Big Sky Golf Club and Fescues Restaurant — Attraction in Pemberton

My partner took me on a mini golf vacation for my birthday. We stayed in Squamish and drove to Pemberton to play Big Sky Golf Club.

I have heard many things and read reviews about this course so I was looking forward to playing it. The pictures and reviews didn’t do it justice. You have to play there to appreciate the golfing experience, from the ambience, majestic views, immaculate course condition and impeccable service.

An attendant approached our vehicle as soon as we parked and asked if we were carting. When we said yes, he said here is your cart! It was a well equipped one with phone chargers, club and ball washers and even a cooler halfway filled with ice which kept our water nicely chilled! The front played fairly slow but we didn’t mind because it gave us lots of opportunities to take selfies and glory in the fact that it felt like we’re far away and yet less than 3 hours from home. We played ahead of the foursome ahead of us on the back but we realized we should’ve stopped for food inside the clubhouse. We were both getting hangry so I called the pro shop to see if there was a beverage cart in the afternoon but because they are short staffed so wasn’t available on Mondays and Tuesdays. The girl at the pro shop, Jacqueline, however, met us on hole 11 with an assortment of sandwiches within 5 minutes! We couldn’t believe how quick she showed up and how much we needed to eat. We went inside the restaurant for some refreshments after a wonderful game and was served by Lynette. She was super friendly but not effusive. I was presented with an assortment of handpicked flowers from the patio in a sidecar glass when she found out it was my birthday! It was adorable and the thought was much appreciated! Corry, the head pro, was also a pleasure to deal.

The golf course was challenging but fair. The tee boxes, fairways and greens are kept neat and watering stations throughout.

Overall, this was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed. So many things and thoughtful acts that made my birthday one to remember for a long...

I want to be fair but after hearing what a great golf course this is for the past 20 years My wife and I were extremely disappointed. No doubt you cannot beat the scenery and the layout is just fine. BUT I thought the course conditioning was average to poor at best. No employees at the bag drop when we pulled up and when I mistakenly put my clubs on a cart that had a reserved sign on the seat I was told by the late arriving staff that I must move my clubs to his cart rather than him moving the reserved sign. He walked away and left me to move the clubs. Off to a bad start!

I can accept that we had to hit off the 20 year old rubber mats at the driving range rather than grass but the range balls had to be as old as the mats. Everything in the range area was tired looking and in poor condition. No starter on duty so we had to work with other golfers on the practice green to figure out the playing order. Putting green and all regulation greens ultra slow by my standards.

We were playing with her friends from Virginia and she has already reviewed the course and detailed the issues we had playing behind an eight-some with four golfers (apparently they are internet influencers) and four filming crew or hangers on. In fairness the eightsome kept up but that was because the pace of play was so slow. Good news was that we had no Issues with mosquitoes which can be a problem there. Bad news was that because we were in carts (walking would have been preferable given the pace) we had to endure the exceptionally rough cart paths. I don’t think they have spent money repairing them since opening the place years ago.

So all in all I think this was once a great course but has lost its shine and is not worth $190 for a 2:30 tee time. Maybe we are just spoiled because we play probably the best maintained golf course in BC at Morgan Creek. Next trip to Whistler I will save the long drive to Pemberton and back and play the Chateau or the original...

I have a long history with this course, having worked here and played the course extensively 20 years ago. The overall facility now fails to live up to the expectations that come along with charging a premium for a golf experience.

Our tee time was at 9:10 am and we arrived at the course hoping to grab a bite to eat, only to learn that the restaurant didn't open until 11 am.

Overall, the staff experience was average at best. No outside staff to greet you and take care of your bags and pro shop staff seemed annoyed to be there. The only saving grace was the starter, a lovely woman who's name I didn't get who explained the ins and outs of the course.

The course conditioning has declined markedly over the years. The greens were fine but the tee boxes were extremely chewed up and there were a number of dead patches and 'ground under repair' areas in play. The thing that stunned me the most was that as of 9:10 am none of the bunkers had been raked. This is inexcusable for an expensive, destination golf course.

The last straw was that when I went into the pro shop to provide some feedback regarding our experience I was told that there was no one I could speak to. This was a Wednesday afternoon at 1 pm and apparently there was not one person in a leadership role who I could express my disappointment to.

Big Sky wants to be part of any golf vacation through the Whistler area but they have forgotten how to create a meaningful golf experience for their guests. 20 years ago I would have made the 40 minute drive from Whistler to Pemberton and chosen Big Sky over Nicklas North 10/10 times. Now, it pains me to say, it's just not worth the money...