Saratoga Beach Golf Course is well worth a visit for Golfers in the Comox Valley

by Keith and Heather Nicol
 

On Friday, June 12 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 10 am and we had perfect golf weather.   Saratoga Beach Golf Course is a 9 hole course that is very walkable since the distance is around 2200 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 just about all 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 like we did on this day.                                                         Heather getting ready to tee off on number 1  Last year we played this course and awarded it the most improved course in the Comox Valley and this year they are working on many more improvements. We had a great chat with manager Jordan Irwin and he seems to be very keen to create a course that will appeal to a wide range of golfers. First off he told us that they are gradually creating forward tees so that beginners or kids won't be challenged by water or trees that currently make the course quite demanding. As well they are doing a wide apron cut on the greens so that you can putt from the fringe which makes the normally small greens abit larger. He said this may allow them to create some larger greens in the future. And they have rebuilt several tee boxes has been a big improvement.   As you can see the picture above - the greens are in great shape             Jordan told us that they get most of their business from the local community but also from the Comox Valley and Campbell River. They have a Men's League which plays on Tuesday night and Sunday morning and a Ladies League that goes |Tuesday morning and Wednesday night so if you want to meet some new golfers you can contact the clubhouse for more information. The Tuesday morning Ladies league is very well subscribed with over 100 golfers on their list. Also if you want a steal of a deal book a round on Mondays when 9 holes will cost you only $22.00 plus tax. They also have several  dinner and golf specials available when booking on line, especially on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon!And on Fridays,  2 people can play a round of golf and have dinner for just $89 ! Pretty hard to beat that.   Saratoga Beach Golf Course has a small putting green and a driving range as well as a small club house, food truck and pro shop. And you can get a lesson from Jordan which is something we should do the next time we are out. 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 loved how green the fairways were