Rivershore

Golf courses like the one at Rivershore Estates & Golf Links, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr, are a rare breed in Canada. The old master architect was responsible for hundreds of layouts south o the border in the United States but his projects in the Great White North can be counted on the digits of one hand.

Occupying a section of the South Thompson River flood plain, half an hour’s drive out of Kamloops, the fairways at Rivershore are laid out in two returning nines. Holes 3 to 5 on the outward half weave through a small residential estate, with the closing two holes on the back nine situated close to the fast flowing waters of the river.

Although the South Thompson River never really comes into play, a couple of sizeable lakes do have a bearing around the turn at holes 8, 10, 11 and 13. Even though the layout is pretty open is aspect, if you factor in around 100 of Trent Jones’s trademark bunkers then it’s easy to see why this course is regarded as a tough test of golf.

The club has hosted a number of national amateur competitions, including the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in 1992, Women’s Amateur Championship in 1997 and Men’s Amateur Championship in 1999. On the professional front, the Western Championship on the Canadian Tour was also held here more recently in 2011.