With the weather starting to warm up, and conditions
improving, we are happy to tell you guys we’ve got some more courses to tell
you about. Mount Douglas Golf Course is the most recent venue we visited. It’s
a nine hole facility located quite close to downtown Victoria. The elevation
changes and surrounding forest provided the course with the potential to offer
a great golf experience, however this was not the case. The conditions are mediocre at best, and the round itself is slow and unimpressive. It’s a rather
short course, made up of par 3’s and par 4’s, none of which are all that
challenging. The tee boxes are all quite poor because the course has you
hitting off of AstroTurf. Too add to the frustration, it appeared that the turf
hadn’t been changed since the ‘70s, as it is worn and faded.
The first hole is a short par 4 downhill, which is easily
reachable with a mid to long iron. We urge you to go for it because like many
of the other holes, it is exceedingly difficult to decipher the fairway from
the rough. The green is rather small and flat, however the putting is still
difficult because it’s evident that the mower hadn’t been used in some time.
Moving on to the short par 3 second hole, which is only a
stones throw away to an elevated green. This is were fortunes changed, as it
was clear the green had at least been trimmed within the past week. A wedge is
recommended for the tee shot, as you want the necessary height in order to
stick the green. Another small and flat green provides the player with an easy
opportunity to make birdie here.
Holes three and four are the only ones you will consider
pulling the big stick out for. The third is a straight par 4 with trees on
either side of the 50-yard-wide fairway. Even the biggest draws and fades will
struggle to run astray. The second shot is no more than a short wedge, however
you could be in for a lengthy putt, depending on the placement of the pin that
day. The third hole finally possess a green that could challenge players with putts outside of 20 feet. However the flat terrain makes for an easy read.
The fourth hole is one that provides a bit of a challenge
off the tee. It’s a par four straight up hill to a blind green. The
non-existent fairway makes it difficult to plan your second shot, so our
advice here is to just let the big dog eat. This will set you up for a short wedge shot into the green, and
assuming your ball carried far enough, you should have no issue seeing the
hole. This green, although not challenging, can pose a problem if you don’t
leave your shot below the hole. The uphill putt will offer players the
opportunity to make an easy birdie.
The fifth hole is the first par 3 of reasonable length. The
20X20 foot green straight downhill makes the target rather difficult. A short
to mid iron should get you pretty close, but don’t fret if you miss the green,
because the grass on the green was quite long and made stopping the ball quite
easy.
After you disappear into a forest, you’ll emerge on the
sixth tee. The tree lined par 3 makes this hole the most difficult on the golf
course. Not only do you need to keep your ball flight straight, you have to
make sure you hit it low enough to avoid the overhanging foliage. The elevated
green makes it quite difficult to stick, the odds are you’ll roll off and be
left with an up and down recovery shot to make par. If you can escape this hole
with no worse than a double bogey, the final three holes will provide you with
the opportunity to salvage your round.
The seventh hole is a short par four straight uphill to a
blind green. A long iron is the club of choice here, as the green is easily
reachable. If you are fortunate enough to encounter a pin near the back of the
green, you’ll have a relatively easy uphill eagle opportunity.
The eight and ninth holes are both short par threes that
require no more than a wedge. The eight hole has a green that funnels your ball
downhill, so be prepared for your most challenging putt of the day. We found
this green to be well kept, and the ball rolls true. So trust your putter and
drain your downhill birdie putt.
Lastly, the ninth hole is a short par three into an elevated
green. The small area and front pin made it somewhat difficult of a tee shot.
You’ll find success if you land near the center of the green. The surface is
flat enough to avoid any difficult slopes for your birdie putt, regardless of
where the pin is placed that day.
Mount Doug has a decent putting and chipping green along
with nets to hit into to get loose before your round, but other than that it’s
nothing to write home about. It has a small proshop that doesn’t offer much
equipment and food and beverage wise. If you’re looking for a decent round at a
quick pace, this won’t be the course for you. It’s more of a beginners course,
or where families with young children should play. Expect delays when playing
here, as the layout of the course has people walking all over each other. Had
the course been properly manicured, it would have possessed some redeeming
qualities. Unfortunately, we don’t see this as anything but a place for
families to get exercise and fresh air, and for that reason we will not be returning
to play here.
