KidznGolf
Kid-Friendly Golf Resorts: Whistler, BC

by Mitch Kaplan

If one of the cardinal rules for a kid-friendly golf getaway is a spot with lots of alternative, non-golf activities, Whistler rules. Sure, the place is consistently voted the best ski resort in North America. But, come summertime, the activity menu becomes enormous.

Including excellent kid-golf opportunities.

Kids can play three courses here, but the logical starter is The Whistler Golf Club. For those staying in the base village, the course is within walking distance or, at worst, a two-minute drive. Despite the rugged mountain environment, the course is not intimidating, relatively flat, and comes equipped with fairly wide fairways that forgive sideways shots.

The Whistler Golf Club welcomes kids through a number of programs from sign-up and drop-in clinics for to weeklong Nike Camps. 2002 junior green fees run C$59 (about US$35) during high/summer season and drops to an incredibly affordable C$39 (US$22) in the early and late seasons. Perhaps the nicest amenity is that a large selection of US Kids rental clubs is available.

Drop-in clinics are run for an hour on Monday and Friday mornings, and cost C$20. According to Whistler Golf Club's practice facility supervisor and teaching pro Duncan Savage, these are very popular - and they're an excellent venue for kids to meet other kids who are staying and playing at the resort.

Other drop-in options include Junior Clinics, offered on Monday afternoons (C$79), parent/child instruction and - I think this is quite fine - a mass gathering of kids and club personnel on the second Wednesday evening of each summer month. "We get about fifty or sixty kids mixing with pros and staff," explains Savage. "We play about six or seven holes, have hot dogs, chips and pop, and offer small prizes - like free golf balls for the winning team." Cost? C$5.

Nike camps operate in late July and early August, attracting serious golfing children between 10 and 18-years. All aspects of the game including full swing, short game, putting, trouble shots and strategy are covered at a cost of US$925 for the week, including accommodations.

The Nicklaus North Golf Course is located a few minutes' drive from the village. It offers a 50% discount on junior green fees, and a junior twilight rate of C$35 for kids under the age of 18-years.

A half-hour north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley is Big Sky Golf & Country Club. Surrounded by sky scraping peaks, this is a gently rolling course - but beware the water! The layout wanders among seven lakes and a snaky creek; for some that computes to a lot lost golf balls! Kids can play the course mid-afternoon or late-afternoon/early-evening in high season for C$50 and C$35 respectively. That goes down to C$30 and C$25 in early or late seasons. Junior lessons run like this: two-day school, $299-$375; three-day school, $489; private lesson, $37/hour.

Big Sky also offers Junior-Junior "Future Links" Days for ages 5 to 11, a series of introductory clinics.

The Riverside Greens Putting Course, an 18-hole, professional-caliber, natural grass layout, presents a less serious golfing diversion. You'll find it about 1.5 miles north of the resort, set right on the Valley Bike Trail, in the Riverside RV Resort & Campground. Adults play for C$10; kids for C$4-$8 depending on age, and putters rent for C$1.50.

Off the Course:

The options can make you dizzy. In a recent two-day stay, we managed to explore the mountain by ATV with Canadian Snowmobile/All Terrain ATV, get the grand overview via Whistler Air's DeHaviland seaplane air tour (which takes off, by the way, from Green Lake, right next door to the Nicklaus North Course), ride the Birkenhead River's Class II and II rapids on a Whistler River Adventures' raft, and ski the Blackcomb Glacier (yes, you can ski/ride it well into August).

We stopped at the bottom of Blackcomb Mountain to visit the Whistler Adventure Zone, where the activities include Mini Golf, something called the "Westcoaster Luge," a kind of sled on which you rocket down the hill, and watched the guys fly on the All-Canadian Trapeze. No, this dad is no trapeze-dude. We ran out of time before we could ascend the Great Wall at the Great Wall Climbing Centre.

You'll also find a bunch of parks, playgrounds and beaches, plus these other indulgences: canoeing, jet boating, guided glacier tours, rock climbing, nature hikes, fishing, mountain biking, a skateboarding/BMX park, and horseback riding.

Good Groceries:

Whistler holds a zillion restaurants, ranging from fast to very fine. Recommended family-friendly eateries include: Spaghetti Factory, Cow's Dairy Bar, Double Diamond Diner and - oh, the list just goes on and on.

Sleep Tight:

The resort contains the full gamut of accommodation options. We stayed at - and can certainly recommend - the Pan Pacific Lodge (888-905-9995 or 604-905 2999; www.panpacific.com), which is nicely located adjacent to both Whistler and Blackcomb. Studio suites start at C$119 (US$79), and the hotel offers a full range of packages and activity options.

Whistler Resort: www.mywhistler.com; 800-944-7853
Whistler Golf Club: www.whistlergolf.com; 800-376-1777
Nicklaus North Golf Course: www.nicklausnorth.com; 800-386-9898
Big Sky Golf & Country Club: www.bigskygolf.com; 800-668-7900
Riverside RV Resort & Campground: www.whistlercamping.com; 877-905-5533

More on Kids and Golf here.

...... Mitch Kaplan is the author of "The Unofficial Guide to the Mid-Atlantic with Kids," a contributor to "The Unofficial Guide to New England & New York with Kids," and the author of "The Cheapskate's Guide to Myrtle Beach" and "The Golf Book of Lists".