How to Play the Best Golf in British Columbia
British Columbia stacks mountain golf, lake golf and desert golf into one province, and nearly all of it sells tee times to anyone with a credit card. From Nicklaus North under the Whistler peaks to Tobiano's fescue bluffs over Kamloops Lake and 36 Nicklaus holes in Victoria's year round climate, here is who gets on, what it costs and the one famous course you cannot buy your way onto.
Photograph: Nicklaus North Golf Course, via Google
The short answer
Book it like a resort trip, not a club trip. BC's marquee golf is public and resort play: in Whistler, Nicklaus North's published 2026 card runs from about C$165 in early May to C$285 through the June to September peak with optional carts at C$30 a seat, while the Fairmont Chateau Whistler prices dynamically and makes its GPS cart mandatory at C$35 per person, a fair toll for a course that climbs the mountainside. In the interior, Tobiano outside Kamloops, the Thomas McBroom design that won best new course honors when it opened in 2008, runs roughly C$120 to C$210 above Kamloops Lake, and Predator Ridge in the Okanagan sells its 36 holes from about C$200 at the April opening to C$300 in summer. On the island, Bear Mountain in Victoria carries Canada's only 36 holes of Nicklaus Design and plays essentially year round, with value neighbors like Cordova Bay at C$55 to C$90.
The two asterisks are worth knowing. Capilano in West Vancouver, the Stanley Thompson design that tops most BC rankings, is strictly private: members and invited guests only, no daily fee at any price. And the next great BC tee time has not opened yet: Cabot Revelstoke's Rod Whitman course above the Columbia River valley is set for preview play in autumn 2026 and a full 2027 opening, with the Railyard par 3 and a 155 room lodge behind it. All fees here are indicative for the 2026 season and always confirm directly before booking; the full rate cards live in our British Columbia green fees guide.
Who gets on, course by course
| Course | Access and what it costs |
|---|---|
| Nicklaus North, Whistler | Fully public. About C$165 in early May to C$285 daily through the June 19 to September 20 peak; matinee from 2pm cuts C$50 or more, twilight runs C$119 to C$189, carts optional at C$30 per seat with complimentary push carts. The 2026 season opened May 2. The only Nicklaus course where the Green Lake views compete with the golf |
| Fairmont Chateau Whistler | Resort public, dynamic pricing by date and time. The mountainside routing makes a GPS power cart mandatory at C$35 per person, and the range is included. Book through the resort and pair it with Nicklaus North for the two faces of Whistler golf |
| Tobiano, Kamloops | Public, about C$120 to C$210. Thomas McBroom's bluff top design over Kamloops Lake, desert grasses and big elevation, regularly ranked the province's best public course. Book direct online; summer mornings go first |
| Predator Ridge, Vernon | Resort public, 36 holes on one property, about C$200 at the April 8 opening to C$300 in high summer. Stay and play packages carry priority times, and the Okanagan's dry climate gives it the longest interior season |
| Bear Mountain, Victoria | Resort public, Canada's only 36 holes of Nicklaus Design, playable essentially year round in the country's mildest climate. Cordova Bay nearby is the value round at C$55 to C$90 |
| Capilano, West Vancouver | Strictly private. Stanley Thompson's 1937 masterpiece under the North Shore mountains admits members and invited guests only; there is no visitor green fee. Admire it from the rankings and play Whistler instead |
| Cabot Revelstoke | Not yet open: Rod Whitman's 18 is slated for preview play in autumn 2026 and full opening in 2027, with the Railyard par 3 alongside. Expect limited preview access through the resort; register interest early |
Fees indicative for the 2026 season per published rates. Check tee times · Browse stays.
Building the BC trip
The province plays best as a route, not a base. The classic week runs Vancouver to Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway for two rounds, then over the Coquihalla to Kamloops for Tobiano, and finishes in the Okanagan at Predator Ridge with wine country evenings; that loop covers mountain, lake and desert golf in five rounds and never repeats a view. Island weeks work the other way: fly into Victoria, play Bear Mountain's two Nicklaus courses and Cordova Bay, and treat the year round climate as the point, since February golf is real golf there. Whichever route you choose, book Whistler peak season times two to three months out, and remember the regional calendars: the Okanagan opens in early April, Whistler in early May, and the interior courses close around mid October while Victoria plays on.
For the ranked verdicts, start with the best golf courses in British Columbia and the wider best courses in Canada. Fees are broken out month by month in the BC green fees guide, the national picture sits at the Canada destination hub, and if the trip is chasing Cabot's name across the country, the original pair are profiled at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, compared head to head in Links vs Cliffs.
Plan your British Columbia golf trip
Tell us your group, your month and whether it is the Whistler loop or the island winter escape, and one concierge routes the drive, books the tee times and costs it to the head. No obligation.
British Columbia access questions
Can visitors play the best golf in British Columbia?
Mostly yes, and that is BC's advantage. The headline golf is public or resort play: Nicklaus North and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Tobiano outside Kamloops, Predator Ridge in the Okanagan and Bear Mountain's 36 Nicklaus Design holes in Victoria all sell tee times to anyone. The great exception is Capilano in West Vancouver, strictly private, members and invited guests only.
What does a round cost in BC in 2026?
Indicatively: Nicklaus North about C$165 in early May to C$285 through the summer peak, the Chateau Whistler dynamic with a mandatory C$35 per person cart, Tobiano about C$120 to C$210, Predator Ridge about C$200 to C$300, and Victoria value plays like Cordova Bay at C$55 to C$90. Always confirm directly before booking.
When is the BC golf season?
By region: Whistler roughly May to mid October, with Nicklaus North's 2026 card opening May 2. The Okanagan opens earlier, Predator Ridge from April 8 in 2026, and stays dry into October. Victoria and southern Vancouver Island, the mildest climate in Canada, play essentially year round.
What is Cabot Revelstoke and can I play it?
Cabot's mountain project above the Columbia River valley: an 18 hole Rod Whitman course set for preview play in autumn 2026 and full opening in 2027, plus the Railyard par 3 and a 155 room lodge to follow. Preview access is expected to be limited, so register interest with the resort early.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access policies, season dates and rates verified June 2026 against published club and resort information. Last reviewed June 2026.