This year I have focused on golf courses in the Lower Mainland, exploring their history and position in the public golf firmament of B.C.
As I began with a Golf BC Group course, Furry Creek, so shall I conclude: Mayfair Lakes.
From their original holdings at Gallagher’s Canyon, the Golf BC Group has grown to an organization with 13 courses throughout B.C. and the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Their emphasis on providing a first-rate experience for recreational golfers has earned them a loyal following from locals and visitors alike, and it is part of their corporate culture that whichever of their courses you play, the level of service is always up to private club standards.
When it opened for play in 1989, the Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club was one of the first new public courses built in the Lower Mainland since Vancouver’s McLeery opened in 1959. At 6,641 yards from the blue tees, it remains one of the longest.
Designed by Les Furber, it showcases his trademark originality and challenging philosophy in a gloriously open rural setting. With its massive bunkers and abundant water, it was unlike any other local course and quickly became the must-play destination.
It had been many years (too long really) since I had played Mayfair Lakes, and I was joined recently by friends Dan Rothenbush, Dan Rees and Robbie Olhauser to rectify the oversight.
It was a beautiful August Saturday morning and, driving through the rich cropland along Westminster Highway, you could practically hear the corn growing. The long driveway from Number 7 Road to the clubhouse slowed my pace and eased me into the experience that lay ahead.
The clubhouse was alive with staff, photographers, wedding guests and golfers, like a Breugel feast painting. In the pro shop, we were greeted by Taylor who made us feel welcome and at home, then assembled at the practice green, each of us quietly preparing to stare down the internal demons that a Furber course always manages to conjure.
There is water on 13 of the 18 holes and while the fairways are generally wide and always in good shape, the prospect of a watery grave for your shot creeps in to your calculations and can distract even the most disciplined players. Add in a gusting wind and you’ve got your hands full.
At Mayfair Lakes it begins on the first tee. We played the white tees, and even from there it was a ponderous 394-yard par 4. With bunkers and water to the left and right of the landing area, it’s the opening salvo of psychological battle that continues until you putt out on the 18th.
Cautious tee shots kept us all dry, and slinking off the green with bogies felt like we’d gotten away with something.
On number 2, a 306-yard par-4 severe dogleg right, I managed a par and was starting to relax. Confidence, that’s all that was needed. It was all in the head. Well.
Number 3, at 371 yards, was a long right to left crescent with water all the way down the left and an enormous bunker on the right. My flaw is a tendency to slice and I had joked the night before that with all the trouble at Mayfair Lakes on the left side I would no doubt pull everything left. So I did.
Ranked the number 1 handicap hole, number 3, at 371 yards, can start your wheels wobbling, and if they don’t fall right off you can spend the next few holes fighting to prevent catastrophe.
Each of us in turn had moments of joy and panic. The benign fifth hole, a straight-away 525-yard par-5, with no water, produced scores from Ohlhauser and I that could only be recorded as unpronounceable symbols.
There were pars and moments of triumph as well, but the ecstasy of the agony was powerfully disconcerting.
That is part of the fascination of Mayfair Lakes. Its broad fairways and simple, level topography give it an uncomplicated appearance, yet it will rip your heart out if you let up for a split second. It’s a beautiful setting — the North Shore mountains in the distance, the lush grass and sculpted waterways — yet it can be the arena for living out a series of nightmares.
The exceptional service, playing conditions and rural picture-postcard location invite feelings of tranquility and inner calm, but an errant tee shot can shatter it all in the blink of an eye.
Take the ninth hole for example. At 380 yards from the whites, it offers a spectacular vista from the tee box: large, wide fairway with water to the left and a bunker to the right, the putting surface and clubhouse in the distance.
The green lies at the end of the waterway and is fronted by a bunker that snakes around the front of the putting surface. Pin placement here can mean the difference between happiness and misery.
It’s all the charm and peril of Mayfair Lakes in one hole.
Playing down the right side will take the water largely out of play, but you have to be accurate with your approach shot to have a hope of par.
On the back half of the course, there is water on seven of the nine holes.
Ranked least difficult on the course, number 10 is a 328-yard par 4 and sounds simple, but it’s one of the narrowest fairways on the course and there’s water down the left and right with a waterway connecting the two ponds directly in front of the green.
It’s all very simple if you land in the right spots.
That is part of Les Furber’s genius. He gets in your head, creates doubt and shifts your focus away from what you should do to what you should avoid doing.
There’s really no let up. The par-5 497-yard 11th hole begins a stretch of five extremely difficult holes, and if the wind is a factor you are going to have to get creative.
Number 14, considered by some the most difficult hole in B.C., has water to the left, out of bounds to the right, and a lot of real estate in between. It’s a beast.The 343-yard par-3 16th gives you a chance to catch your breath, but then it’s back to work.
The 18th hole is a mirror image of the ninth. Longer at 495 yards, it wraps to the left around the water and adds a bit more sand to keep your nervous tic active. The clubhouse and patio beyond are indeed a welcome sight.
This year marks Mayfair Lakes’ 25th anniversary. Many new courses have been added since throughout B.C., and it is a magnificent testament to the vision of
Furber’s design and the Golf BC Group’s stewardship that the course has matured so beautifully and remained in such spectacular condition.
With summer green fees running at $79, it’s also exceptional value. If it’s been a while since you played Mayfair Lakes, it’s well worth a visit.
