There is quantity, with 10 courses clustered within about an hour of drive-time. There is quality. There are some bargains to be found. And thanks to Kamloops’ location along the Trans-Canada Highway, there are more options for food, drink and accommodations than you would usually expect to find in a city with fewer than 100,000 residents.

As Brice MacDermott of Kamloops Golf & Country Club sums up: “Who doesn’t love to see the sun?”

Good point, Brice.

Kamloops has an obvious divot-digging headline attraction in Tobiano, a postcard-worthy property west of the city where Thomas McBroom left 18 challenging holes tee-tering on the sagebrush-covered bluffs.

Tobiano has been a fixture on SCOREGolf’s best-of lists, including a perch at No. 24 — fifth in B.C. — in this latest edition of the Top 100 golf courses in Canada.

Don’t expect to shoot your career-low on your first look, but head professional Shannon McGeady is not exaggerating when she refers to the 7,267-yard brute as “one of the most beautiful facilities in the country.”

“The natural terrain has just made for some spectacular views and some amazing golf holes” McGeady says. “Overlooking the Kamloops Lake with the mountains in the background … You see the photos online, but it’s something that you don’t believe is real until you actually

get out here and see it.

“But it’s real. It really is that amazing. When you come out here, it’s so much more than what the pictures can tell.”

Talking Rock, has its share of eye-candy, too. This could be B.C.’s most under-rated layout, and it won’t be long before you realize why this retreat — the Quaaout Lodge houses 70 rooms, a spa, a restaurant and bar and the golf shop — is a source of tremendous pride for the Little Shuswap Nation.

Whether you’re arriving from Kamloops or choose to overnight on site, you’ll want to tee off with plenty of battery juice left in your camera-phone. The signature shot at Talking Rock — designed by the duo of Wayne Carleton and Graham Cooke — is No. 15, a dramatic downhiller where the scenery is so distracting that you’ll barely notice a hat-trick of bunkers that guard the putting surface. The par-3 assignment stretches to 210 yards, although it certainly won’t play that long.

“You start making the climb when you get to No. 13 and No. 14, and then when you get to the 14th green, you step out of your cart and turn left and there’s just the most breathtaking view of the lake and the mountains,” Blair says. “And then it becomes even more evident when you get to the tee at No. 15. You look down and you just have this completely uninhibited view of the entire Little Shuswap Lake, right from the channel to your left all the way to the town of Chase to your right and the beaches and the

cottages and everything. It’s just phenomenal.

“You just kind of stand there in awe.”

When the national golf spotlight does shine on Kamloops, Rivershore Golf Links is usually smack-dab in the middle of it.

The handiwork of Robert Trent Jones, this track has challenged the rising stars on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and also been site of most of Golf Canada’s marquee events, including both the Men’s and Women’s Amateurs.

“One of the beauties of Rivershore is that it’s suitable to everyone — from players at the entry-level to players who have played on the PGA Tour or will play on the PGA Tour, through many of the championships that we have had the pleasure to host,” says general manager Kerry Ward. “And 2018 will bring another crop through with the hosting of the B.C. Amateur Championship. We’re really looking forward to that.”

If you’re cruising along the Trans-Canada Highway, you can spy a glimpse of Rivershore on the opposite of the South Thompson.

If you arrive by air, the obvious first stop is Kamloops G&CC, a parkland-style charmer that was overhaul-ed a few years before the club celebrated its centennial. The 18-hole hangout has been located at its current location since the late-1940s.

With direct flights available from Calgary, Vancouver and now Toronto, you can hit the tarmac, fetch your clubs and be cruising on a GolfBoard — or, if you prefer, walking or driving a golf cart — at this semi-private setup just a short while later. Trust us, Kamloops G&CC will exceed your expectations.

“I’m biased, but I think this is one of the nicest golf courses that most people have never played or haven’t heard of,” MacDermott states. “It really is a hidden gem. When people come see it and experience the playability and how user-friendly it is, they certainly put it on their list.”

Perhaps, then, it’s time to put Kamloops on your list. And not just as a place to gas up your vehicle and get some grub in your belly.

With its desert-like surroundings, Kamloops is also a hotspot for hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor adventures. Golf season can last up to eight months, making this an option for when your clubs would otherwise be collecting dust in the garage or crawl-space.

“For so many people, Kamloops is almost like a pit-stop town — ‘Oh yeah, I stayed there on my way to Vancouver or on my way to Calgary.’ Well, why didn’t you bring your sticks?!?,” MacDermott says. “We want to get people to think about us as more than just a pit-stop. Yeah, it can be that — it’s easy-in, easy-out — but it can be so much more if you’re willing to spend a bit more time.”

Just don’t forget your Oakleys and sunscreen.

“There’s such great variety of golf, from the parkland settings to being on the lake to playing through the pines,” Ward says. “And the nice thing is that the weather is generally so great and so consistent.”

Sun and heat.

Who’s going to complain about that?