Burnaby Mountain Golf Course

Burnaby Mountain Golf Course was built in 1971 on the northern slopes of Burnaby Mountain and is run by the City of Burnaby, which operates several public courses in the municipality.

It was laid out by C.E. “Robbie” Robinson, an architect who worked for Stanley Thompson before setting up on his own and who built public golf across Canada for thirty years, a body of work far less celebrated than Thompson’s and far more played.

What it asks of you

Hillside golf, which on this ground means climbs, side slopes and views over Burrard Inlet to the North Shore mountains. Tee boxes sit well above the fairways on several holes, and the drop is part of the pleasure.

Robinson kept the fairways wide, which is the right decision on a slope: the difficulty comes from the lie rather than from the width. Very few shots are played from a level stance, and the second half of the round is the harder walk.

It is not a championship test, and it is not meant to be. It is a well-drained public course on a hill, which in the Vancouver climate is worth more than architecture.

What players say about it

This is a public course with a large review record. The notes below summarise recurring themes across specialist golf sites, traveller review pages and player discussion threads. They are other people’s opinions, not ours: we have not played the course. We report what comes back repeatedly rather than isolated remarks, and we do not name or quote individual reviewers.

What comes up in its favour

• Conditioning surprises people. Reviewers repeatedly say the course is better kept than they expected for a municipal, and the drainage is specifically praised.
• The views over the inlet to the North Shore mountains are mentioned in most accounts.
• Value is good relative to other courses around Burnaby and Vancouver, and the wide fairways suit newer players.
• The staff draw consistent praise, and the clubhouse patio is well liked for a post-round drink.

What comes up against

• The fairways are severely sloped in places, and uneven lies frustrate players expecting a gentle municipal round.
• Pace of play is slow at busy times, which is the consequence of attracting golfers of every standard.
• There is no beverage cart on the course, and the clubhouse menu is described as expensive.
• The hill is a real walk, and most players take a cart.

Getting there and when to go

The course is on the northern slope of Burnaby Mountain, around twenty-five minutes from downtown Vancouver and half an hour from Vancouver International.

It stays open all year in most winters, which is the practical advantage of the drainage on this slope. Late spring and early autumn give the driest ground. Booking is through the city.

Green fees

Rates and tee times are handled by the city at public levels. See the course’s own site.

How this page was made

The factual frame comes from public sources: OpenStreetMap for the location, published architecture coverage for the design, and the city’s own site for access and booking. The opinion section summarises public reviews and player discussions read in September 2026; 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 city 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.