Canada's best, Greywolf,
truly is a special place

By John Gordon,
Associate Editor

"Greywolf is without question the most spectacular site I've ever worked with," says course architect Doug Carrick of Toronto. "There are unbelievable mountain views on every hole and almost 500 feet of elevation change on the golf course, including one hole that drops almost 200 feet from tee to green, and a par-3 across a 100-foot-deep canyon to a cliffside green at the base of a massive mountain peak."

Owned by Intrawest Corporation of Vancouver, British Columbia, which also owns other spectacular properties such as Whistler/Blackcomb, also in British Columbia, and Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Greywolf opened for limited play late in 1998. Golf Digest rankers promptly rewarded it with the magazine's "best new course in Canada" honor in 1999.

"There are 18 signature holes at this course," says Carrick of the property which winds through and around mountains, providing -- appropriately enough -- a panoramic view of various peaks and valleys. The course is bentgrass from tee to green and has water on 14 holes. Surprisingly, for a mountain course, a relatively small amount of rock was blasted, and the lion's share of that was at one hole.

Right from the first time he visited the site in January 1996 -- "It was 30 below on the back of a snowmobile," he recalls with a grimace -- Carrick knew this project was special. And the centrepiece had to be what eventually would be the 180-yard par-3 sixth hole, now called "Cliffhanger." Set across an alpine valley from the tee, the green site had to be knocked down about two metres in order to be more receptive, necessitating the removal of substantial bedrock.

"That green site stuck out the first time I saw the property. The most dramatic way to utilize it was to hit the tee shot across the canyon and have the green perched on the edge of the cliff. You've got a fabulous mountain backdrop behind the green and then if you look to the left of the green, you're looking up an unbelievably beautiful river valley that you can't see from the tee."

The remainder of the rock was blown out of the site of the 13th fairway, resulting in a rolling, rugged hole not unlike some at the brawny Highlands Links on Cape Breton Island, designed by the late Stanley Thompson. Interestingly, Carrick is in some ways the inheritor of Thompson's legacy, having partnered for a time with Robbie Robinson, Thompson's associate.

Although Carrick had previously worked with a wilderness setting at the spectacular Twin Rivers Golf Course in Newfoundland, he found new challenges at Panorama. "You really have a lot to work with, but the routing is tremendously important. That's everything. You have to work with the terrain, you can't fight it." As a result, the course rises about 250 feet in just the first three holes. Don't even think about walking at Greywolf.

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He struggles when asked to identify some special holes among these 18 beauties. No doubt the third hole is a contender. The drive on this uphill 523-yard par-5 must clear a mountain stream that runs down the left side of the fairway before cutting in front of the tees. The second shot must either carry cross-bunkers on the right side of the fairway that angle toward the green, allowing an easy pitch to the elevated green, or face a tough shot over deep bunkers for those electing to stay left.

One of the benefits of mountain golf -- aside from the scenery -- is evident at the 477-yard par-4 fourth hole. A 150-foot drop, abetted by the fact that the golf ball flies further at this elevation, means this apparent monster is a driver-wedge for the better player. "This is a fun hole," says Carrick, "because the fairway is shaped like a big catcher's mitt, sort of bowled, so you can really let go on the tee."

Carrick repeatedly uses the word "fun" to describe Greywolf, with its generous fairways and receptive greens. Visually intimidating, it is very playable. "On every par-4 and every par-5, you can hit your driver without any real worries. The golf course looks much tougher than it plays." Kudos to Carrick and Intrawest for designing a layout appropriate for the clientele, who will mostly be tourists staying at the Panorama Village.

But that doesn't mean Greywolf, at 7,140 yards from the tips, won't eat up an unwary visitor, or any player who overestimates his or her ability. The fifth hole is a prime example. This reachable par-5 drops about 120 feet off the tee, with a sizable mountain stream that cuts across the fairway between the first and second landing areas on a right-to-left diagonal. "You can try to go straight at the green, carrying the creek, "says Carrick, "or you can bail out to the right at many different angles, leaving yourself a tough downhill pitch to a little popup green with a bunker on the right. So, the further right you go, the worse angle you have into the green, so you really want to bite off as much of the river as you can. It's a great strategic par-5."

Panorama Village, the largest accommodation facility in the region, offers hotel and condominium accommodations, restaurants, shopping, an outdoor pool, river rafting, tennis and a variety of other summer activities. The addition of this great golf course ensures the true four-season versatility of this mountain resort, already renowned for its alpine skiing. Interspersed throughout the course, but hopefully not intruding on it, will be homes reflecting the character of the old national park lodges and mountain chalets with stone accents and rough-hewn timbers.

For more information, visit panoramaresort.com or call (800) 663-2929.