In the heart of Canadian Wine Country, Les Furber’s 1990 design is arguably his best, featuring a well-routed golf course over some dramatic Okanagan land, with depression areas, rock outcroppings, and some pretty hilly terrain in spots.
Front Nine
The uphill 1st kicks off the day, and on the scorecard claims the “hardest hole” on the courseLooking at the green complex at the short par 4, 2ndOne of the issues at Fairview Mountain is visibility off the tee, as showcased at the par 3, 3rd The downhill par 4, 4th features a nice tee shot looking towards Osoyoos and the American BorderAn interesting tee shot from a left tee box to the fairway angled to the left, the first par 5 at Fairview Mountain bends up the hill to the rightOne of my favorite holes due to the simplicity, the par 4, 6th is a stunnerA weird tree obstructs the view at the par 3, 7th, the longest par 3 at the 227 yard one shotterGood variety here as the second par 5 on the front side bends up the hill to the leftA beautiful green complex closes out the front nine, with the 10th tee in the background
Back Nine
Perhaps the most beautiful hole on the golf course, the mid length par 3, 10th starts the back nineLooking at the par 5, 11th from the top of the hillThe par 4, 12th features one of the best green complexes on the courseOne of the biggest issues at Fairview Mountain is the grassing lines in the fairway, as shown here on the 13th, where the fairway feels half of the size it should be. Nevertheless, the 13th is a good hole up the slopeA beautiful tee shot at the par 4, 14th otherwise ruined by treesFrom the tee at the 178 yard, par 3 15th you can see the green contoursThe 16th is described on the card as a “Fairview favorite,” the long par 4, 16th features a beautiful downhill approachGoing back down and up the valley the 16th (and 11th) goes through, the par 5, 17th swings up the hill to the rightAnother awkward tee shot comes at the final hole. It could be easily solved with some tree management, but otherwise a beautiful hole
Overall, Fairview Mountain is a solid golf course. Is it Canadian top 100? No, but it’s not that far off. With help on grassing lines, a chainsaw in some spots and some shrub management in front of some of the tees, Fairview Mountain could be a legitimate contender. Right now, it’s probably in the 130 range, but good grassing lines alone move it to the top 110.
Outside of that, however, there is quite a good mixture of holes, and it’s Les Furber at his least goofy. The holes are well routed to utilize the natural topography, and not two holes feel the same. if you’re ever in the South Okanagan area, Fairview Mountain is the course of choice.
