Northlands Golf Course, at the base of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver

Northlands Golf Course is in North Vancouver, not far from Deep Cove, and is not to be confused with Northview Golf Course in the Surrey/Cloverdale area. Stories persist about golfers confusing the two courses, but once they have played Northlands, they never seem to leave. The story has some merit, because Northlands is billed as “One of Western Canada’s Most Incredible Golf Experiences.” 

When asked why Northlands is special, Curtis Johnson, administrative supervisor, said “dollar for dollar we can go head to head with any golf course and offer a challenging and championship course with great friendly service.”

The course opened in 1997 and is owned and operated by the District of North Vancouver.  It may be a municipal course, but it feels more like a private course. In 1998 this public course placed first in Golf Digest’s Best New Golf Courses to Play. In following years, Golf Digest also gave it four stars out of five and named it the Best Place to Play in 2004, 2005 and 2006. 

Mountain design

Golf architect Les Furber, who is known for his mountain courses, designed Northlands at the base of Mount Seymour. The course has all the features of his other mountain courses such as Predator Ridge in Vernon, the Quail in Kelowna, Fairwinds in Nanoose Bay and Trickle Creek in Kimberley. The features at Northlands include Douglas fir trees lining the fairways, use of rock outcroppings, some undulating and tiered greens, big elevation changes and four sets of tees. Thomas Creek meanders throughout the back nine, with water and/or marsh area coming into play on seven holes. On last count, there are 66 sand bunkers.

Playing the course 

The front nine has championship qualities and plays harder than the back nine at 3,354 yards from the back tees. Carts are highly recommended, and they come equipped with GSD Tag Touch GPS. The 1st hole is very intimidating off the tee, but the landing area is larger than it appears. Holes No. 2 and No. 3 are good par holes. Hole No. 4 is the signature hole, a par 5, 558 yards up a steep grade, which makes a two to three club difference. The waterfall near the green makes this a very picturesque hole. 

Holes 5 through 7 climb upwards and seem terraced out of the mountain side. The fairways are narrow, with sunken or elevated greens, adding to the difficulty. Hole No. 8 is 220 yards downhill to a green guarded by the “stump bunker” and rock outcropping to the right. Hole No. 9, a par 4 at 419 yards, continues downhill to the clubhouse.  

The back nine feels like a walk in a mountain alpine. At only 3,150 yards, with three par 3s, the back nine is golfer friendly. The 10th hole is a par 4, 337 yards, and ends with an island green. It is not very often you find an island green on a mountain side… but there it is. All is needed is 200 yards downhill off the tee.

Holes 11 through 14 are not long or difficult. Hole 15 is a monster par 5 at 547 yards. The second shot makes this a risk/reward hole, needing to clear 80-plus yards of marsh or “covenant” area. The green is elevated, very shallow and long. Hole 17 is another challenging hole, requiring a 180 yard carry over a waste area, with water along the entire left side to the green. The final hole, a par 5, 508 yards, is a long climb back up to the clubhouse. This is another risk/reward second shot over the covenant area. Golfers need an extra club or two to reach a small tiered green.  

A beautiful game

On the score card it states Northlands is “where nature is your playing partner.” You really are surrounded by beautiful mountains, trees and lush green fairways. Frequently wildlife makes an appearance, including coyotes, deer and a black bear that frequents the course and serves as an unofficial mascot. 

Playing Northlands is enjoyable. They have the usual practice putting greens and sand trap area, but no driving range, although they have warm-up nets. The Bar & Grill Restaurant has excellent food and a million dollar view from the patio.

Northlands is not easy, with a course rating of 71.4 and a slope of 138 over 6,540 yards. The slope of 138 makes this course challenging to difficult. Playing a round here is not a walk in the park, but it certainly feels like a walk in the park.