Amaruk Golf Club

Amaruk is at Happy Valley-Goose Bay, in the interior of Labrador, and it is one of only two golf courses in the whole of that territory.

It exists because of the air base: the course was cut to give American servicemen at Goose Air Force Base and British servicemen at the RAF unit somewhere to play. Sources differ on the date, the 1950s in some accounts and 1969 in others, and the club’s own history is the place to settle it. What is agreed is that it is nine holes with eighteen tee positions, so a full round plays as two circuits at different lengths, to a par of 71 over around 6,300 yards.

What it asks of you

Nine holes over rugged sub-arctic ground among the spruce, at a latitude where the growing season is a few weeks long and the black flies are a genuine consideration in June.

The terrain does the work. This is not a manicured course and does not try to be, but the greens have a good reputation locally and are described as among the best in the province, which on a course this remote is a real achievement of maintenance rather than of design.

Playing eighteen means playing the nine twice from different tees, and the second circuit is enough of a change in angles and lengths to stay interesting.

What players say about it

The course is public but very remote, so the review record is small. The notes below summarise recurring themes across the public sources that exist. They are other people’s opinions, not ours: we have not played the course, and we do not name or quote individual reviewers.

What comes up in its favour

• The greens are the most praised element and are described as among the best in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The setting among the spruce on rugged sub-arctic ground is unlike anything else in Canadian golf.
• The course is welcoming to players of all standards and is a genuine community facility rather than a destination.
• Simply that it exists at this latitude, and has since the air base days, is what most accounts find remarkable.

What comes up against

• The season is very short, late May to mid-October, and shoulder weeks are cold.
• Black flies and mosquitoes in early summer are a real problem, and reviewers say so.
• Nine holes played twice will not satisfy a visiting golfer looking for variety.
• The review record is tiny, and any summary of it, including this one, rests on very few accounts.

Getting there and when to go

Happy Valley-Goose Bay is reached by air from St. John’s, Halifax or Deer Lake, or by the Trans-Labrador Highway, which is a serious drive. There is no casual way to get here.

The course is open from late May to mid-October. Late July to early September gives the best combination of weather and fewer insects. Booking is through the club.

Green fees

Rates and tee times are handled by the club at community levels. See the provincial golf association’s listing.

How this page was made

The factual frame comes from public sources: OpenStreetMap for the location, Wikipedia and the provincial golf association’s listing for the history and the course, and those sources for access and season. The opinion section summarises the public reviews that exist, read in September 2026; there are few of them, we report recurring themes rather than individual voices, and we do not reproduce or attribute quotes.

We have not played this course, and nothing here is a substitute for that. The club has not paid for this page, has not seen it before publication and has no say in what it says. If you know the course and something here is wrong or out of date, write to us and we will correct it.