NorthVanMike.net

GOLF TOWN- NORTH VANCOUVER!

N.V.M. — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:15:31 +0000

Finally! I found out about this quite a few months ago, and driving by the new mall on Marine Drive, I saw the sign:

The people at the golf shop(Peak Golf) nearby, are NOT going to like this, considering they are only a couple hundred meters away. Due to open in about a month or so, I can hardly wait as the nearest Golf Town is a 30-40 minute drive away. this one? 5 minutes! wOOt! This “strip” style mall has just been recently completed and there’s a couple of stores open already. But, there’s only one that counts as far as I’m concerned.

I chatted with one of the installers who was on his last day, another good sign. He was employed by a company out of Winnipeg, and he said he was almost late for his flight home. Here’s what he was doing, setting up all the display fixtures.

I generally am not for big box stores, but there’s very little else available when it comes to golf stores in Vancouver, especially with the closing of a half dozen Perfect Lies(now Peak Golf) stores. To me, it’s one big cookie jar of golf toys, and if you want something they don’t have, you would probably need to order it on the ‘Net somewhere. So, I’ll be back with more pics/info once it opens, after I shop a bit first!

edit: Update!

After a recent return visit, I saw this posted on the door:

The New Riverway ClubHouse

N.V.M. — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:33:16 +0000

After years of letting the soil settle and become stable enough to build on, the Riverway clubhouse has started to take some shape. Being built on a bog, mounds of sand and soil have all that you could see on the site for several years. The last few rounds I’ve played earlier this year I could see all the utility lines and pipes in place, and when I played a round there this morning, the framing is well under way. Due to open early next year, it’ll be a major improvement to the cafeteria style offerings they have there now. I may even have a beer after I play to check it out when its done!

edit: Update Pic

Almost 1 month later , I played Riverway again and here’s a pic of the progress. Coming along pretty good.

Parksville/Quallicum Road Trip

N.V.M. — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:40:23 +0000

Every year we plan a weekend golf trip to the interior of BC, and after 4 rounds of golf, accommodations, fuel, food and a “couple” drinks, we’re talking $1000. Fun,yes. Expensive, yes! So when my girlfriend ask me if I wanted to rent a cottage for less than $300 with UNLIMITED golf, I was on that! In Parksville, there’s a resort area called Oceanside Village . Here’s our little home away from home:

I don’t think it was more than a year old, and inside it had everything. Full kitchen,LCD tv,washer/dryer, you name it.

Sure it was a ferry ride to get there, but it was another perfect day and we had a reservation, so it went smoothly. A 90 minute ride and when you see this, you know you’re close to getting there:

After unpacking, it was off to the golf course. Not a bad golf course, but truthfully, not the best either. EagleCrest ,in nearby Quallicum, is a typical “old school” golf course, but hell, unlimited rounds!

A lot of trees lining the fairways, but if you managed to miss the fairway, your ball would probably get through the tree line onto another fairway.

We had 4 couples on this trip, so we played a two rounds “boy/girl” and a couple of rounds with just guys playing or just girls playing. Not a lot of water on this golf course, but some.

I suppose I can’t go any further before I help but mention the 79 I shot on my second round…cough! haha! Anyways, after 4 rounds in only a couple of days, us guys needed to play something different . Back in Parksville, we booked a round at Morningstar Golf Club. Nice! Was there early and hitting a few on the driving range:

This course started out very “links-ish” looking:

But it did have several holes amongst the trees(you can see them in the background of the pic). Not knowing the layout here was tough on my round, but I’ll do much better next time. I think we paid $80,give or take, with a power cart. Anyway, I will have another crack at this course one day. Its a well maintained higher end track, definitely a few notches up from EagleCrest.

What were the girls up to while we were golfing? The beach of course. Although not quite “beachside” or “oceanside” as our resort was called, we walked there in about 15 minutes.

The end came quick, unfortunately, and although we paid a bit extra to stay another night to avoid the crowds, we had a bit of a wait on the way back.

Hate those line ups! Oh well, we walked over to the shops and poked around, had a coffee and an ice cream and that made the wait not too bad. When it was all done, even with the cost of a ferry(which was shared) and staying an extra night, the cost of the trip was less than 2/3′s of the Okanagan trips. Bonus. Having a cabin and not in some hotel..bonus! Sure, we didn’t play Tobiano or Predator Ridge, but there are a lot more golf courses to check out the next time we visit. I think we’re already booked for the next one!

Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Course

N.V.M. — Sun, 16 May 2010 01:50:30 +0000

Directly east of Guildford Golf & Country Club is a little jewel of a golf course, executive style. And, as nice as it is, it does get a bit soggy during a wet weather spell, as I’ve played this course many times now in all kinds of weather. But, the course was in pristine condition during this visit and it was perfect spring weather, with a good dry period well before that too.

After the Musqueum GC experience, I had to play here. Eaglequest has several locations, and teaching golf at their facilities is what they do.

Oddly enough though, the driving range is remarkably similar to Musqueum’s. Thankfully, not many other similarities.

The $10 more we paid($40) at this course was well worth it. Another perfect day, a 10 am start, I was ready! One thing that doesn’t go well with the overall beauty of the golf course is the power lines that run through a section of it. Still, there’s no better use for land that would otherwise be deemed devalued for the overhead wires.

And, although it is possible for the wires to come into play, the local rule here is to retake your shot, no penalty. Always lots of wildlife to be seen around the course, and saw lots of herons feasting around the water hazards.

The upper part of the golf course has a different topography to it. It’s up higher and holes 10-13 are amongst the big trees and hills, with housing along the one side. Nice place to live but we did see the group behind us hook one right into the side of a house. If it can happen, it will happen!

On the lower section though, much flatter and very well manicured. There’s even a couple of holes long enough to pull out the driver, so you can hit pretty much everything in the bag here. And as I mentioned , the weather had been perfect all week long. Nice to see that ball roll after it landed.

And,one of my favourite little holes, an over-the-pond par 3. I’ve donated a few balls here over the years.

Not this time though, there’s the ball,wOOt!

We had a great day, and there’s no doubt I will be back. In the past, we’ve had a snack after our round, and was both good and reasonable. I think we had coupons as well, so always keep an eye open for those. You’ll notice a large selection of clubs/carts/shoes etc. in the Pro Shop too, and we’ve discovered there’s actually good deals on some stuff. Bottom line is, it’s a great little golf course, but they could do some work in the drainage department. If you’re not quite into playing a full size championship course, try out this par 65 track.

Musqueum Golf & Learning Academy

N.V.M. — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:07:59 +0000

Ok, right off the bat I will admit that I would have no idea as to the quality of instruction that goes on at Musqueum, as I only played the course itself. However, I did have a peek inside the driving range and liked what I saw. The one thing I hate about driving ranges is that some of them put mounds or hills right around the 200 yard mark and you have no idea whats going on back there.None of that here! At Musqueum there’s even a couple of cool targets, and the design of it sure looks like it makes it easy to collect balls for the machines.

Price was pretty good, but remember, this is an executive style golf course,par 60. So the $30 fees are pretty reasonable, or so I thought. Looked good in the Pro Shop too,big with lots of stock. Things were still looking up still, at the first hole( We were warned about a bit of work being done on the first fairway,the left side in the picture below).

Of course I hit a ball into the muck, with a nine iron of the first tee. Disappeared,gone. Not good. We carried on and I saw a few more bad spots, oh well, I thought. Down one side of the golf course it plays right beside the Fraser. Was afraid to hook one after reading this sign. The river was that close.

After that hole, we began to notice a few things. Despite the river view, and even some mountains on the other side:

You’d figure that this could be a pretty little course. Not! There were large sections in the fairway that the grass mower missed. I double checked. No sprinkler heads or damaged area around the missed area, he just damn missed about 4 square yards of 12″ high grass in the fairway. Shoddy.

Then we get to the 10th hole. Oh boy. There’s black poly about 4′ high running down both side of the creek. WTF? There’s no way my g/f could get a ball across this obstacle, not unless she sneaks the ball right up to it and gives it a whack to get over it.

I guarantee if I was told about this when we booked the course, I would have gone somewhere else until the work was done. Sure golf courses need to be modified and repaired from time to time, but I try to avoid it because there are so many other golf courses to play instead. Check out more of the ugly we saw. We’re talking pasture now:

Weed whacker? Don’t think they use those too much around here. You know, for those places that the mower can’t get near. Terrible.

Even the trees are looking scruffy. Time for pruning?

On the last hole(finally), we could hear through the cedar shrubs a very drunken guy yelling about being on “his” land(there’s houses down this side of the golf course). His speech was quite slurred but Musqueum is on Indian land, and you know, ’nuff said about what he meant.

All in all, we were all disappointed about the round at Musqueum. I’ve since done some reading about the golf course and the comment that sticks out is “where duffers want to come to and whack balls around”. Pretty much sums it up. The worst part though, is the potential that the place has. It could be a pretty golf course, instead of a scruffy lawn. Too bad really, too bad for them because they won’t see me again.

Seymour Golf & Country Club

N.V.M. — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:45:00 +0000

Work has been slow the last week so what do you do when you call in “sick”? You go golfing of course! I didn’t want to go far being a workday and traffic all around so I remembered that Seymour lets the public play on Fridays. Isn’t that nice of them?! Yeah, it’s mostly private and I’ve played there twice before, but it was AFTER work on a Friday and this time I was not worn out or knowing I was not going to play in the dark the last few holes. This course is a beauty!

Wow, is this course well maintained! Fast greens you can eat off, fairways too. I need to get rich someday and move here,lol!

Jebus, even the benches are MINT!

From the tips the course plays at 6400 yards, but I played the blues which is only around 6000. But with the small greens and undulating terrain, it’s more of a “thinkers” golf course, rather than a bomber’s delight. I did really well though, carding an 86 which was damn good for not playing there much. I easily see myself breaking 80 after a few rounds in a row here, but that won’t happen, not being a member. I went to the website and checked out the membership fees. $39,000 for a full membership,and there’s a waiting list. Again, that won’t happen.

Arriving at the golf course, what do I see? Yup…$$$$$

Nice, but don’t really care for red myself…cough. Right in front of the Pro Shop there’s a large practice putting area and it’s as well maintained as the rest of the course.

I walked the course, and it was easy, despite the elevation changes. Some great scenery on this site to be sure.

These were by far the driest fairways I’ve played so far this year. There were a couple of holes where you could really let it rip. Wide fairway, dry, downhill…damn that felt good to do that. Nice reminder of what’s to come for the rest of the golf courses.

Green fees were $60 today which wasn’t bad I thought. I did,however roll my eyes a bit when my two bottled lemonade drinks at the turn came to $7. Oh well. And how did I know I was at the turn? Because:

All in all though, two thumbs up for sure. Beautiful location, greens that let you putt like a pro, and the volunteer marshalls were very polite. Sure, I was expecting some turned up noses, but none of that was present. If you ever feel a cold coming on and can’t make it to work, you know where to go.

The Falls, Chilliwack, B.C.

N.V.M. — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:16:13 +0000

We played a round at the Falls a while back and after finally finding my external hard drive, I’ve got some pictures to prove it! lol. If you know the Vancouver area, just head east for an hour on the #1 and you’ll see the signage. What you’ll notice when you get there is the power cart collection, lined up on the road. There is no way you can walk this course, unless your name is Bruce Jenner or Carl Lewis. Fine with me, it was hot and I didn’t feel like dying a brutal death during golf anyways.

The golf course is actually the center of a “community” with real estate investment opportunities,hotel accommodations, that sort of thing. Didn’t really concern me, or so I thought until a real estate person greeted us on the first hole with brochures and business cards! No thank you, I’m here to golf!

Off we went and I found that the holes were on the short side, and that accuracy and course management were the key to playing this. However, there were a couple of big holes:

And some major elevation changes just from tee box to fairway:

Surprisingly, I didn’t lose a lot of shots into the trees, as there was enough room to get it down the fairways. Narrow, but not crazy narrow. Being my first time though, not knowing the layout was costly due to some blind shots, etc. I did find it very playable and not too gimicky, again, another surprise.

All in all, a great little course to play. Length? Take your pick. Anywhere from 4800 yards to about 6800. One hole has 9, yes 9 different tee boxes. Wow. I didn’t even notice that so I guess it’s not as confusing as you might think. I forget exactly what we paid but it was in the $75 mark, which was expected. Also, you can book Villa accommodations with a tee time for really good rates, so if you want an overnight stay, that’s the way to go. With the way the economy been going, or at least HAS been going, I’ve been hearing about some smoking deals out there. All I can say, is try it, you WILL like it.

SKYCADDIE SEX…er…SGX!

N.V.M. — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:07:59 +0000

Every time I think I’m done with all the equipment I need for golfing, it happens. This time though, you can’t blame me, and I don’t even have one in my hand yet. (note: yet! ) I’ve been a bit critical towards a few shortcomings on my SkyCaddie SG-3,sure. There’s been many newcomers to the golfer’s GPS handhelds in the last few years, many of them with some really cool features. Finally, it’s arrived:

That’s what I’m talking about! This thing will rock. Why? Can you imagine a device knowing every club you pull out of your bag, recording how well you hit with it, and building a database for you so you can see it? WOW! It’s called SmartClub Technology and it’s done with wireless chips embedded into the end of your clubs. You eventually create a profile for yourself,and a Club Ranging Meter will show you where your clubs fit into the next set of distances displayed. Good grief, that just sounds too cool. And that’s just the start of the new features.

There are so many features, I’m kind of getting drowned int he facts here. Did I mention it’ll tell you if you forgot a club back at the 6th hole? Seriously, if it senses that a chip embedded iron is not in the bag, it’ll tell you.Unbelievable! That, will definitely be needed, at least with me. I’m also reading about the improved satellite acquisition technology. Again, my SG-3 is a bit slow on occasion in regards to that, so there was room for some improvement there.

The SGX comes with a 3″ TFT LCD display, in colour of course. Also, a lithium ion battery(rechargeable) good for up to 14 hours. I could easily squeeze out 3 rounds without recharging. Might need that extra juice for the SD card you can now use with the SGX, to expand storage. Also, and I’m not really sure why this always pleases me, it conforms to USGA and R&A rulings, unlike my irons of course! The SGFX uses only ground-verified course maps,which translates to more accuracy.

Ok, this next feature is not so new, but it’s welcome in my book. Unlike previous versions, there will be up to 30,000 courses preloaded onto the device. I’ve seen other brands with this feature and I certainly thought that would be nice on my SG-3. Hell, I was happy when mine upgraded from 10 to 20. Obviously 30,000 is way more than enough, but to be able to load every single course that I play would save the hassle of worrying if I have the golf course I’m playing next on the device. I’m thinking I’d probably load every course within 500 miles of me, that should keep me pretty safe.

Another feature introduced is the ability to rotate the green, depending from where you are approaching the green. For a blind shot, this will really help a golfer as you can really see that side bunker is now actually between you and the hole. Along with Interactive HoleVue(with Zoom),no excuses now, right? I’ve talked about HoleVue in a previous post,which gives you the distance to any point on a given hole,but now with a zooming feature.

Lastly, I want to talk about ClubSG. What is that,you say?

This is where it all happens online. You can Sync your SkyCaddie to ClubSG, where it’ll take the data from your round and do it’s thing. Here, you can store your game info and track all your data BUT it’s a lot more than that. Seems the social media craze is making it’s presence felt everywhere as ClubSG is also an online community where you can socialize with other golfers,learn more about golf courses, etc. I’ll have to use this before I can see how well it can someone, but it’s there.

So, there you have it. All that bundled in a water-resistant case. It should start becoming available Q2 for somewhere in the $500(Cdn) range. I’m not sure what theSmartClub kit will cost,as this unit is only SmartClub CAPABLE, meaning the kit is not included. But I did mention,with the kit installed, it’ll tell you if you lost a club!

University Golf Course(UGC)

N.V.M. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:34:12 +0000

If you’ve played many different golf courses, like I have, you’ll notice there’s one or two of them that you like, and I mean really like,favourites. Now, just because you like it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll always shoot well there. For instance, loved playing Tobiano. I could play there every week. But, would I ever score really well there, consistently? Highly unlikely, but it’s a very cool course to play.So here’s the good news. It seems there are golf courses that can like YOU. That’s my theory anyways. I’ve heard the pros say how a course fits their eye, and that’s why they do well at certain venues. That would be the case with me and UGC. Shot my first ever round in the ’70s there last year.Other rounds there always low/mid ’80s minimum. Why? It likes me, no other explanation.
Getting to the golf course is a bit of a journey. Lots of city driving,traffic lights,etc. If you look on the map, from North Vancouver to Point Grey, you’ll see what I mean. Early tee times means no traffic though, so getting there isn’t all that bad.

And when I get there I see the clubhouse and this sign:

That thing is about 8′ long, quite impressive actually. I would know because I’ve built similar signs like that before. There was another sign by the 16th hole and it had a few work hours put into it as well.Same builder?Also, must check out that museum one day.

I played solo today,and although there was a group in front of me, I didn’t mind at all. The fellows in front of me were golfers, not beginners hacking away and looking for lost balls all day. Even though I had to wait for them to play their second shots here and there, I was in no rush. Time to take pictures, even used the timer to get me in a shot,and even made a little(but poor quality) video of my revolving golf bag :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUAyWdjDBo[/youtube]

And here I am, biding my time, watching the older fellows in front of me. These guys could play, as I said, and I was amazed to see one of them carry his bag.If I can do that when I’m 60ish, I’d be a happy guy.Pushing a three wheeler in the soft grass can be a chore in itself, but it’s probably the most excercise I get, so I actually do enjoy it.

If you’ll notice the hat I’m wearing, that’s the reason I’m here today. I lost my straw hat @ UGC during a previous round. Unfortunately, it was lost, even after being returned to the lost/found in the pro shop. I thought it was gone, until I mentioned it to a fellow that I see/follow on Twitter. This is where my first thanks goes to Jeff (CK Golf Solutions). Jeff told my story to Aaron Laursen(Aaron Laursen Golf), with whom he had a meeting with regarding an event at UGC(I’m assuming).Aaron’s position @ UGC is the EVENT COORDINATOR:Tournament & Golf Events. Well, next thing you know, Aaron’s tweeting me and telling me there’s a replacement hat waiting for me. Wow! So, of course I book UGC this weekend. The course really does like me,see! Wait, it even gets better. The green fee has been taken care of. No Way! What can I say but just “Thank You”.

To the hat, what a beaut. Take a look at this thing:

It’s a Monterey Bay Black Cabana Mesh hat. Checked it out,and was pleased with what I saw.

As always, our most sophisticated of the Cabana Hat collection is the Black Cabana. The hat band is black with flecks of grey and silver. We need not say more than it is very classy!

The Cabana is our lightest weight most durable hat. It is both crushable and hand washable. Made of nylon and polyester, it hold up to virtually any kind of abuse. The brim and top are laminated to block 80% of the suns rays. With our washable sizing system, the Cabana fits well and the shape complements everyone.

And yes, it not only looks damn good on me, it’s pretty much the best solution that I’ve found, for someone who wears eye wear, playing in the rain. Baseball caps just don’t do a good enough job. So it’s pretty much needed for me to see while playing golf.Again, thanks guys.

I knew the course would be a bit soggy today, but that’s golf in Vancouver during this time of year. I hit a 230 yarder of the tee and it would either just submarine or occasionally bounce out BACKWARDS a couple inches.

Also with the moist conditions, worms. Yes, I said worms. The greens are full of them, and not just at UGC. I played at Meadow Gardens last week, and same thing. Today I had a few of the buggers in my line, and had to relocate a few of them.

I was ready for a full blown downpour today as well. It did rain, but not too much. The winds were up though, and if you’ll see in this picture, it was ALMOST sunny…yes, sunny at times. Anyways, here’s my stuff, I never leave home without it:

This was the first round for me to try out the new SkyCaddie features that I downloaded recently, and me like! Still waiting for Intelligreen Pro though, but I’m not 100% sure my SG-3 will have that. I’m hoping it’s just got to be mapped first, then it’ll show up when I Sync a newer version of the golf courses.

All in all, a great day on the golf course. Hat replaced, a relaxing round of FREE golf, and of course,finally, my score. What can I say about this place? It likes me!

Sunice…Again

N.V.M. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:21:06 +0000

Ok, I’ve heard of Gore-Tex, who hasn’t? The manufacturers of Gore-Tex have probably done quite well around here. This is what I’m talking about :

That is Vancouver,all winter long. One steady rainstorm. Now, of course we get breaks now and then, but only breaks, and then its back to..rain! Last spring I treated myself to this:

A Sunice Hurricane Okie Pullover Jacket. Just an awesome piece of clothing. Obviously I’ve had rain gear before, but nothing like this.Here’s my FootJoy I purchased at the golf show, paid $100 for it and it claims to be waterproof.I just don’t think so.

The price and the hype kept me away, but the deal I got on that jacket changed everything. $150, less than 1/2 price. I’ve been wearing that not quite a year now, and it works. During a constant downpour in a 4 hour session of golfing, bone dry. So today, saw that deal again and picked up the pants.

I’d always have a chuckle when I pealed of my outer layers after a soggy round and I’d be dry on top, soaked everywhere else. I thought I might even read the clothing tags this time, though I regretted it. Why? Too complicated. “Hurricane now features XCR® , PacLite®, WindStopper® fabrics and WindStopper® Soft Shell. Good grief, whatever that is! There’s more. On the performance index, it’s rated for: Waterproof,Stretch,Breathable,Featherweight,WindProof,Seam Sealed,Water Repellent Finish,300 PPS, and LifeTime WaterProof Guarantee. whoa! Do I care? I suppose, since it’s what makes work, but me and clothing specs, never really bothered.

So, now, I’m really good to go. Golfing 365 in Vancouver, that’s what it’s all about. Got my Okie 2114 jacket and 6110 Hurricane Performance Shell Outerwear. Very expensive,yes. Worth it? Without a doubt. Or at least, there’s nothing that can compare to them.