Victoria Golf Club - Canada

Established in 1893 by British expats who emigrated to Canada, Victoria is the oldest golf club in Canada which still plays on its original site. Located on a craggy coastline at the southern side of Vancouver Island, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Victoria was originally created as a 14-hole layout.

The course at Victoria Golf Club expanded into eighteen holes two years later and over the years there have been three different course routings, the last of which has now been in place since the mid-1920s.

Many Canadian Amateur and Ladies Amateur Championships have been held at Victoria. The club also co-host the oldest international golf tournament in North America which is the annual inter club match with Seattle Golf Club and this has been running since 1895.

It's little wonder that the par 70 Victoria Golf Club, featuring eight seaside holes and thirteen holes with ocean views, is sometimes referred to as the “Pebble Beach of Canada”. The course is relatively short at just over 6,100 yards in length, featuring three par fives and five par threes. Six of the remaining ten par fours are less than 400 yards so it’s no slog when playing Victoria.

A picturesque hole is “The Bay”, a 324-yard, short par four, where the tee shot requires a 150-yard carry over shore and water to the fairway where an approach can then be played to a green that slopes from back to front.

The signature hole, though, is “Mount Baker”, a 379-yard, short par four, which begins the series of holes “around the point.” The ocean runs the full length of the fairway on the left – it was at this hole in 1942 that Ben Hogan putted off the undulating green into, what was then, out-of-bounds!

Unusually for many courses in Canada, golf can be played all-year-round due to the favourable microclimate at its location. The club welcomes visitors, particularly members of other private clubs who have their club contact the Victoria professional in advance.