Municipal golf in Canada isn’t like the United States. We don’t have Bethpage’s, Torrey Pines, or any of the famous Ross, Tillinghast or any other internationally famous architects who did a few city-owned golf courses. That doesn’t mean there isn’t quality golf courses out there that are accessible to everyone.
Enter: Langara Golf Course, an Arthur Vernon Macan design from 1926 that got a Thomas McBroom facelift a few years back. For those who have been following the last few posts on the site, AV Macan is responsible for Marine Drive, Shaughnessy, as well as one of my favorites (Kelowna Golf & Country Club) and some local favorites (UBC Golf Course and Fraserview are both accredited to him, both in Vancouver).
I’ll confess that I might be slightly biased because I love classic architecture, and I also love AV Macan courses. I find the green complexes amazing, but the tee shot interest and strategy can sometimes be lacking. Langara is that template: sometimes a little boring off the tee, yet around the greens it’s a lot of fun.
A short par 4 at 316 yards kicks off the first hole at Langara179 yards, the second at Langara demands accuracy with a mid iron458 yards, the par 5, 3rd features a rumpled fairwayThe 426 yard, par 4, 4th plays over fairly flat land to a crazy green complexOne of the two weird holes at Langara comes at the 5th, a sharp dogleg left 370 yard par 4 to a double green, which looks like you’re supposed to play to the right pin, when the left is the correct flagOne of the best green complexes at Langara comes at the 352 yard, par 4 6thLooking towards the 428 yard, par 4 7th from the left rough135 yards up the hill welcomes golfers at the 8thA weird tree ruins the 324 yard, par 4 9th at Langara for me, playing back to the double green the 5th came up toA fairly simple hole, the par 4, 10th plays to a wild green complexThe 518 yard par 5, 11th is a great scoring opportunity, fronted by two deep bunkers short right of the greenAnother good green welcomes players to the green on the 12th, a 177 yard par 3The most “Vancouver” hole at Langara is the 318 yard 13thA green that felt like it bordered on an attempt at the Biarritz template at the 158 yard par 3, 14thThe right bunker complex on the par 4, 15th, measuring 360 yards slightly uphillWhat would be my vote for the best par 5 at Langara and one of the best holes, the par 5, 16th is reachable in two at 495 yards, pending you navigate the slew of bunkersThe 17th is a bit of a slog up the hill working its way back up to the 18th, playing longer than the 340 yardage suggestsA fantastic green complex closes out the round at the 334 yard 18th
Langara is good, and to the best of my knowledge, it’s the best municipal golf course in Canada. I head out East in August, so we’ll see if there’s some hidden Stanley Thompson city golf course in the Toronto area, but it’s tough to beat a solid round of golf.
Sure, it’s only 6000, and it may not be for everyone, but if you can’t score a round of golf at Shaughnessy, Marine Drive or Capilano, Langara is the next-best option for the architecture nerd. An enjoyable round of golf for a maximum of $65 peak season. Golf needs more of this!
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