Looking so good at this age requires a little extra work now and then.
At 120, Victoria Golf Club is the oldest course in Canada in its original location. It is also in the middle of a project that will help retain its pristine appearance well into the future.
Work is underway at the Oak Bay course to restore the edges to sand traps which abut the fairways and greens on holes three through six.
“Being that it’s kind of a historic course, we’re trying to restore some of the bunkers to the way they used to look back in the ’50s,” said general manager Scott Kolb.
Similar work was done last fall on the first and 17th holes.
“What happens over time is that the edges – similar to your own gardens – get trimmed every year, (but) after 50 or 60 years the edges have gone past where they used to.”
At the same time, liners are being installed and steps are being taken to improve drainage on the course.
With a price tag of more than $200,000, it’s not a cheap undertaking.
But the A.V. Macan-designed course won’t be drastically altered by the project.
“(It’s) nothing exciting in the sense that we’re changing much, it’s just trying to bring it back to what it used to look like,” Kolb said.
However, he added, the course’s playability will be much improved, especially in the summer months.
reporter@vicnews.com