Whistler Golf Club
Skiing will always come first in Whistler. The twin peaks of Whistler and Blackcomb draw skiers from around the globe to British Columbia, Canada, most famously for the 2010 Winter Olympics. But when the ski lifts close during the summer months and the slopes give way to wildflowers, Whistler emerges as a sneaky-good golf destination.
There are four terrific 18-hole championship courses in the region, including three conveniently close to Whistler Village designed by well-known architects — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Robert Trent Jones Jr. — that are backdropped and surrounded by jagged mountain peaks, conifer forests, and alpine lakes. You might even find black bears occasionally wandering the fairways in spring and early fall, usually indifferent to the birdies and bogeys being made nearby.
The golf season in Whistler generally runs from early May through late October, with peak playing conditions from June to September. And it’s a great place to beat the heat during the summer months, with cooler mountain temperatures ranging from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club
This is a true mountain course, as the 1993 Trent Jones Jr. design features dramatic elevation changes of more than 400 feet. With forced carries and steep drop-offs in addition to panoramic mountain views, this one might be the most visually dynamic layout of the bunch, a 6,635-yard routing that traverses creeks, ponds and stands of ancient Douglas fir. This is the only golf course in the area with an on-site hotel, with the Fairmont Chateau Whistler sitting at the base of Blackcomb Mountain.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club
Nicklaus North Golf Course
Just minutes from Whistler Village, this Jack Nicklaus Signature design sits along the vibrant waters of Green Lake, which aptly lives up to its name. Perhaps unusually for Nicklaus, this layout is considered the most forgiving of Whistler’s courses, featuring wide fairways and receptive greens. There are, however, more bunkers lurking at Nicklaus North than at any of the other area courses and the four-hole finishing stretch is a test. That said, the 19th hole – the Table Nineteen restaurant – might have the best of Whistler’s picturesque patios, allowing golfers to watch float planes land and take off while rehashing their rounds.
Nicklaus North Golf Course
Whistler Golf Club
This Arnold Palmer design sits in the heart of Whistler Village. It’s also closed… for now. The picturesque and player-friendly layout is undergoing a $10 million renovation that includes extensive course enhancements and an overhaul of the accompanying Palmer’s Restaurant. The good news is that the course will be better than ever when it returns in 2027, making advance bookings well worth the wait.
Whistler Golf Club
Big Sky Golf Club
About 25 minutes north of Whistler Village, the Bob Cupp-designed Big Sky Golf Club is laid out below the towering granite walls of Mount Currie in the farming community of Pemberton. Cupp’s layout, which can stretch to 7,001 yards, incorporates the natural river system into the design, creating numerous strategic water hazards in the form of ponds and creeks. While slightly removed from Whistler Village, the drive through the Sea-to-Sky corridor is well worth the trip.
Big Sky Golf Club
Getting there
Whistler is about a two-hour highway drive — a stunningly scenic one at that — from Vancouver International Airport into the Coast Mountains. The airport is among the most well-connected in western Canada, with direct flights from dozens of U.S. cities.
Where to stay
There are a number of hotel options, but the only one in the region with its own on-site championship course is the Fairmont Chateau Whistler — a ski-in / ski-out destination that doubles as a golf resort and boasts over 500 rooms and suites along with a spa.
Lodging options in the heart of Whistler Village and its pedestrian center filled with restaurants, bars and shops include the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa, the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, and the Westin Resort & Spa Whistler. While summer days are often spent on the golf course – or some other mountain adventure — the Village is often where the evening ends.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Beyond the golf
Yes, Whistler is golf-first, but it’s a special destination in every season.
Other activities include hiking, mountain biking, zip-lining, and UTV tours. Also not to be missed during the summer months is the Peak 2 Peak Gondola — the world’s longest and highest of its kind. Spanning nearly three miles between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains at a peak elevation of more than 1,400 feet, the glass-bottom gondola offers 360-degree views of Whistler Village, surrounding mountain peaks, lakes, glaciers and forests.
There’s plenty to see and do between tee times, but from a pure golf experience, Whistler makes a compelling case as one of the great underrated golf trips in North America. Whether spring, summer or fall, traveling golfers would be well served to discover the other side of Whistler.
Peak 2 Peak Gondola