It was just before the 2007 meltdown and I, a young cub reporter, was dispatched to Revelstoke to meet with the legendary British golfer Sir Nick Faldo, who had been retained to design a world-class golf course near the base of the newly revamped ski hill, thus cementing Revy’s ascendency as a year-round playground for the well-heeled. We all know what happened next: once the stock market tanked, the first thing to go was pricey destination golf courses… and while the ski hill is amazing, I think it’s fair to say it still remains a hidden-secret sorta place, not soon to be a stop on the global jet set circuit. (Which, I should add, suits most residents just fine, thank you very much.)

But the announcement last year that the team behind the Cabot course that had turned New Brunswick into a serious global destination didn’t just revive that long-ago dream—it doubled down on it. Rod Whitman, the West’s greatest golf course designer, has created a new layout right near the old Faldo one at the base of Mount MacKenzie—right near the gondola—and there’s a housing development planned as well. The only downside? It’s not set to open until 2024. But, until then, there’s the surprisingly excellent Revelstoke Golf Club course, a track with a 124-year-old legacy and a fantastic layout—and that can still be enjoyed with the calm idyll that Revelstoke specializes in.

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Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.