Last year, we were fortunate to travel across the country to Inverness, Nova Scotia to experience the beauty of Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs. This year, we decided to stay closer to home and visit the beautiful interior of British Columbia to play golf and spend our Labour Day Weekend. When you’re traveling to the Thompson-Okanagan region for golf, there might not be a better course to play than Tobiano Golf Course.
From Vancouver, it was roughly a three and a half hour drive to Tobiano Golf Course in Kamloops. The course was designed by Thomas McBroom, a Canadian architect who has designed many of the Top 100 courses in Canada, and he crafted a masterpiece out of the rugged terrain. It’s very similar to the minimalist design approach popular in today’s golf architecture where natural areas are untouched, making a golf course blend seamlessly into the natural terrain.
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Although the area has a desert-like climate, we were lucky to experience fairly mild weather for most of the round until some rain rolled in near the end of the round – but even then, it is easy to see why Tobiano is rated as British Columbia’s #1 Course. Tobiano has a “links” look to it, with some holes reminiscent of Chambers Bay. Around every corner are breathtaking views of Kamloops Lake, the surrounding mountains and rolling hills. And the golf course is probably even better than the views, but we’ll get to that soon.
We arrived with ample time ahead of our tee time. After checking in and grabbing our power carts (complimentary with green fee, plus two bottles of water), we set off to the amazing practice areas. Golfers are given a full driving range (mats and grass range), a chipping/putting green as well as bunkers to practice out of. Each of the practice areas were in pristine condition, particularly the greens and bunkers. These practice areas were really able to give us a feel for how the course was playing that day – great consistency from practice conditions to course conditions. With your green fee, you get full access to the practice facilities, however, you can also pay a day fee of CAD $19.99 for full access to work on your game.
From the driving range to the first tee is just a few steps away. We played on some very nice golf courses before, but the tee boxes at Tobiano might be the best that we’ve played on – perfectly manicured, level and lush just like the fairways. Our favourite feature of Tobiano is the bent grass used on the course – putts roll so pure and true! There are five sets of tees (and two combo sets) ranging from 5,358 yards to 7,367 yards – a great challenge for all levels of players. It’s essential to play from your correct tee boxes, as there are some tee shots that have forced carries over large ravines and craters. It can definitely be one of the more challenging rounds of golf if you want it to be, but we’ll guarantee you will have loads of fun!
Tobiano was in immaculate condition during Labour Day weekend. No matter where you were on the golf course, everything was perfect. The first hole, a 571-yard par-5, really gives you a great introduction to what to expect from the rest of your round: elevation changes, undulating fairways and views of the Lake on every hole. The most challenging hole to us was number 7, a par-3 that plays 197-yards from the tips over a massive ravine – talk about an intimidating tee shot! Every hole was very picturesque, but the standouts to us are holes 14 and 15. Number 14 is a 453-yard par-4 that plays into the lake. With a good drive, your ball could catch a speed slot and rocket towards the green for an easy pitch. The green on approach is slightly elevated and looks like it is floating on the lake – an “infinity green” if you might and is one of the prettiest holes on the course. Hole 15, a 155-yard par-3 that plays along the Lake makes us feel like we’re back in Scotland. When the winds pick up, you can bet this will be one of the most challenging tee shots on the course.
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There is definitely a need to keep your ball in play at Tobiano though. Anything slightly off the course will most likely be a lost ball with native scrubs, cactus and even snakes ready to keep you from finding your golf ball. If you do manage to keep your ball in play, the course is very forgiving – the rough is not too punishing and fairways pretty wide. The one thing that did confuse us for a couple holes were directions from hole to hole. It can be a long ways from one green to the next tee and if you take a wrong turn, you might just end up missing your tee box and getting lost!
Overall, Tobiano Golf Course is hands down the best golf course we’ve played in British Columbia so far and easily ranks in our Top 5 of courses played. It is one of the best kept courses we’ve had the privilege to play on – we would go back in a heartbeat! And with it just being three and a half hours from home, we will probably start making this an annual trip.
Tobiano is much more than just a golf course though. It is a master-planned residential community resting above the shores of Kamloops Lake. It not only offers one of the finest golfing experiences in Canada, but also access to water sports on Kamloops Lake, year round activities and more. The Tobiano area and surrounding regions offer plenty of fun activities for everyone. Currently, Tobiano is developing residences to not only cater to golfers but to non-golfers as well. These residences are offered through The Bluff neighbourhood and The Ranchlands neighbourhood. For golf exclusive guests, the future “Views at Tobiano” will provide golf accommodations. You can take a closer look at Tobiano Living experience in the video above – a residence here would definitely be a great vacation home in the summer as well as in the winter with great mountains for winter sports such as Sun Peaks Resort just a quick drive away.
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Also on the property is the Black Iron Restaurant within the Tobiano Golf Course clubhouse. We were able to sample their lunch fare as well as dinner fare and came away extremely impressed. Portions were large and prices were fair. The head chef is of German descent so make sure to get their Schnitzel Burger or Hunter Schnitzel! The tables are surrounded by floor to ceiling windows with views of the golf course and the lake. On a beautiful, warm summer evening, sit outside on the patio with an outdoor fire pit crackling beside you while you’re having dinner and sip on some of the local beers on tap! Wouldn’t want to end a night at Tobiano any other way!
We had such an amazing time at Tobiano. Pace of play was great and most of the time, it felt as if we were the only ones on the golf course. The views alone will make Tobiano worth the trip, but we promise, the golf will be even better than the views! If you play from the correct tees, you’ll definitely have a fun, yet challenging, round of golf that you will remember for a while. If you ever make it into the Thompson-Okanagan region for golf, Tobiano is a must play!
Be sure to leave us a comment and share your experiences if you’ve played at Tobiano or to ask questions about our itinerary or connect with us through our social media channels!
Source: Tobiano Golf Course
