Big Sky Golf and Country Club, Canada

Nestled in the valley floor below the massive cliffs of Mt. Currie in Pemberton lies one of the best golf courses in Canada: Big Sky Golf & Country Club. Opened in 1994, and immediately named to the top 50 in Canada, Big Sky Golf Club combines incredible scenery, phenomenal course conditioning and superb service to give you a golfing experience that is second to none.

Designed by Robert Cupp, Big Sky Golf Club uses water, sand and varying landing areas as it main defences. Each hole offers different challenges and requires players of all abilities to exercise every aspect of their game. With arguably the best kept fairways in BC, and views of snow-capped peaks in every direction Big Sky truly is a course that deserves to be recognized amongst Canada’s elite.

A perfect example of the Big Sky experience is the stellar par-four 16th. At only 405 from the back tees the hole’s length is not overly demanding. It’s shape and location though is what makes it memorable. The entire hole is a gentle dogleg right with water guarding the entire right hand side of the fairway. Golfer’s that can hit a draw are dared to hit a drive that starts over the water and bends back into the fairway while those golfers that can hit a fade are challenged to hit a shot up the left side that hopefully does not come back too far to the right and settle into a watery grave. If you can pull out the controlled fade or hook you can set yourself up for birdie. As anyone who plays a bending shot will tell you though, it’s the timing of the control that’s the tough part.

The sensible choice is to hit the conservative drive to the left centre of the fairway and take a mid or long iron to the relatively undefended green. Epic golfing stories rarely get told about the sensible though.