Hole # 13, Fraserview Golf Course, Vancouver, BC

Hole # 13, par 3, Blue tees, 180 yards

Fraserview is one of the hardest city courses to get a tee time for. It is popular in the morning, afternoon and twilight and people who live in Vancouver tells me that it is the most played course in the city. With the amount of cars parked throughout the day, I always wonder whether anyone works in this town.

Playing hole # 13 from any colour tee is a challenge. From the blue tees, it is an elevated tee shot guarded by a pond to your right. At 180 yards, most players choose to hit a hybrid. Strong iron players will use their 5-iron but it is hard to drop it on the green and limit the roll. Some better players choose to hit their 6-iron and hope that it will bounce on and roll closer to the pin.

My friend Allan chose his 5-wood and hit it straight towards the pin. Unfortunately, it ended up fading at the end and he was on then off the green. I chose my 5-iron and hit it well. It landed a little short of the green and rolled on. Allan joined me on the green after a nice chip with his 58 degree wedge. I pushed my putt slightly and it didn’t break at all. I thought everything rolls towards the pond but this time, it didn’t. I ended up with a par and Allan walked away with a bogey.

Hole #1, Burnaby Mtn Golf Course, Vancouver, BC

Hole # 1, par 5, White tees, 452 yards

Getting up early is not enough when you arrive at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course and find half of Vancouver already on the course. Doesn’t anyone work in this town? Apparently not. Burnaby Mountain Golf Course is situated in Burnaby, BC just 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

Arriving at the course, I decided to get a cup of coffee before putting a few balls to get used to the speed of the green. My playing partners, Frank and Al meets me at the tee box, ready for a round of golf that took 30 years in the making. Al wins the draw and tees off first. Like always, Mr. Consistent drives it up the middle of a long par 5, lined with large trees that reaches the sky. I’m next and I manage to drive it past Al and into the middle of the fairway as well. Frank is next and he pulls it left into the towering trees.

‘Jail’ screams Frank as he punches his ball out to the fairway. Al duffs his hybrid and the ball trickles by me. I take out my 5-wood and sky it 150 yards. “That’s no way to start” grimaces Al as he walks by. Frank takes out his 6-iron and hits a nice shot. He earns the first GIR. Al takes another crack at it and he ends up right of the green. I had about 140 yards to the green so I decided to hit a strong 9-iron but lost it right. I end up chipping onto the green on 4.

Frank misses his putt and ends up with a bogey. Al chips on and the ball scoots on by the hole. I came up short on my putt but left myself an easy tap in for a bogey. Al finally gets it in for a triple bogey.

Have you played here lately? If so, please add your comments on how you played this hole.