Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club

Overview: On Vancouver’s southwest side beside the Fraser River, Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club presents a private championship setting. A. V. Macan designed the current championship course, using an east-west routing, plateau-style greens and the wooded river landscape to create a demanding parkland test. The official scorecard lists par 73 and about 7,045 yards from the black tees. The course is long by historical standards, but its defining challenge is the angle and elevation of the putting surfaces.

History: Shaughnessy’s story began in 1911, while the current New Course opened with a grand ceremony in 1960. Macan’s design was later adjusted by Geoffrey Cornish and Norman Woods, with further restoration work aimed at recovering original features. The club hosted the 1966 Canadian Open, when Doug Massengale won, and has continued to hold major amateur and professional events. The existing course therefore combines early club history, Macan’s mature design and later restoration.

Did You Know? Macan used plateau-style greens at Shaughnessy, and the club’s own course notes preserve his explanations for individual holes. On the 10th he accepted a long walk between green and tee because the topography mattered more than convenience. That small design decision captures the course’s character: strategic landform and shot value take priority over a perfectly compact routing.