They come in all shapes and
sizes: Some are short and sweet
and need little travel between
courses. Others are spread
out and require lengthy drives
between birdie binges.
Some trails take days, some
take weeks, but all are about the
journey: The quest to experience
new courses, landscapes and cul-
tures. So cozy hotels, good food
and non-golf attractions are key
components of the experience.
Customizing your trail to fit your
needs is par for the course.
As a golf pro, writer and pho-
tographer, I’ve been fortunate to
travel many golf-rich roads. Here
are the Canadian trails that rank
highest on my scorecard.
Painter’s Lodge
Luggage on wheeLs ,
VancouVer Island
Golf TraIl, B.c.
Storey Creek Golf Club
Crown Isle Resort & Golf
Community
Stretching from Victoria to
Campbell River, the Vancouver
Bear Mountain Resort
Island Golf Trail epitomizes what a
VIcTorIa
golf trail should offer: challenging
courses, fantastic resorts and
awesome adventures to experience
North Island—an area ripe for
along the way.
exploration and easily accessible
After basking in the
from Comox Valley Air-
beautiful weather of
port—plan an awesome
Victoria and exploring
weekend with rounds at
Caa extra
her seaside charms (the
Storey Creek and Crown
Save up to 20%
Inner Harbour and
Isle courses, plus salmon
at Hertz, CAA’s
whale watching are
fishing at Painter’s Lodge.
preferred car
rental company.
must-dos), start your
In golf as in life, beauty
You’ll also
island journey at Bear
really
is in the eye of the
get no charge
for additional
Mountain. With two top-
beholder. But Storey Creek
drivers and
notch Jack Nicklaus-
in Campbell River, with
GPS savings.
caamanitoba.
designed courses that
its towering trees, should
com/car_rentals
are open year-round, the
appeal to all. And Crown
quality of the golf here
Isle, located just minutes
can’t be beat.
from the airport, never disappoints
While the original Mountain
(nor do the post-round pints on its
Course at Bear Mountain is
picturesque patio). »
tough-as-nails, the newer Valley
Course, featuring wider fairways
Cowichan Valley’s Averill Creek Vineyard
and dramatic downhill shots,
has quickly become a personal
favourite. After your last hole, set
out for the Cowichan Valley. Do a
little wine tasting between courses:
There are more than 15 wineries
tucked away in this pastoral region.
Perhaps the greatest virtue of
the Vancouver Island trail is its
four distinct sections. It’s ideal if
you only have time to explore one
or two areas, saving the rest for
a future trip. For example, in the
45