Pagoda Ridge revisited

The grass has filled in, resulting in very lush fairways and difficult shots out of the tall grass

I played Pagoda Ridge near Fort Langley when it first opened in 2012, and now I was excited about returning and seeing how the course matured over the last two seasons.

The owners of the golf course are Verna and Lyall Brown, who have owned the property for over 40 years. Originally the land was cleared and used as a runway for Lyall’s private plane, and later as a helicopter pad. The runway is now part of the 7th through the 10th fairways.  When Lyall gave up flying, it was his son, Larry Brown, who convinced the family that the land was best suited for a golf course. It is a beautiful 165 acres of old growth forest and a view of Glen Valley, the Fraser River and the Golden Ears Mountains in the back ground. Larry is the general manager, but it is a family business with all four children involved.

Golf the wall

It is the Chinese theme that first draws your attention. On entering the property, note the Buddha carving that welcomes you. Next, the large pagoda building at the end of the parking lot now serves as an office and a home, but was first used as an airplane hangar. A pagoda is a tiered building with multiple roofs and eaves and is a common architectural design from China, but not common on a golf course. The large Chinese junk or warship is still floating, sort of, and serves as a snack bar between the 9th and 10th holes. What is new are the hospitality tents, putting green and pagoda style pro shop.

Once you’re on the course, you see a replica of the Great Wall of China runs 500 feet along the 14th hole and becomes the cart path to the 15th hole. The original wall in China was built in the seventh century and is 21,196 kilometres long. The Chinese theme was adopted because the Browns like Chinese architect, and not because of the large Chinese community in the Lower Mainland. The original Wall of China was built to keep people out of China while the Brown’s wall is built to bring people in.

The golf course

The hole configuration has not changed over the last two seasons. This public course was designed largely by the Browns with consultation from Mike Gregg Consulting and construction by Woodland Golf Ltd. Terry and Scott Woodland have worked on other B.C. courses, such as Furry Creek, Sun River and Nicklaus North. A cute story as emerged about the 10th green, Pagoda Ridge’s signature hole. It appears that when construction started on the green it was discovered it was not on the Brown’s property. The solution was to quickly buy an additional five acres, making for a very expensive green.  

As for the rest of the course, the grass has filled in, resulting in very lush fairways and difficult shots out of the tall grass. The bent grass greens are large, undulating and very smooth, with average speed. Three putts can be common. The 40 bunkers and 12 ponds add to the difficulty, but are balanced with generous fairways. Holes 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, have water hazards, which may or may not come into play.

Playing the course from the back tees

The course is a good test of golf skills and is a favourite stop on the Vancouver Golf Tour. It measures 6,965 yards from the back tees. The front nine, with a par 35, plays a little easier than the back nine. There’s a great risk-and-reward hole by cutting the corner over the trees on No. 7, 468 yards. The 10th hole at 285 yards is the ultimate risk-and-reward hole to a small green on the edge of a cliff. The 13th hole can nearly be reached by the longer hitters at 319 yards, but stay right. The 14th hole, a par 4 at 466 yards, has a difficult shot to the green, which is bordered by the wall and a pond. The back nine plays 117 yards longer than the front nine, having three par 5s and a par of 37. The par 4s are stretched, ranging from 427 to 466 yards. The slope on the course is 131 with course rating of 72.9, making it a challenge.  Recreational golfers would enjoy the game more by playing the white-blue combo at 6,150 yards.

Over the last two years Pagoda Ridge has matured and continued to grow. The Chinese theme gives the place a mystical feeling. Just check the full tee sheet online to verify the success of the course. Future plans call for a new semi-formal restaurant in 2015 that can be used for fine dining and wedding receptions.   As Larry Brown best expressed it,
“We have exceeded our expectations,” said Larry Brown. “We didn’t dream it would be like this.”