Wednesday, May 4, 2011 - North Shore News - A35

SEYMOUR CREEKGOLF CENTRE

www.seymourcreekgolf.com

(604) 987-7767Open 8:00am-9:30pm

315 Seymour Boulevard, N. Van.

Just east of highway #1

exit #22 off Mt. Seymour Pkwy.,

Located just behind Superstore

JACKS NEW PRO SHOPJACKS NEW PRO SHOPSmall shop service big store pricesAll the brand names — Titleist, Ping, Cobra, Taylormade, Adams and more.

We will match Golf Town prices

NEW RANGENEW RANGE BALLS ADDED.BALLS ADDED. Fully stocked pro shop with the latest Taylormade clubs available for demo.

COME TRY THE NEW TAYLORMADE R-11COME TRY THE NEW TAYLORMADE R-11WE MATCH GOLF TOWN PRICES!WE MATCH GOLF TOWN PRICES!

Monday May 9 6 pm or 7 pm

Tuesday May 10 6 pm or 7 pm**

Wednesday May 11 6 pm or 7 pm

Thursday May 12 6 pm or 7 pm

Monday May 16 6 pm or 7 pm

Tuesday May 17 6 pm or 7 pm**

Wednesday May 18 6 pm or 7 pm

Thursday May 19 6 pm or 7 pm

SIGN UP NOW FOR JUNIOR CAMPS

**Ladies Only

4-One hour sessions of CPGA instruction for onlyonly

$$1091099595

A great way to start the season! Good for beginners to learn the

basics and intermediates to refresh the fundamentals. All aspects of the game will be addressed from putting and chipping to iron play

and driving.

START TIMES:

TEE TIME

Squamish is superb

NEWS photos Mark Hood

ON the sixth green of the Squamish Valley Golf Club, it’s impossible not to soak in the glory of a spectacular spring day.

Don’t drive by on the Sea to SkyMark HoodContributing Writer

ONCE known mainly as the industrial and service hub of the Howe Sound corridor, Squamish — with its spectacular setting — has emerged as a recreation destination in its own right.

While Whistler gets most of the press, Squamish quietly goesabout its business and gets it done. Perhaps it’s the vastly improved Sea to Sky highway, perhaps it’s the accolades they received from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, but whatever the cause there is a new sense of confi dence and community pride in Squamish that’s visible if you know where to look.

Take, for instance, the Squamish Valley Golf Club. Like manylong time Squamish establishments, there’s a sensible utility at work here. As well as the golf club, it’s home to the Howe Sound Curling Club and the Squamish Squash Club. It has a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere where members and visitors alike are treated to a warm welcome, even if you’re just dropping in to the restaurant for a meal.

The Squamish Valley Golf Club is also a valuable community partner. Home to the annual Squamish Health Care Foundation’sCharity Golf Classic, the club has helped raise over $500,000 for local health care and supports the Howe Sound Women’s Shelter and the United Way as well as local schools and sportsorganizations.

While the community participation is laudable, what makesSquamish worth a visit for those of us on the North Shore is the condition of the course. Since opening in 1964, Squamish has become one of the best conditioned public courses available

See Easy page 36

A36 - North Shore News - Wednesday, May 4, 2011

800 - 801 Marine Drive | North Vancouver | 604.980.8899peakgolf.ca

NikeMojo 24pk

NikeKarma12pk

TaylorMadeXD 12pk

NikeEliteFeelCabrettaGlove

Mens &Ladies

TaylorMadeBurnerSuperFastDriver

(2010 Model)

Mens &Ladies

Nickent4DXEvolverDriver

Mens &Ladies

PowerbiltAirForceOne777Driver

NitrogenCharged!

NikeAir ZoomTW 2010

ECCOLadies Casual Pitch Velcro

TaylorMadeBurnerSuper-LaunchComboSet

Seniors &Ladies

your golf store on the North Shore

$2699 $1499

$1799

$15999 $9999

$8999

$1399

$21999

$12999 $67999

New Apparel Arrivals Oakley, Quagmire, Sport Haley, Hollas, EP Pro and more!

Peak Golf - KitslanoSeasonal Store

NOW OPEN!2077 West 4th Avenue at Arbutus

RAIN OR SHINE

700 Apex AvenueNorth Vancouver

604-929-6672

TECHNICAL STAFF ON HANDOpen - Monday - Friday 8am - 9pm Saturday & Sunday 7am - 9pm

2 for 12 for 1SALESALE

Buy 1 bucket of balls, get 2nd for no charge(With this ad limit 1 per day. Offer expires May 31, 2011.)

15,000 NEW BALLS IN MAY 1Check out our online specials at

www.takayagolfcenter.com

to golfers. Combine that with breathtaking scenery, and you’ve got a day of golf that’s tough to top.

We recently had the pleasure of playing Squamish and it was outstanding. I was joined on what was one of the nicest Saturdays to date in a cold, wet 2011 by friends Dan Rothenbush of Lady Jane Landscaping, Rob Stuart of Zoom Tee golf management software and Bob Overgaard, former principal of West Vancouver’s Sentinel secondary.

Given that you don’t play golf to relax, you must relax in order to play golf, the drive to Squamish is a great way to begin. The easy pace and beautiful views ensure that you arrive unstressed and ready to play.

Once we got there, while the others chose to warm up

on the practice range, I opted for a nice breakfast in the dining room.

If you’ve never played Squamish, it’s a 6,463-yard “horseshoe within a horseshoe” layout, with water on seven holes.

From the opening tee, the 539-yard, Par-5 fi rst hole

looks pastoral, almost benign. Once your ball lands, however, you’re in the middle of aminefi eld of small furrows and ridges that make stance and club selection ticklish.

Even with the miserable spring we have endured, the

TEE TIME

NEWS photo Mark Hood

THE 539-yard, Par-5 fi rst hole looks pastoral, almostbenign. Don’t be fooled.

Easy pace and views start the day rightFrom page 35

See Distractions page 38

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 - North Shore News - A37

Bowen Island Golf Club

www.bowengolf.com 604-947-GOLF (4653)

SENIOR’S GOLFAll Day $25

Monday -Wednesday

SQUAMISH MEN’SSQUAMISH MEN’SAMATUER TOURNAMENTAMATUER TOURNAMENT

JUNE 18-19JUNE 18-19

course was well-drained and dry. Greens here are always meticulously maintained and that day were in good early season form. In a few weeks they’ll be slick and lightning fast.

One of the most challenging holes on the front nine is the 286-yard, Par-4 third. It’s a hard dogleg left and from the tee the green is hidden by a grove of trees. Out of sight in front of the green is a cavernous crescent-shaped, sod-walled bunker. For those laying up — a good decision by the way — there are the remains of an old irrigation channel that has been grassed over. You really need to pick your landing spot.

An accurate fi rst shot: result, happiness. A careless ball off the tee will land you in a world of grief.

My tee shot here was a little left. I was too close to the trees to go over, and couldn’t see the putting surface.

Did I go for it? Of course I did. And that large bunker in front of the green that I mentioned? Lovely at this time of year, thank you.

With the calamitous third behind us, we moved on to three of the course’s longer holes: the 440-yard, Par-4 fourth; the 199-yard, Par-3 fi fth; and the 472-yard, Par-5 sixth.

Here, in the geographic heart of the course, we paused a moment to soak in the glory of that spring

day. Snow on the nearby mountains dazzled and the sky was sapphire blue. In the quiet of the fairways, birdsong and wind rustling in new-sprouted leaves provided a sound track that was almost medicinal.

A successful round of golf comes down to managing distractions: bunkers, water hazards and more. At Squamish the distractions have a natural feel to them, they fi t the landscape.

Take, for example, the Par-3 11th. At 189 yards from the back tees, it’s not the longest of the short holes, but there is a large pond running centre left all the way to the green. The trees and mountains refl ect from its tranquil surface and it looks as if it had been there since the dawn of time.

Yet it’s easy to shift your focus to where you don’t want your ball to go. From there, a damp ending awaits.

Bunkers too can confound. I mentioned my adventure on No. 3. On the 12th hole, I took a lesson in concentration from Overgaard. His ball landed in the fi rst of two bunkers that guard the right side of the green. With a calmness born from years of managing teenagers, his next shot was up, over the second bunker and on to the green. That, as they say, is how you do that.

I think my favourite stretch of the course is the 15th and 16th holes. If you haven’t played Squamish in a few

years, they have added a large pond that runs to the right of the 15th green and fronts the 140-yard, Par-3 16th.

After putting out on the 356-yard 15th, the 16th tee box gives you a

great view of the Stawamus Chief and the rugged peaks to the east. It’s not a long hole by any means, but the water . . . oh, the water.

I watched as, one by one, my companions dutifully put their tee

shots in the drink. Overgaard liked it so much he did it twice.

We were all having such a great time that it really didn’t matter.

TEE TIME

NEWS photo Mark Hood

THE club’s 6,463-yard “horseshoe within a horseshoe” layout, with water on seven holes.

From page 37

Distractions fi t the landscape in Squamish

See Greens page 38

A38 - North Shore News - Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Top 20 Realty

Suite sizes range from under 650 to over 1900 sq. ft. Six-Storey contemporary concrete building with terraced architecture Large, south-facing balconies with spectacular views of the Georgia StraitLocated on a walk-on pebble beach and steps away from all village amenities Just a 40 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to the Sunshine Coast

Renderings are artist representations and are not necessarily an accurate depiction.

OCEANFRONT LIVING INOCEANFRONT LIVING INDOWNTOWN SECHELTDOWNTOWN SECHELT ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

Call Bob Michor for more details at 604.885.5432or toll-free 1.855.SECHELT (1.855.732.4358)

www.thewatermark.ca

PRESENTATIONCENTRE

NOWNOW OPEN5665 TEREDO ST.

Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island

www.fairwinds.ca

1.866.468.59571.888.243.1071Colette Maeers

This is not an offering for sale. An offering can only be made by way of a disclosure statement

Only five lots remaining

To play on island time…SailAway

1.888.465.3239 GolfVancouverIsland.ca/YVR

Whyspendhoursdrivingwhenyoucansail?

2 Nights & 2 Roundsfrom $249

+ Book by May 31st& Save $50

TEE TIME

Greens, bunkers and bad mathThat is part of the charm of

the Squamish Valley Golf Club. Even if you’re having a less than stellar round, it’s diffi cult not to have a good time. From the staff in the club house to the condition of the course and the majestic surroundings, it’s one of the most enjoyable outings you can fi nd in the

Lower Mainland.It’s no surprise that the

course is attracting a growing number of tournaments. On May 17-18, the CN Canadian Women’s Golf tour will be there, with Canada’s top female golfers competing for $60 thousand in prizes.

On June 18-19, it’s the Squamish Men’s Amateur tournament which many use as

a tune up for the BCGA Men’s Amateur, and from August 8-11 it’s the BCGA SeniorProvincial Championship.

A few years back, I playedSquamish shortly after the women’s tour had been through and it was in incredible shape. With the tournamentsthey’ve lined up for 2011, it will be like that all year.

It really is worth the drive.

From page 37

Mark HoodContributing writer

THIS month there are a pair of golf tournaments designed to help give back to the community.

Golf for the Girls: A fundraiser for the Weekend to End Women’s Cancer.

North Vancouver’s Janine Bancroft has organized a golf tournament on Sunday, May 15 at the Bowen Island Golf Club. Entry fee includes transportation to Bowen, 18 holes of golf, prizes, an après party at the Queens’ Cross and more. To join in the fun, contact Janine Bancroft at 604-816-4707 or sign up at the Queens’ Cross Pub.

Fourth annual 2011 North Shore Mayors’ Golf Tournament: On Friday, May 27, Seymour Golf and Country Club will once again host the 4th annual North Shore Mayors’ Golf Tournament.

Since its inception in 2008, the tournamenthas raised over $300,000 to benefi t North Shore community organizations.

This year’s designated causes are a pair of bus services for seniors: the Go Bus in North Vancouver and West Vancouver’s Senior’sShuttle. They will share $50,000 with the hope that the funds will inspire funds fromother sources as well.

This year’s tourney hopes to raise over $100,000, the balance of which will be shared by the North Shore Community Foundation and the West Vancouver Foundation.

Register online at www.mayorsgolf.ca or call Norm Smith at 604-985-1761.

Local golfers give backSeniors’ buses to benefi t