Alberta’s Golf Getaways

 

With more than 284 golf courses in diverse settings – Alberta lays claim to six of Canada’s top courses.

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Stanley Thompson | Bragging Rights | Plenty of Daylight

Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club

In Alberta, the golfing standard was set in 1925 when Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club opened to immediate national acclaim. Four years later the world marvelled as the Banff Springs Golf Club — the first-ever $1-million course — was christened by the Prince of Wales I.

As elite courses, they created a template that mixed challenge, beautiful scenery, and fun. Today, 284 Alberta courses (94 per cent open to public play), use that standard in earning worldwide applause.

It’s a province for memories: where tee shots fly from 5,100 ft. (1554 m) above sea level at Canmore’s SilverTip; and bounce along the moonscape at the Badlands in Drumheller.

Where to begin? Head to Waterton Lakes Golf and Club. Designed by Canadian icon Stanley Thompson, Jasper and Banff’s creator, it opened in 1929. In Alberta’s southwest corner it’s fun, not too tough, with mountain vistas, trees, and abundant glimpses of wildlife. To the east the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club greets golfers with lush fairways, all lined with mature trees, strategic water hazards and views of the mighty South Saskatchewan River below its scenic bluffs. Northward, the Badlands of Dinosaur Trail Golf & Country Club await. The front nine is parkland; the back nine unforgettable. Pack plenty of golf balls as this desert-style target course has blind shots and large carries over wasteland.

Golfing at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course

Just south of Calgary, Heritage Pointe Golf and Country Club was a favourite stop of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour in the late 1990s. Superb conditioning and challenge distinguish all 27 holes — a treeless desert-style nine and two river valley courses. Minutes south, D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club is a layout low handicappers love. With rolling coulees, major elevation changes, and slick greens it’s exhilarating. To the west, the 36-hole Kananaskis Country Golf Club dazzles. Renowned designer Robert Trent Jones says it’s the best natural setting he’s ever worked with. Mountain backdrops, rivers, and forest shape the award-winning Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd courses.

Entering the millennium, Golf Digest ranked the Canadian Rockies the 27th best golf destination worldwide. Now Stewart Creek Golf Club in Canmore adds to the lustre after placing second in the ranking of new Canadian courses for 2001. Built on a spent coal site, the first tee, 100 ft. (30.5 m) above the fairway offers a unique target line — a restored mine shaft. Wide fairways, 35 pot bunkers, and mountain vistas turn golfers’ heads.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Golf Course, Banff National Park

Next stop is the course at the Fairmont Banff Springs. A masterpiece in 1929, it had a $4-million makeover in the late 1990s. Today it offers 27 holes, a charming clubhouse, and spectacular views of the castle-like hotel that looms above the 14th hole. Three hours north, Jasper Park provides 18 strong golf holes that good players appreciate. Score Golf has named it the No. 1 golf resort in Canada the past six years. Photographers say the 14th tee box at sparkling Lac Beauvert rivals Pebble Beach for natural golfing beauty.

The Alberta PGA calls Alberta Springs Golf Club a hidden provincial treasure. Minutes west of Red Deer, APGA members have been tested here for their pro cards. Trees, water, solid bunkering, and four tee boxes make it fun for all players. North at Wolf Creek Golf Resort, many of today’s PGA Tour stars once played this Scottish links-style course, which is so natural looking that many give Mother Nature full credit for its design. And for something different, Pheasantback Golf Club measures in at just 6,100 yards. With water on almost every hole, and a tumbling links style design, it’s been voted one of Alberta’s Top 10 Must-Plays.

In the Edmonton area people brag about The Ranch Golf & Country Club, voted one of Canada’s top 100 courses, only a few minutes from West Edmonton Mall. At Goose Hummock Golf Resort, in Gibbons, north of Edmonton, water’s the name of the game. Fifteen of 18 holes have water hazards to test a player’s shot-making and nerve. Northern Bear, the third Jack Nicklaus signature golf course in Canada, opened southeast of Edmonton in 2002.

Athabasca Golf & Country Club, Hole #3

One hour north of Edmonton, the Athabasca Golf & Country Club teems with wildlife. Carved through forest, the 18-hole course runs along the Athabasca River valley, and includes many elevation changes, including a 150-foot drop to the signature Par 3 third hole. To the west, players at Grande Prairie’s Dunes Golf and Winter Club love the treed Forest nine and the more open and hilly Dunes course. In summer players enjoy 18-plus hours of daylight — time to go around three times.

In many pockets of the province are “Play and Stay” programs which package golf properties with partners, ranging from luxurious resorts to guest ranches and budget hotels.

Alberta has more than 25 sample itineraries that span the province. Discover the other scenic drives with detailed trip planning advice.