Mount Doug Golf Course

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.