SURREY SHINES AS CANADA’S GOLF PARADISE
Sunny skies and wide variety of courses appeal to duffers and serious players alike
It’s been 15 years since the PGA Tour last set up shop in Surrey.
But when the world’s best golfers once descended on the city, the picturesque Northview Golf and Country Club provided scintillating moments in Canadian golf, like the 1999 Air Canada Championship when lefty Mike Weir’s iron shot from the first cut of rough landed on the green and rolled perfectly into the cup on the hazardous 14th hole.
He would then roll to his firstcareer PGA Tour win, sending the local fans at the Arnold Palmer designed course into a frenzy.
Before that, in 1997, Mark Calcavecchia won what was then the Greater Vancouver Open and the course was also graced by the likes of the late Payne Stewart.
The days of the PGA Tour stops may be behind it for now, but Northview is a perfect illustration of the wide selection of golf courses for people of all skill levels that can be found in Surrey — from championship courses like Northview, Morgan Creek Golf Course, Hazelmere Golf and Tennis Club, and Peace Portal Golf Course, to smaller executive courses like the Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Course and Nico-Wynd Golf Course, a nine-hole, par-35 layout in South Surrey beside the Nikomekl River, before it juts out into Boundary Bay.
In the case of Coyote Creek, the longest hole from the blue tees is a par-4, 349-yard hole toward the end of the round. It also challenges recreational golfers with treelined fairways, water that comes into play on a number of different holes and with seven par-3s.
“No other community offers as many courses with as much variety as Surrey does,” said Cathy James, executive director for Discover Surrey.
“In addition to that, proximity is key — players can easily access multiple courses. In a weekend, you can golf four different courses within 10 minutes of each other. The great weather in Surrey also plays a role. Peace Portal in South Surrey has the most days of rainfree golf pretty much anywhere in Canada.”
In terms of proximity, an egregious snap hook might not be enough, but golfers can certainly play a quick round at Coyote Creek and then head right across 152nd Street to the much larger (6,502 yards), par-72 Guildford Golf and Country Club, which features a number of tree-lined fairways and water hazards to challenge local golfers into finding accuracy and properly judging length in a number of different situations.
Peace Portal also provides tremendous proximity to the Canadian-U.S. border.
No other community offers as many courses with as much variety as Surrey does . ... In a weekend, you can golf four different courses within 10 minutes of each other.
In fact, travellers heading north back into Canada or south into the U.S. from the Peace Arch crossing can actually catch a lengthy glimpse of part of the course from their cars.
It can be fun to catch the action while stuck in your vehicle waiting for the line to move.
The 18-hole, par-72 course begins right away with a short-range par 5, before it eases up with three of the five-easiest holes on the course to finish the back nine.
Keeping in South Surrey, Morgan Creek is another course that provides breathtaking scenery in a big city like Surrey, but then requires precision with its assortment of tree-lined, twisting, turning and dog-legged fairways and water hazards.
Much like Northview, it’s also a local Surrey course that has gained further prominence through its connection to a local professional — one whose star is on the rise.
Adam Hadwin, who grew up in Abbotsford and now plays on the PGA Tour, lists Morgan Creek as his home club and his father, Gerry, is a teaching professional there as well.
Hadwin had always shown tremendous potential, most notably working his way into contention as the local favourite at the Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club at Vancouver in 2011, but his potential was realized earlier this season when he captured the Valspar Championship for his first PGA Tour victory.
“Having high-profile events and players coming into Surrey helps spread awareness and raise the profile for the City of Surrey,” said James.
“While the focus may initially highlight championship courses, it ultimately leads players to discovering the variety of golf offerings as well.”