Stanley Park Pitch and Putt

Being a golfer over the last dozen years or so I love the driving range and hitting up the big courses however there’s just something relaxing about heading out to the local pitch and putt. Your skill level doesn’t need to be up to par (nor does your wallet need to be stuffed) in order to get out and enjoy one of the many private or city-run courses around the Metro Vancouver area.

The other weekend we walked over to Stanley Park to partake in a little par three action with our good friends and while it’s not as scenic as the Ambleside course, no one can complain about the lack of natural beauty when you have Herons soaring above your head.

The afternoon is meant for leisurely enjoyment of the outdoors and the game so we don’t being along scorecards, especially when we’re with DaveO. The lineups at the first few tees can get quite backed up (we waited about 30 minutes) but it soon disperses as groups move on down the course.

You can easily take transit to the Stanley Park pitch and putt (designed and built in 1932) – either the #5 Robson/#6 Davie (disembarking at Denman and walking down), any Georgia Street bus (westbound, getting off before the causeway) or taking the #19 Metrotown/Stanley Park and walking over (though the last two options would be a bit more of a hike from the stops).

One item I should note about the Stanley Park course is that the holes are very short, 40 to only a few that reach the maximum 100 yards, so you don’t need to bring much fire-power with you at all. Also, if you plan on going more than a dozen times this year (to any course in Vancouver) I would suggest investing in a punch card.

If you’re looking for more pitch and putt courses in Vancouver, check out the guide I made last year and feel free to suggest more of your favourites (mine being the soggy, rugged, marshy Riverside Par 3 in Surrey where I first learned to swing a club). As for those Blue Herons, you can adopt-a-nest to help preserve their colony near Stanley Park.