3. Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club

Worst Course I Have Ever Played For the Price
The reviews and brochures that I saw for this course showed a beautiful course and promised a pristine setting to play golf on our Whistler vacation. Seeing the rate they were charging for a round, I could only assume that this would be a wonderful choice for my round of golf. I could not have been more wrong. First the good. The staff that we dealt with were very polite and went out of thier way to make us feel comfortable and welcome. We were met at the car by a couple of guys who were ready to take our bags and prepare them for our round. They provided a shuttle from the hotel (where you have to park since there is no parking at the course) back to the course as well as a shuttle to the driving range/practice facility (which is not close to the course). The setting around the course is beautiful with the mountains surrounding the course providing a dramatic backdrop to most of our shots. Unfortunately, that is where the good ended. The course itself was in horrible shape with the worst aspect being the greens which were pockmarked and diseased making it nearly impossible to hit a straight put. The ball consistently bounced and hopped along the green after being struck. There is a municipal course near my house that I play for $15 that has much better greens than this course. The fairways and rough were also not at a level that I would expect with many sections of bare dirt instead of grass. The sand bunkers were filled with some of the heaviest sand I have ever played making bunker shots more challenging. I agree that bunker shots should be a penalty, but my sand wedge should not bounce off the sand and into the ball. There is a "snack shack" near hole 7, but there was no one there to help us. Finally, for a course of this price you expect a few more of the "niceties" than we received. We played another course that was similarly priced that gave us water in a cooler, a ball mark repair tool, ball marker (each with the logo for the course on it) and a yardage booklet to assist with our round. None of these things were provided at Chateau Whistler. If you are looking for a nice place to play while you are in Whistler, BC., drive a few extra miles and check out the Furry Creek or Big Sky (Pemberton) courses. Each are a much better value than the Chateau Whistler.