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Big Sky Golf and Country Club, Pemberton, British Columbia
The “hidden gem” of the Whistler region is about 25 minutes north of Whistler village in rustic Pemberton, a bastion of traditional Western Canada culture and architecture and home of Big Sky Golf and Country Club, aptly named under the most-blue sky-dome imaginable. Big Sky is located at the foot of Mount Currie and was designed by the award-winning Robert Cupp of Pumpkin Ridge fame (where Tiger Woods won his 3rd US Amateur Championship). The course is links-like in design built on gentle rolling terrain, with seven lakes and a serpentine creek to navigate along the way. Big Sky is the longest course in the Whistler region but has tees to accommodate every level of golfer. Strategic golf is required here—tree planting was kept to a minimum both to keep the 360-degree views and allow for multiple playing options on virtually every hole. It has been compared to Royal Troon in that the longest holes typically play even longer as they head in to the prevailing wind. The shortest holes usually have the wind behind making it difficult to hold the green. The combination makes for a stern test for the most astute golfers, one not to be missed on a trip to Whistler!
