Dave Barr’s Shuswap National Brings A Touchy Of European Golf To B.C.
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2026-06-15
By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
Created by former PGA TOUR player Dave Barr, the Shuswap National golf course, located just outside Salmon Arm, offers up a touch of golf not normally seen in B.C., let alone Canada.
Barr, who fell in love with the European style of links golf, sculpted this course that’s set among tall fir trees in a manner reminiscent of those layouts across the ocean. His use of pot bunkers and runways up to many of the greens exemplifies this type of design and makes for interesting non-wedge approach shots to the putting surfaces. “The back nine, especially 14 through 18,” defines that philosophy, Head Professional Body St. Martin said. “They’re kind of wide open; you can see everything, all the adjacent holes. You have the long, fescue grasses off the rough and then you have some really deep, Scottish-style pot bunkers.”
There are touches of North American golf here, too, thanks to the characteristics of the landscape. “Some areas may seem like smaller landing areas, but if you look at the hole in general, there are lots of places where you can land it, but not always where you might play it right away,” said the pro.
Perhaps The Most Photographed Hole At Shuswap National Is The Third, A Downhill Par-3 With A Large Green, But Also A Large Water Hazard Guarding The Front Side. (Photo By Gord Montgomery/Inside Golf)
This is a big course, framed in many spots by forest and mountains, that demands one stay focused from start to end. From the tips, Shuswap National stretches out to over 7,000 demanding yards, but at the same time, there is a starting point for everyone on this beautiful layout. From the most distant point, tee boxes wander down to yardages of 6,500, 5,600, and just under 4,900 yards. There are combo tees to add some yardage to those blocks.
The course itself offers several elevated tee boxes, with the most outstanding by far being the par-3 third hole. It runs anywhere from 170 yards down to 120, but given the steep descent down to the green, which is protected by a huge water hazard in front, you don’t need to swing hard to cover any of those distances. “Number three is a very popular one,” St. Martin agreed. “That’s one you see lots of images of and stuff. And then number 10 is probably the second most popular.”
That par 4 test offers up a variety of hazards as you wind your way toward the green. With a pond on the right off the tee if one chooses to lay back at 150 yards or so, you face a green that’s an uphill shot requiring an extra club or two. By the way, the green is surrounded by water, so extra care and caution are called for if you go bird hunting here.
Like many European links courses, the greens here are large with some unexpected nuances. “I’d say our greens tend to run, overall, straighter than a lot of other courses, but there are subtle breaks that take a lot of time to pick up,” St. Martin said. “We have good players, not just missing putts but missing a lot of putts.”
Shuswap National offers great warm-up areas, including a full-distance driving range, a putting green and a chipping area to get you ready to take on this taste of golf from across the pond with the addition of some North American-style play to top things.