Time for a little compare and contrast exercise. Pemberton Golf and Country Club, located a 25 minute drive north of Whistler, BC, in the Pemberton Valley, provides us with the oppotunity to compare and contrast the virtues of Pemberton GCC with that of Furry Creek GCC. I won't waste your valuable time reiterating the experience at Furry, for you can well waste your time quite well by yourself reading it below.
Hitting my second shot on a par 4 at Pemberton GC. Notice the glider in the background. 
- At Pemberton GCC, walking, is optional!
- At Furry, youze gots to ride dawg. Put some spinners on dem wheels and style!
- At Pemberton, the green fee is $55, and the marshals are nice to you. Actually happy to see you. Happy you've chosen their course. Happy that you're spending your dough at their gin joint. At Furry, you're down a c-note and up to here with attitude before you've but titanium to surlyn.
I'm quite up for the occassional fleecing, but fleece me nicely, or I ain't never comin' back. - Happily, you won't get fleeced at Pemberton, unless that is you've encountered a bit of a chilly morning and need to avail yourself of one of the fine outergarments avialable in the homey proshop. But here's a cool thing about Pemberton and the valley in which it lies. It's a lock that you'll have temps at least five to eight degrees higher than those forecast for the lofty heights of Whistler Village. You might wake up to frost on the window in Whistler, but don't worry about any nippy delays when you arrive in Pemberton.
- At Pemberton, the first hole eases you into the round with a dogleft left par five, reachable in two if you keep the ball down the right, giving yourself a view of green around the tall stand of pines that punctuate the left center of the fairway.
- At Furry, it's sink or swim from the ski jump first tee. Careful you don't break your leg on the way down. Good thing you have that cart to get you to the ambulance.
- At Pemberton, the tees, fairways and greens are finely maintained bent grass, and while the attention to detail could be taken up a notch, I think those who own and manage Pemberton know it's place in the BC golf world.
- At Furry, they too know they're place in the BC golf world, and Iron Fist is more than happy to tell you about it.
Now that we've compared and contrasted, Pemberton left me with a few sharp memories that I'll carry with me. One, Pemberton makes golf fun, the way it should be for the average player. Some short par fours, a couple that can be reached from in one, and the freedom to spray the ball a bit, go find it, and hit it again. Keeping it in the short stuff isn't always what my game, and perhaps yours is about, so you can still post a respectable score even if you haven't hit it like the Funky one. Second, the 10th hole is bordered on the left by a small airport, which provided golfers with a spectacular glider display all afternoon long. So if you're not playing well, look to the sky, and perhaps you'll be entertained.
Four! (Maybe I shoulda yelled 'two'!") The airport ran along the left side of the 10th hole at Pemberton GCC.
Pemberton GCC is semi-private, which gives the place a homey feel. The staff, each and every one we encountered, were friendly and fun. they didn't allow us to bring our own cooler along either, but at least they had a laugh about it with us. It's the kind of place you can get around in about four hours, and you'll never have to worry about the stroke-per-dollars-spent ratio. You'll even feel welcome in the clubhouse for after-round pitchers, while you settle your bets and talk about playing there again the next day.
Pemberton Golf and Country Club provides a lower-cost, but higher enjoyment alternative to most of the venues found in and around the Whistler area.
While Pemberton GC may not share the high degree of maintenance found at neighbouring Big Sky GC (though Pemberton GC is no goat track by any means), what it does share is the same spectacular valley scenery. There is something truly impressive about seeing your ball rise and fall against a mountainous background - it provides you with a totally different perspective on your ball striking.
