Stanley Thompson made the journey out to British Columbia and yet again left us with a commendable golf course where outstanding greensites were discovered throughout this inspiring routing. Standing on the first tee, you can see how the fairway just plunges away from you before your eyes. The land picks up pace as you head downhill adding a heightened sense of urgency to land your ball in the best possible place as you’ll inevitably need to allow for a funny bounce. The severely sloping property was a difficult undertaking for Thompson, but you rarely feel out of breath.

Most of the front nine plays downhill and takes you a few hundred feet below the clubhouse at the furthest point, but upon reaching the par 3 9th, the reality of playing back uphill is a rude awakening – 200 yards uphill to a small narrow green with vicious undulation. Although penal, it’s a welcome change of variety as the other nearby par 3s play a similar shorter length with the same essential water feature guarding the front of the green. Strong longer holes play uphill and ultimately bring you to the fabulous 13th hole which plays to a plateau dogleg fairway and wonderful elevated green-site up on a bluff. Huge demand on accuracy to keep the ball on this green and not fall down into the surrounding valley.

The 14th hole is an epic downhill par 3 which just had a new green laid down and significant tree clearance bringing the nearby stream into play and offering an exciting tee shot. We’ve seen this shot before, but it certainly gets your attention. The finishing stretch from the 13th onwards is gruelling in many ways, despite the severe undulation. Capilano’s best asset are its par 4s, and the 15th might be the best of the lot. The reverse camber fairway does everything it can to kick your ball in the wrong direction before approaching a long narrow contoured green protected with deep bunkers. Just when you think the par 3s were lacking variety, you’re greeted with the 16th, which at first glance looks like an exciting short par 4. Sadly, it’s a 250-yard par 3 fraught with bunkers. If you’re playing matchplay, you’ll do everything you can to finish the match early! It’s a bear of a hole.

From the panoramic elevated 17th tee right beside the clubhouse terrace, you’ll face a very long (approx. 490-yard) par 4 that proves very difficult to hit in regulation. The 18th is a reachable par 5, which is relatively short by today’s standards, but the second shot is blind and the elevated green is a small target which will make this a 3-shot hole for even the longest players. Thompson wants to see how good you are with your wedges before getting a well-deserved pint! After all, the golf course is built within an estate developed by Ireland’s Guinness Brewery family!