Ben Magnuson, founder of Fairways, on a golf course at sunset
Founder

Ben Magnuson

Fairways

Founder of Fairways and creator of the Beat the Course Golf Channel. Ben has spent years playing, filming, and writing about golf courses across Western Canada.

Ben Magnuson is the founder of Fairways, a multi-course golf membership built for golfers who want to play a wider variety of great courses in a single season.

He started the Beat the Course Golf Channel in 2020. It began as a passion project with no real plan behind it, just a way to keep playing while he built his career. It turned into a deep dive into the industry. The channel gave him the chance to play some of the best tracks in Canada and to build real relationships with the people who run them.

Why he built Fairways

After years of working closely with courses across Western Canada, Ben kept seeing the same pattern. Prices were climbing, tee sheets were packed, and nothing looked likely to slow down. Golfers were spending more time sorting out where to play than actually playing.

Becoming a father sharpened the problem. With less time available, the rounds he did play had to be worth it. That is the idea Fairways is built on. Fewer wasted Saturdays, better courses, and a season that is actually planned instead of scrambled together.

What he writes about

Ben writes course reviews and golf travel pieces focused on Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The reviews come from rounds he has played himself, and from conversations with the operators, superintendents, and pro shop staff who know these courses best.

He covers what a course is actually like to play, who it suits, and whether it is worth building a trip around.

Background

Experience in the game

Beat the Course Golf Channel

Founded the channel in 2020 and has been reviewing courses across Canada ever since, on camera and in writing.

Relationships with courses

Works directly with course operators across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, and every partner course on the Fairways roster is one he has vetted.

Building Fairways

Founded and bootstrapped Fairways, the first multi-course membership of its kind in Canada, and leads the partnerships behind it.

Recent writing

Course reviews by Ben

Honest reviews of the courses on the Fairways roster and beyond.

Course reviews

Reviews of the courses on the Fairways roster, and others worth planning a trip around.

Read the reviews

A better way to play

One membership, a full season, and access to a curated set of great courses.

View memberships
More on why Fairways exists in our story, or meet the rest of the team.