A well designed urban course

Burnaby's Riverway is a Les Furber municipal golf course with plenty of challenging holes.

In the Big Bend area of south Burnaby, wedged between Glenlyon Industrial Park and the Market Crossing Shopping Centre, is a city-run golf course called Riverway. It may seem like an odd location for a muni, as originally the land was only suitable for mining peat moss from the swampy bog. When Metrotown shopping centre was being built in the 1980s, contractors paid to dump their fill into the bog, which subsequently provided the foundation for the golf course. All of this was accomplished over many years and did not cost the city any money.

Designing the course

When Canadian golf architects Les Furber and Jim Eremko from Golf Design Services were hired, their task was to create an interesting layout from the rectangular 160-acre site. Furber, renowned for his unique designs, has created 29 courses in B.C. and 63 courses in western Canada, including Northlands, Trickle Creek and Predator Ridge. In Burnaby the goal was to design a golf course in an urban area that was challenging, yet not intimidating for the average player.

Furber believes that a golf course has to fit into the landscape rather than transforming the landscape to fit the design. At Riverway, examples of Furber’s philosophy are holes 3 and 17. These holes have a rolling landscape and fescue grass to give it a natural look. Added features include trees, well-placed fairway bunkers, ponds, a double green and elevated tee boxes.

The first nine holes opened in 1993, expanding to 18 holes two years later. The course is described as "links-style," "championship," "spectacular and naturally beautiful." Riverway has all of these qualities, but the course was primarily designed for golfers of all levels while providing affordable green fees. It has evolved into a good public golf course, being the fifth busiest course in the Lower Mainland and averaging over 57,000 rounds per year. Riverway is a full-service golf course with an excellent 54-stall driving range and employs CPGA instructors in its Learning and Improvement Centre.

Playing the course

The course is a challenge. The fairways are well manicured, wide, soft and green. Greens are large, undulating and average speed. There are numerous trees around the course, but they seldom are a hazard. Although there is plenty of water on the course, water only comes into play on five or six holes. The biggest problem comes from the hilly lies or hitting out of the fescue grass. If the fescue were allowed to grow into the first cut, Riverway would have a slope rating of more than 128 from the back tees and be very difficult to play.

The front nine plays a little easier than the back nine, with the opening two holes relatively easy. Holes 3, 7 and 9 are good risk and reward holes. Hole 4 is long and tight, while Hole 5 is a good par 5 birdie hole. The heart of the front nine are holes 7 and 9. Hole 7 is the no. 1 handicap hole, being a dogleg left with water along the entire left side. Golfers can challenge the pond from the tee or the fairway. The No. 9 fairway is sloped from left to right, with the second shot to the green a risk and reward shot over Byron Creek.

The back nine plays a little longer than the front nine. Holes 10 and 11 are easy opening holes. Holes 12 through 14 are long and usually straight into the prevailing wind. The large mounds with the fescue grass can quickly add to the score. Hole 15 is a good risk and reward hole, as golfers can play it safe or cut the corner of the dogleg. The last three holes run almost the entire length of the course at 1,404 yards and end with a good uphill finishing par 5. The 18th is the Signature Hole, with the clubhouse, pond and water fountain providing an attractive backdrop.

Do not get the idea that Riverway is easy to play. From the back tees the course is 7,004 yards, playing much too long for recreational golfers. 

“The PGA looked at Riverway as a possible site,” said general. manager David O’Connor, “but they found a couple of holes too difficult and needed modification.”

Ongoing improvements

Since the course first opened, Riverway has continued to make additions and improvements. Drainage has always been a problem, but during the past two years nearly a million dollars has gone into a silt-drainage system. 

“The purpose was to withstand heavy rains and allow the course to recuperate within hours,” said O’Connor. “We no longer lose 50 to 90 days a year to rain.”

The other major improvement has been the clubhouse facilities. The city spent $6.3 million on a clubhouse that can cater to weddings, banquets, corporate events and tournaments.

Why play Riverway?

“Our course is suitable for all levels of golfers,” said O’Connor, “meets a variety of skill sets from low to high handicappers, is a great golf experience for females and males alike. Our competitive pricing make it even more of a positive outing.”