Metchosin Golf & Country Club

Hole 5 - Metchosin G&CC

It’s been a long winter golf fans and BJ’s Golf Talk is happy to announce that we are officially back up swinging the sticks again.  This winter we were able to brave the elements and bring to you a full analysis of Metchosin Golf and Country Club.  Located just outside of Colwood on Metchosin road, the club is within a twenty five minute drive of downtown Victoria and we believe that it’s worth the trip.  Friendly staff and licensed bar make for a good day and low prices ensure that a good time can be had by all.  It’s a nine hole track but the layout maximizes distances and certain holes with dual greens and tee decks allows for different yardages and shot angles when playing eighteen.

Number one is a short par four that acts as a good warm up hole.  Straight forward and downhill it’s a good idea to start the day off with a long iron from the tee.  Depending on your distance you should have around 100 yards into the elevated green that’s protected by a sand trap in the front left.  There’s a bit of a gully that acts as a landing zone so make sure you hit at least 200 yards to avoid a downhill lie on your approach shot.

Number two, is a short downhill par three that plays to between 130 and 115 yards.  For us, a gap wedge seems to do the trick nicely here.  Be careful not to leave it short, as there is quite a valley that collects stray shots.  Trees to the left and right with a backward sloping large green make this a tricky hole to par. 

The third hole is where the fun begins.  A dog leg to the left, medium sized par four, lined with trees on both sides make it the hardest hole yet.  A straight 150 to 170 yard shot hugging the right tree line is your best bet.  Although for a brave player it’s tempting to try and cut the corner, a sign on the tee deck reminds us that it’s against course policy to do so.  If you’ve managed to find the fairway, you’ve got about a 150 yard approach shot into a small awkwardly angled green protected by sand traps, trees, hills and out of bounds.  If you’re going to miss the green, it’s best to miss short here and try for an up and down par.

The fourth hole keeps the game interesting.  A par three up a massive hill with a large green with a tree line right behind it, a well struck shot is the only thing that will save you here.  Nothing fancy, just a pure 8-9 iron usually puts you in par territory. 

Number five is the scenic hole of the track - a dog leg to the left with a tee shot over water.  Not a lot of trouble here as long as you carry the ball a solid 150-200 yards, the farther the better on this hole.  With a good tee shot straight down the pipe you’re looking at about 150 yards slightly uphill to a fairly large and unprotected green.  If you want to make up some stokes, this is a good hole to do it on. 

Number six, or number fifteen, depending on which nine you’re playing, has two tee decks.  One of which is farther back and elevated, making for a wide open downhill par five.  The other tee is a little closer and a littler lower making it an easier par five.  The green on this hole is tucked in at the bottom of a hill surrounded by trees and a water hazard.  This means depending on your position you could be looking at a somewhat scary, blind, approach shot.  We recommend you take the extra time to walk up the fairway a little ways and properly scope out your shot; then attack the green accordingly.   

Number seven, or number sixteen, has two sets of tee decks and two separate greens.  Both of which are slightly uphill with tree lines on either sides, and relatively wide open greens.  The length of these holes obviously differs, but in both accounts it’s a good idea use your driver.  Both greens are relatively flat and medium sized.  These holes are a good opportunity to make up some strokes before the day is done.

Numbers eight and nine are two medium sized, straight forward par fours.  Eight is slightly downhill with trees on both sides, number nine is up a steeper hill with trees on both sides.  The green on number nine is neatly tucked and incorporates some large breaks that make for a tough finish.

The course is currently in their off-season, so off-season pricing is what you can expect. $13.00 for 9 holes or $20.00 for the full 18. You can also expect off-season conditions, but that shouldn't come as a surprise when you play a round in Canada in the winter months. We ran into the odd temporary green and temp tee box, but overall the conditions were solid for the time of year. 

The course has a small pro shop where you can find the basic supplies

- tees, balls, hats etc. They have a good sized bar and restaurant that fills up for the nine-and-dine event and the tournaments the course hosts.

Overall, we were satisfied with Metchosin as a nine hole facility. There are holes that are long enough and wide open where you can hit the driver without running into too much trouble. The par threes will require short to mid irons depending on the wind. But most importantly, the greens have enough slopes in them to set up difficult pin positions if required. The one knock against the course is that the "back nine" is pretty well the exact same as the front, the tee boxes are just moved back a few yards. So essentially you're just playing the same nine twice. 

Metchosin would be a great track for the golfer who wants to get in a quick nine without too much difficulty. We have yet to experience a long wait, as traffic flows pretty smoothly because of the course's set up. This would also be a good course for new golfers because it is wide open enough to swing every club and never really be in trouble.