Chateau Whistler GC – Hole-by-Hole
This spring I was fortunate enough to spend some on Vancouver’s North Shore on a pre-trip to the 2026 Travel Media Association of Canada’s conference in Richmond. Now in late September I have returned to BC with Alison and will be spending some time in North Vancouver, but first we are headed to Whistler for a three night stay in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. We are here primarily to golf and will start with a hole-by-hole description of the Chateau Whistler golf course, but first a bit about the hotel.
Fairmont is Canada’s top luxury hotel brand and is famous for its unique chateau hotels like the Frontenac, Banff Springs and Lake Louise. These hotels, built in the era of railroad travel, have remained iconic long after visitors stopped arriving by rail and have maintained a level of luxury and service that has not faltered in over a century.
In 1993 for the first time in the 20th century Fairmont decided to build an entirely new chateau and they succeeded admirably.
The Chateau Whistler has the same grand appearance both inside and outside as the original chateaus. The lobby is enormous and decorated with some really fine art. The rooms are state of the art and the essence of comfort.
However what impressed me the most about Chateau Whistler was the staff. First of all there seemed to be hundreds of them. The ratio of staff to guest almost seemed one to one. Whistler is famous for the Aussies and Kiwis who almost have made spending time working there a rite of passage. They are enthusiastic and genuinely seem to care about their jobs and their guests. A lot of high end hotels can be intimidating with their almost condescending staff who make you feel as if it’s a privilege for them to take your money. Chateau Whistler is the exact opposite.
There is a free shuttle than runs a loop to Whistler village every 15 minutes so you don’t need to get in and out of your car. There are also courtesy cars that will take you to the golf course or other places around Whistler.
There is a free guest laundry room equipped with soap and fabric softener which is a nice touch.
There are a number of restaurants as you would expect and we tried three of them and were quite satisfied although they are pricey.
Late September is a great time to visit Whistler as it is almost deserted compared to the two high seasons, especially if you like golf as we do.
I have stayed in almost all the Fairmont hotels in Canada and I would rate Chateau Whistler near or at the very top.
Oh, and they make a brilliant dry martini at the Mallard Lounge.
Chateau Whistler is the only resort in the area that has its own golf course which is definitely a bonus.
The course was designed by one of the world’s top modern golf architects Robert Trent Jones Jr. who as most avid golfers will know is credited with inventing the golf trail, a concept that has now exploded. Every aspiring golf destination now seems to have its own golf trail. Alison and I played a couple of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama a few years back and totally by coincidence she is sporting a golf hat from that trail today.
RTJ2, as he is often referred to, has designed over 300 courses in over 50 countries, a record not likely to be broken. His courses are rated #1 in ten countries. One of his most famous courses is Princeville on Kauai which Alison and I played a few years back and which is now almost impossible to get on. He also designed the Adare Manor club where the next Ryder Cup will be held as well as Chambers Bay where Jordan Spieth won the US Open in 2015. The bottom line is that if you are playing an RTJ2 course you know it’s going to be good.
From the tips Chateau Whistler plays to 6635 yards with a slope rating of 142 which is bordering on the absurdly difficult. I will be playing the white tees at 5692 which doesn’t seem that long, but the slope rating from there is 119 which is still above the mean of 113. I have been told this is a difficult course and I have prepared by buying some extra balls.
This is one of the rare courses that requires taking a cart because the elevation changes are severe and walking would add considerably to the time it would take to play. The carts are state of the art that do everything but read the putts for you. OK, let’s play some golf.
Chateau Whister #1 – 449 Yard Par Five
Unfortunately it has rained for 24 straight hours before our scheduled tee time of 10:00 so we rescheduled to 12:50, but still the course will be very wet and there will be no roll. That translates into the course playing way longer than its stated yardage.
From the 1st tee you can immediately see that Chateau Whistler has a gorgeous look with multiple shades of green. The plan from the tee is to drive it close to the hazard that bisects the fairway and then send a second shot as far as possible making for a short wedge into the green. But like Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” The punch here is that without any roll I cannot get anywhere near the hazard from the tee. The downhill slope is effectively negated leaving this for my second shot.
My revised plan is to get at least to the 150 yard marker.
I do succeed , but the approach is way longer than it would be on a dry day. Forget the wedge and bring out the 7 iron,
The greens at Chateau Whistler vary dramatically in size from hole to hole with the 1st being quite small. The only saving grace to the rain that has soaked the course is that the greens are relatively slow compared to what they could be and there will be less break. My 7 iron still came up short resulting in a two putt bogey.
#2 266 Yard Par Four
Now 266 yards seems ridiculously short for a par four but trust me it plays a hell of a lot longer. You can see from the tee that the approach shot needs to cross a considerable gully to a tiny green so distance is a premium off the tee. Only problem is that with the uphill wet fairway the drive is going to stop dead which leaves me with this second shot. BTW that condo is the only sign of civilization that you will see on Chateau Whistler. Every other hole is completely distinct with nothing but mother nature to look at.
It’s about 90 yards to the pins and is one of those shots that can get your heart rate up. Fortunately I calm down enough to make the shot and claim my first par.
Chateau Whistler #3 – 342 Yard Par Four
This is a severe dogleg left that will require a good drive to get a good look at the green for the approach shot. It should be perfect for my right to left ball flight. There’s only one little problem – there’s a bear eating grass (who knew that bears ate grass?) on the fairway. That doubly encourages me to concentrate on making sure my drive stays well away from him.
That works, but there’s that damn gully again. It’s a much longer approach shot than #2 and requires conviction and fortitude which it turns out I don’t have.
Here’s a look back at #3 which gives a much better idea of the elevation change and the contour to this green.
#4 362 Yard Par Four
We are nowhere near finishing our climb up Chateau Whistler which all told has 400 feet of elevation change which is the equivalent of a 40 story apartment building. Now I know why you need a cart. Other than the elevation change this par four is relatively straightforward with a generous fairway.
Those bunkers are much further away than they look in this photo. The elevation change and wet conditions have left me woefully short requiring a hybrid into the green. Don’t ask how it turned out.
Chateau Whistler #5 – 144 Yard Par Three
Finally, Chateau Whistler eases up a bit as we get our first downhill hole which requires one less club than the distance suggests. Pick the right club and this becomes a relatively easy par. Pick the wrong one and fly the green, say goodbye to your score.
#6 411 Yard Par Four
This semi-blind tee shot begs for a big drive to take advantage of the dip in the fairway and although it doesn’t look like it, there’s a fair distance just to reach the fairway.
I do not make it over the crest and come up the rise to be greeted by the second bear of the day, this one a lot more in play than the first. It encourages me to aim well to the right and come up a bit short, but still with an easy chip to the green with Mr. Bear well behind me. Two putts for a bogey on what is the #1 handicap hole on the course and that’s without a bear on it.
Chateau Whistler #7 – 484 Yard Par Five
You know your on a mountain course when you stand on the tee box on #7 at Chateau Whistler. Another semi-blind tee shot that ordinarily would get a lot of roll and leave something like this look for the second shot. It looks closer than it really is. This is still well over 250 yards out.
Playing this hole conservatively to avoid any chance of getting into that convention of bunkers on the left side leaves this wedge shot to the green.
Staying well to the right the ball should release toward that pin and it does giving me the first real shot at birdie. I miss the put, but I never complain about tap in pars. This hole is really a classic par five that offers the opportunity to go for it in two or play it conservatively as I did and still bring birdie into the equation.
This is a look back from #7 Green that shows why you can get a lot of roll on you tee shot.
#8 – 158 Yard Par Three
I absolutely loved this par three which at 212 yards would be a monster from the back tees. What the photo doesn’t show is that there is a pond that runs along the entire left side of the green and a steep bank all along the right side. With the hole slanting obliquely to the tee box it does present a fairly narrow landing area should you come up short. However, with the right club hitting this large green should be doable, especially with that pin placement where, as on the last hole, the ball should move toward the pin after landing.
I come up just a tad shy, but from the fringe do get down in par. This is considered the signature hole at Chateau Whistler, but there is certainly more than one candidate for that distinction.
Chateau Whistler #9 – 426 Yard Par Five
The third par five on the front at Chateau Whistler is extremely short, but that is countered by the fact that it’s extremely uphill and there are a plethora of bunkers in very strategic places. This is not an easy drive and three wood or even five is preferable to driver.
That takes this fairway bunker out of play off the tee, but leaves this hellish looking blind second shot. I can just see the tip of the flag and knowing how short the hole is I opt for safety by hitting a hybrid that I know will easily clear the trap and hopefully leave a decent approach shot.
That works and now I’m dealing with essentially a 75 yard uphill par three which I make for the third par in a row.
Chateau Whistler does not return to the clubhouse after nine, but the aptly named Bearhouse sits between the 5th green and 14th tee box so there’s no need to go hungry or thirsty. However, we were cautioned to keep any food well away from any bears we might see.
#10 – 92 Yard Par Three
This the look from the back tees on #10 at Chateau Whistler. It’s only 131 yards and there is a plaque revealing that fact that a husband and wife both had holes in one here during the same round. It’s definitely a hole in one candidate.
Even more so from these white tees. I take too much club and end up on the back right fringe, but do make a 20 footer for birdie. It’s very rare to see the two easiest holes on a course be back to back but with 9 and 10 Jones has done just that. It certainly helps make up for the very difficult start to Chateau Whistler.
Chateau Whistler #11 – 301 Par Four
Chateau Whistler now embarks on a five hole stretch of short par fours that play harder than their lengths would suggest. This first one is relatively straightforward off the tee. With my right to left ball flight I need to take it down the right side to stay well away from the bunkers on the left.
With that accomplished I have a decision to make – go for the pin and risk getting buried in the front trap or play it safe and aim for the left side of the green leaving a long putt. I opt for the safe route with a bump and run seven which leads to a three putt and the end of my hot streak.
#12 – 343 Yard Par Four
This is the #1 rated hole on the back nine and it plays much longer than 343 yards. Unusually, there is only the one bunker on this hole and with the fairway slanting upward right to left that will let me use driver here and look for some distance off the tee.
That works, leaving me in a good approach position with the bunker not really in play. Unfortunately I really screw up my putting here and record a second bogey in a row.
Chateau Whistler #13 – 304 Yard Par Four
This is another beautiful looking hole at Chateau Whistler with one little or rather big glitch – there’s a huge bear right in the middle of it. I contemplate just driving by him and not hitting a drive, but conclude that would be a chicken shit move.
So this is my look from the tee box. The traps are back in great numbers so I opt for five wood that I know will clear the bear but not reach the trap on the left.
That leaves me with the most difficult approach shot since the second and third holes. This time I do get bunkered and am lucky to escape with a bogey, but I also escaped Papa Bear so one cancels out the other.
#14 – 285 Yard Par Four
This extremely short par four is not so much a dogleg right, but rather a hole that plays at a 45° angle to the tee box. Big hitters will obviously try to cut as much of it off as possible, but not me. I want to get off the bogey train and get back to pars or better That calls for a hybrid off the tee for accuracy.
That leaves this approach with the pin placed behind three traps. I’m not going to repeat what I did on the last hole so I take an extra club to the back of the green for a two putt par.
Chateau Whistler #15 – 351 Yard Par Four
The longest par four on this stretch of five plays quite downhill so it’s still not daunting lengthwise, even for an old geeszer like me.
The fairways have dried out just enough that I really do get a lot of roll on this drive leaving this relatively benign approach shot for another par.
#16 – 110 Yard Par Four
The final par three at Chateau Whistler is another gentle hole with a green that slopes down from right to left. You wouldn’t want to above the hole once this course dries out. I’m below the hole after my poorly struck nine iron lands in the left side bunker for a bogey on what should have been a birdie hole. Isn’t that always the way?
Chateau Whistler #17 – 366 Yard Par Four
At #17 Jones is up to his old tricks again making this a very difficult final four. It’s a severe dogleg right that requires a good drive to clear that bunker, but the elevation drop is a help.
Okay, I’ve got to clear that bloody creek again. Fortunately, it’s well back from the green and is not really a problem.
What is a problem is the elevated green which you can’t really tell from the fairway until you get there. It’s also the smallest green at Chateau Whistler and after recording my bogey I know why it’s fourth rated hole on the course. Thinking back, I realize that the six toughest holes at Chateau Whistler are all par fours which in itself makes this course quite unique.
#18 – 498 Yard Par Five
The finishing hole at Whistler is the longest of the par fives and features, you guessed it, that damn creek for one last level of torment. That being said it’s a very pretty looking hole.
Unlike #1 where it was so wet that I couldn’t get near the hazard, by now it’s dried out enough that getting over it should not be an issue. What is an issue is the very narrow fairway which requires precision over length.
A five wood leaves me with about the best look possible for the approach on #18 and it pays off with a closing par.
Playing Chateau Whistler is a great golf experience that should be on every Canadian’s must-play list. I hope to return next year to play it again in dryer conditions.