Drift over to Canoe Creek for a pleasant round

The 2011 BC Golf Guide named Canoe Creek the best manicured golf course in the province

The North Okanagan has some very good golf courses, such as Salmon Arm and Talking Rock, but there are also hidden gems like Canoe Creek.

“We want to become known as a gem of a course, not just a hidden gem,” said Mike Loewen, head golf professional.

After playing a round, I can say Canoe Creek is moving in the right direction to meet that goal.

A history lesson

The little community of Canoe and its industrial park are really part of the larger Salmon Arm community. The golf course is eight kilometres from Salmon Arm, and Canoe Creek meanders across the back nine before draining into Shuswap Lake at Canoe Beach.  Historically, the Interior Salish used Canoe Beach to land their canoes and the name has endured.
The first nine holes on this course opened in 2006 and the last nine holes were completed in the following year, followed by the clubhouse/pro shop.

Designing the course

The golf architect was Dave Barr from Kelowna. In the 1970s and 80s Dave played on the Canadian Tour, the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour before being inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Canoe Creek is his first signature course and the only course he personally designed.

Barr had 125 acres of former farm land to work with, in a natural setting for a golf course. This is a traditional tree-lined course with lush fairways and undulating greens. The fescue grass and pot bunkers give the course a links feeling. The 2011 BC Golf Guide named Canoe Creek the best manicured golf course in the province.

The front nine holes

Unless you have a single registered handicap, stay off the back PGA tees at 7,026 yards.  Distance does not make for better golf. From the blue or white tees, the first two holes are neither long nor difficult, allowing for a good start. The third hole is a short par 3 at 150 yards, and requires hitting over a waterfall to a sunken green that is protected by four pot bunkers. This is Canoe Creek’s signature hole. 

Holes 4 and 5 are good doglegs, forcing golfers to use some finesse instead of length off the tee. The front nine is located in open, rolling meadows before climbing to a beautiful vista on the No. 8 green. This is the No. 1 handicap hole, but not the hardest. Along the first nine holes are creeks, ponds, marsh lands, pot bunkers and grass-lined bunkers. The front nine can be walked.

Playing the back nine

The back nine plays very differently from the front nine. The terrain changes to a hilly, rocky and wooded landscape at the foot of Mount Ida. Holes 10, 11, 12 and 13 are the heart of the back nine, as well as the entire course.

• Hole 10 is all uphill and based on yardage would appear to be a birdie hole, but it is the second handicap hole. At only 353 yards, it is a great risk-and-reward hole, with fairway ponds and a creek guarding the green. 
• No. 11, a par 5 at 506 yards, is all risk and reward on the second shot. The fairway makes a dogleg left turn to a very narrow 35-foot-long green.
• The No. 12 hole is a long par 3 at 201 yards, with a bail-out to the right due to the thick brush on the left.
• The No. 13 hole was cut out of the mountain and is a dogleg right. Golfers must reach the 150 yard mark to have a shot over Canoe Creek to the green. The view from the elevated tee box is spectacular, but it’s a dangerous shot.

Holes 10 through 13 require good course management and a bogey or two can be a good score. The final five holes open up onto the flat meadows once again, with birdies possible on 14 through the finishing hole. 

Canoe Creek is very playable, golfer-friendly and pleasing to the eye. The course is far from ostentatious or pretentious and will not be hosting a PGA tournament in the near future. It is, however, a good golf course where the average golfer won't feel intimidated and will certainly get good value for his or her money.