We had a great day on the golf course the other day and it wasn’t where you might have expected. Tara and I got invited by some friends to go out to the Stanley Park Park Pitch and Putt course for a game. Centrally located in the heart of Stanley Park, the golf course is about five blocks from our house. We were a little sceptical, but after a quick look at the website we noted the 18 holes ranged in length from 50 yards to 100 yards. Jeff decided to take only a SW and putter while Tara took her small Ping Moon bag with 4 irons and a putter. We caught a sunny day and after the short walk paid our $12.50 green fee each for a weekend, 18 hole, adult round of golf.

Jeff’s Opinion: This was arguably one of the best days I’ve had on a golf course, no bag to lug around and two hours from the first hole to the 18th hole. I thought the greens were in great shape, not overly large or fast (probably about 8 on the stimpmeter) they rolled smooth and true. Each hole had a unique look to it which I didn’t expect given that you really can’t do much design wise with 50 to 100 yards per hole. As expected there were a number of ball marks on the greens and teeing off mats leaves a bit to be desired, but for a quick and fun Saturday morning of golf I would go back again.

Tara’s Opinion: This golf experience was quite different for me since I usually tend to focus on the golf shop and restaurant which in this case do not exist. But I also have to say I had a great time. The golf ‘kiosk’ did sell tees and balls as well as snacks and drinks and offered club rentals for $1 per club. Now that truly is an affordable way to introduce someone to the game. While I did not enjoy teeing off of the mats, the approaches to the greens were all in great shape and the greens were trickier than expected. With less gear to worry about and the beautiful setting, the game really was ‘a walk in the park’. And since Jeff is always telling me that I need to work on my short game I am sure we will be back.

If you have not played Stanley Park or any of the other Vancouver Parks pitch and putt courses you should give them a try, we think you will find it worth the trip and if not you still have most of the day left to do something else.