Chinook Cove Golf and RV, Barriere, BC

Maybe the best nine-hole course in the interior, and a great weekend getaway

Opening with two reachable par-5s—the first more reachable than the second as it’s almost 60 yards shorter and the green is well below you on your approach—this charming nine-hole championship length (if you play it twice) course is just pure fun.

At $35 for twice around the layout or $25 for nine, you’ll also be hard-pressed to find a better value in the area.

The highlight of the course is the opening stretch. With a pond to deal with on your approach on the first, off the tee stretching down the left-side of the fairway on the second, and then again to the left of the third green, they’ve made the best use possible of a relatively small amount of water (that’s the only area of the course you’re going to be dealing with it). You then cap the front section of the course off with a gorgeous par 3 off an elevated tee overlooking the North Thompson Valley below.

Another elevated-tee par 3 awaits you on the sixth hole, as you climb up the valley into the trees and suddenly come out into a small clearing where they’ve hidden a stunning but challenging golf hole. Get your iron distances dialed in before you get here, as a missed green is very costly. There’s a bit of room short, but even that will make for a tough up-and-down for par.

The grounds crew takes pride in their work here, and it shows. Chinook Cove is known for its immaculately manicured and maintained grounds. Repair your divots and ball marks, please.

Hardest shot on the course

Other than your tee shot at the par-3 6th, the approach on the 8th hole is a doozy, despite not having a hazard of any significant danger. If your drive was short of the corner with its hard dogleg left, you’ll be blocked by tall trees and not have a line in at all. If you make it to the corner you’re barely seeing the top of the flag on your approach, as the green is significantly above you.

A miss short on this shot could run all the way back to your feet, and a miss long creates a steep downhill pitch to a green running away from you that you’ll be hard-pressed to stop within a makeable distance.

Stay and play

As the name suggests, Chinook Cove has an RV park for those of you who want to spend the night and bring your own means to do that with you when you go places.

With prices from $25 to $35 per night, depending on if you need 30 amp or 50 amp hookups and want to pull-through or are okay backing in, this park overlooking the valley far below is a nice addition to your golfing experience at Chinook Cove. Add hot showers, on-site laundry facilities and Internet at your disposal above a golf course like this one, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic weekend getaway.