Saratoga Beach Golf Course is a short challenging course in Black Creek, B.C.

by Keith and Heather Nicol

The greens were in great shape

    On Tuesday, September 5 we decided to check out Saratoga Beach Golf Course which is located near Saratoga Beach midway between Campbell River and Courtenay, B.C.  We had arranged a tee time for 9:30 am with the idea of getting in a round of golf before lunch (it took 1 hour and 45 minutes). Saratoga Beach Golf Course is a 9 hole course that is very walkable since the distance is just over 2300 yards and the course is quite flat. But don’t let the short distance fool you, there is still alot of challenge to be had for all levels of golfers. The course consists of 4 par 3’s, 4 par 4’s and 1 pair 5 but the course is generally narrow with water hazards that come into play on many holes.  You need to be able to get the ball in the air and carry some distance or else you will lose a few balls to the small ponds and creeks that flows through the course.  We liked the 2 elevated tees which gave some variety to the tee boxes. After a long dry summer the fairways show the lack of water and are quite brown but the greens and tee boxes are in good shape.  

 

There are quite a few houses that line the course so you need to hit straight drives

   The manager Norm McLaren told us that they get most of their business from the local community but also from Campbell River. He also told us that they had an adaptive golfers programme to try to appeal to the whole community. “We have one fellow that plays with one arm which works because the course isn’t that long.” he said. He added that they usually are open from mid March until mid to late October before the fall rains start in earnest.  We would certainly like to come back and play the course when the fairways green up abit. Saratoga Beach Golf Course has a small putting green and a driving range as well as a small club house and pro shop. If you want to try a challenging course that will reward the straight ball hitter then see:  http://www.saratogabeachgolfclub.ca/   for more information.  

We also liked the 2 elevated tee boxes