His and Hers Bliss on North America’s Largest Island

by Jim Rullo

Halfway across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, my cell phone switched to roaming, signaling our entry into Canadian waters. The September sun was brilliant as my wife Galina and I soaked in the 360-degree view from the upper deck: Mount Baker looming on the eastern horizon, the Olympic Mountains behind us, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and our destination, Vancouver Island, dead ahead. Our much-anticipated week of golf, mixed in with some food, wine and sightseeing, had finally begun.

Victoria’s Inner Harbor was buzzing with activity as our ferry rounded the point and eased its way into dock. After quickly passing through customs and driving through the bustling capital, we headed an hour north on scenic Highway 1 into the heart of the Cowichan (Quw’utsun’), or “Warm Land,” an area of lush, rolling hills dotted with farms and vineyards. It was dark when we checked in to The Oceanfront Grand Resort and Marina in the quaint village of Cowichan Bay, so we grabbed a bite and a local brew at the Bay Pub next door and talked about our schedule for the next five days.

Our itinerary revolved around playing four courses along the southern end of the Vancouver Island Golf Trail, which consists of a dozen premier golf venues stretched across the 150 miles from Victoria to Campbell River. And since our visit coincided with the weekend-long fifth-annual Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival, we dialed in golf for the mornings and epicurean adventure for the afternoons and evenings.

• • •

A fine layer of early-morning mist hugged the ground as we stood on the first tee at Duncan Meadows Golf Course. Featuring two distinct nines (the front has a links feel, the back is forested parkland), the course follows the rolling terrain of the valley. Lakes and meandering creeks dot the course, the greens are large, fast and undulating, and every putt is influenced by nearby Mount Prevost. Flat lies are in short supply, and accuracy is rewarded. A couple of long, uphill 3-pars and a couple of really nasty short 4-pars, combined with the natural beauty of the land, really made for a testing but player-friendly experience. Owners Ming and Grace Hui have nurtured and developed the grounds and clubhouse into first-class facilities, and today Duncan Meadows is recognized as one of the best operations on the island.

Late in the afternoon, we strolled through the orchard at the Merridale Cider Works, where fresh apples and champagne yeast become an array of award-winning English-style ciders (the hard kind). We stayed for one of the festival events that evening, an Arabian buffet and belly dancing on the huge outdoor deck, and sampled several varieties of Merridale’s liquid gold, including copious amounts of the dry and delicious champagne-style cider.

• • •

The clubhouse and patio at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club in nearby Cobble Hill is perched on a ridge overlooking the 18th green and features spectacular mountain and water views. It’s a great place to relax and reflect on the completion of an early morning round. From the first hole, a narrow downhill par 4, the course gently winds its way through flowers, forest and rolling hills. And the surrounding residential community is tasteful and unobtrusive.

Some interesting elevation changes, quirky doglegs and hidden greens made for a great round of fun and visual beauty. And then we reached the final three holes — No. 16, a long par 4 with a lot of trouble greenside, had 7 written all over it; 17, the signature 214-yard par 3 with its large green surrounded on three sides by water, brought us both to tears of laughter with our pathetic shots; and the finale, a 426-yard uphill par 4 with trouble right and bunkers and a lake guarding the green, played like a par 5.

Our afternoon was spent tasting the wines at Cherry Point Vineyards, owned and operated by Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Tribes. The acres of vines were full of mature fruit, and the outdoor patio and bistro made for a great place to mingle with other festival-goers.

By 6 p.m. we were back at Arbutus Ridge for our final festival event, the wine tasting dinner. Featuring a multi-course menu prepared artfully by Chef Rick Davidson and paired with the wines of Alderlea vineyard, the night was a culinary spectacle and a fitting finale to our stay in the Cowichan.

• • •

A 45-minute jaunt south brought us to the sprawling 1,300-acre Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa just west of Victoria, with its recently-opened Valley Course, the second of two Jack Nicklaus-designed tracks. From the opening uphill 5-par to the finishing uphill 5-par, it’s a jaw-dropping ride through forested hills, with dramatic elevation changes and carries, risk-reward landing areas, large and severe greens (a couple bordered on the diabolical), unbelievable views and complete isolation. We felt like the only golfers on the mountain. Each hole was like a chapter in a mystery novel, building upon each other until you finally reach the end and want desperately to keep reading.

At the resort’s 156-room Westin Hotel, we scored an elegant one-bedroom suite with full kitchen that featured a corner balcony overlooking No. 18 and the practice green. Lunch at Copper Rock restaurant and a fantastic couples’ massage at Santé Spa led to an evening spent wandering around the mountainside village. We ended up at Jack’s Place, a laid-back sports pub, for snacks and libations.

• • •

Olympic View Golf Club marked our final stop on the Golf Trail. When we stepped on to the elevated first tee, we realized instantly the origin of the club’s name. The Olympic Mountains rose majestically to the south as we sent our drives down the slope to the narrow dogleg. Boasting a variety of hole designs, a dozen lakes, a Japanese garden and a spectacular waterfall framing the 17th green, it’s an eclectic track sculpted out of forest and orchards. The finisher is a knee-knocking tee shot over a huge boulder with two more shots up the steep slope.

Diners on the outdoor patio gazed down at our futile attempts to negotiate the front hole location from the back of the three-tiered green. A few minutes later we enjoyed lunch from the same vantage point as others attempted the same putts.

By mid-afternoon, we were back in Victoria with some time to explore, checking into the Inn at Laurel Point, tucked away on the western tip of the Inner Harbor and adjacent to Laurel Point Park. A Pacific Rim-inspired theme permeates the hotel’s ambience, and our stunning fourth-floor suite offered inspiring views of the harbor and downtown. Since Victoria is a great walking town, we decided to stroll the downtown area and get a feel for its Britain-flavored history. Dinner came back at the hotel in the hot new restaurant, Aura, where Executive Chef Brad Horen blends Japanese and European flavors with local ingredients to present a great menu.

• • •

Galina and I awoke early and enjoyed coffee on our balcony overlooking the harbor. We watched the float planes take off and land while the shuttle boats scuttled from point to point. We decided to pack as much Victoria-area sightseeing as possible into our last day on Vancouver Island, including a stroll through world-famous Butchart Gardens. Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004, it consists of 55 acres of exotic flowers, trees and shrubs begun on the site of a former limestone quarry more than 100 years ago.

Next up was a tour of Craigdarroch Castle, built between 1887-1890 for Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal. Finally, we made it to the Royal BC Museum a couple hours before closing and wandered through the permanent exhibits, which feature a cultural history of British Columbia.

On the way back to the hotel, we decided to buy some wine and cheese and spend our last evening on the hotel balcony, avoiding talk of the next day’s departure, the ferry ride stateside and the drive home to Portland. Instead we reminisced about the incredible scenery, great golf, friendly people, innumerable sights and activities yet to experience, and then started planning our return to couples’ north-of-the-border nirvana. FG

Published in FG Magazine, March 2010

AMERICA'S MOST HONORED MAGAZINE AT ING AWARDS
It’s getting to be a habit, and we can’t seem to help ourselves. For the fourth straight year, FG racked up an impressive load of hardware at the International Network of Golf Media Awards announced at January’s PGA Merchandise Show. We scored six awards in all, besting writers and photographers from such national publications as GolfWeek and Sports Illustrated. First-place honors went to Vic Williams in Competition Writing for his piece on Tiger’s historic U.S. Open victory (July-August 2008), Joann Dost for her epic shot of Tiger’s 72nd hole putt on Open Sunday; and Calder Chism for his “Weekend Wisdom” drawing of Vic in the May-June 2008 issue. Outstanding Achievement awards went to Williams and Darin Bunch for Travel Writing. Other FG contributors who took home awards included Tony Dear and Bob Seligman. Next year, look for the clean sweep.