Golf In The Canadian Rockies: Great Courses Beneath Grand Cathedrals

Andrew Penner

Posted 2004-09-24

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. -John Muir - The famous naturalist who wrote those words back in the early part of the century, John Muir, was not a golfer. In fact, he probably never picked up a club. And, quite likely, he never felt an ounce of remorse about it. But he was in love, and infinitely in tune, with the mountains. Of course, chances are, if he ever fancied a game, his course of choice would have cruised beneath a banner of soaring peaks. It would have darted through the whispers and whines of a million pines. It would have been a course cradled in the majestic might of the mountains. He would have done well to choose a course in the Canadian Rockies.

If you ask the game’s globetrotters where the best collection of mountain golf courses are located you would get a variety of answers. Colorado, with its inspiring cluster of layouts above 8,000 feet, would draw some attention. China, which is currently entrenched in a major golf boom, and specifically the Yunnan province, would get a nod or two. There you can play courses over 10,000 feet, like the phenomenal 8,548-yard, par-72 Jade Mountain Snow Dragon Golf Course. (At that elevation, the ball flies 20% further, so it plays more like 7,000 yards. Still, not really a bunter’s delight). Other areas that would get consideration would be Argentina, where the chiselled, far-away peaks of Patagonia slice through the clouds above the fairways, the Austrian Alps, where many of the famous ski resorts have begun to realize that golfers spend like skiers, and Virginia, where the famous Cascades Course at The Homestead rumbles through the Allegheny Mountains. But, of all the mountainous regions known for game, the Canadian Rockies might be the most beloved.

There are over 1500 named peaks in the Canadian Rockies, over 60 ranges, and 200 passes. Parading beneath this enormous swath of buckled bedrock are over 30 golf courses and, regardless of the course you choose, British Columbia or Alberta, on every green, every tee, you will be awed at the collective might of the 145-million-year-old Rockies. (By the way, that’s relatively young for mountains.)

How do you build a course that can match this grandeur? How do you build a course that is worthy of these surroundings, this majesty? The short answer: you can’t. But in the case of Stanley Thompson, arguably the best mountain golf course architect who ever lived, you can form a route, draw on the intensity, the beauty that these awesome mountains present, and stir the golfer into thinking that he has indeed, discovered golf heaven on earth.

The flagship courses in the Canadian Rockies will forever be Banff and Jasper. Built in the Golden Age of golf course design – the 1920s - blasted, chiselled and, finally, caressed into existence by hundreds of horses and hardworking hands, Banff and Jasper are unequalled in their design merits, beauty, and sheer pleasure to play.

Banff’s 4th hole, the famous Devil’s Cauldron, is drenched in the sublime – Golf Magazine considers it to be one of the 18 greatest holes in the world. Behind the glacier-fed lake and the amphitheatre green that’s surrounded by gnarly fingers of sand, a gargantuan, 3,000-foot wall of rock explodes into the sky. For pure drama, there surely can be no finer hole in golfdom.

At both Banff and Jasper, the genius, Thompson, sculpted bunkers and mounds to mimic the surrounding peaks. He aligned tees and fairways with mountains, inviting, daring the golfer to gaze up and consider the handiwork. Masterfully, with deliberation and unparralled vision, he amplified the enjoyment of the game. In Banff, mountains such as Rundle, Cascade, Norquay and Tunnel are the prominent pillars. In Jasper, the golfers’ eyes are drawn to Pyramid, Edith Cavell, Signal, Old Man, and Mount Colin – some of the highest peaks in the Rockies.

Of course, on every layout in the Rockies the mountains take centre stage. In Kananaskis, where two Robert Trent Jones gems lie in wait, the courses, fittingly, are named after the massive mountains that stand like sentinels, sovereign kings, above the fairways. Both the Mt. Lorette Course and the Mt. Kidd Course are pristine examples of how mountains instil a presence, a power all their own, when one walks the montane grass or manicured greens beneath them. So dwarfed, so small are we compared to them! But, for the love of your score, try not to be too intimidated by these looming towers. Both courses here are stern, playing over 7,000 yards from the back tees. Both feature massive greens that tilt and twist around crystal clear ponds and puffy, cloud-shaped bunkers. And then there’s the peaceful chattering of the Kananaskis River, which darts in and out of play throughout. Regardless of your score, you’ll love the value here. Green fees are a modest $75 ($55 for Alberta residents). For one of the premier mountain golf facilities in the world, that’s more than fair.

From Calgary, if your destination is Banff (and, for so many, it is) you’ll need one more diversion - besides Kananaskis - to appease your golfing hunger. Canmore, hard on the heels of Banff’s international acclaim, is bursting with peaks and potential pars. There are three courses here that are sheltered by the jagged walls of rock that burst from the valley floor. Terraced on a series of benches and woven through alpine forests beneath the impressive Three Sisters massif (a collection of peaks that, with a little creative looking, appear to be three nuns praying) is the Stewart Creek Golf Club.

Built atop old mine shafts (the club installed a grid-like fabric beneath some fairways to ensure that, if the ground gives way, carts and golfers won’t sink!), Stewart Creek was the coming out party of local architect Gary Browning. Soft lines, minimal mounding, plenty of room to play, and some very unique green sites characterize Browning’s work on the par-72, 7,150-yard layout. The par-3 17th, for example, features a green sandwiched between exposed bedrock and deep bunkers.

Silvertip, the other new resort course in Canmore, is on the opposite side of the valley and, in many respects, is opposite in character to Stewart Creek. Where Browning went for the soft and spacious approach, Furber went all out in creating a course filled with dramatic rockwork, gut-churning drops in elevation, tight fairways, waterfalls, plenty of mounding, and demanding shot requirements (many regard Silvertip as the most difficult course in the Rockies). But here, difficulty and sheer exhilaration go hand in hand. From the elevated 4th, a 450-yard hero-maker, golfers blast their tee shot straight toward the shark-tooth summits of the Three Sisters across the valley. After a round at Silvertip the extreme elevation change (you’d need a couple of days and a pack to walk it) and the spectacular vistas will certainly be etched on your brain for a long, long, time.

Before heading out of Canmore, you’ll want to gaze upward for one last look at the Fairholme Range, which includes peaks such as the Squaw’s Tit (might not take a mountaineering degree to figure out what it resembles) and Grotto Mountain. Actually, the best way to take in these peaks is by pegging it up at the Canmore Golf Club, easily one of the most underrated courses in Alberta. This is a classic, walkable course that, not surprisingly, sees plenty of play from the locals.

Across the divide into British Columbia are the great courses on the windward side of the Rockies. In Golden, for example, a terrific 18-holer that’s routed along the mighty Columbia River, the peculiar phenomenon of Mount Seven is always a topic of conversation. In spring, for a few short weeks, the snow high on the peak melts to create a perfect “7.” Appropriately, architect Les Furber routed a couple of holes on Golden’s stellar back nine that cruise down the hill and allow golfers to soak in the springtime spectacle.

Further south, near Radium Hot Springs and Invermere, it’s the glacier-clad peaks of the Purcells that dominate the skyline. Located right smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountain Trench (the western boundary of the Canadian Rockies), the lakeside town of Invermere has become a golf destination on its own. Here three great courses – Eagle Ranch, Greywolf, and Copper Point – are the main attractions. Eagle Ranch, located on the bluffs above town, is easily one of the most varied and interesting layouts in the Rockies. Taking full advantage of a number of ravines that criss-cross the property, Robinson crafted a nervy layout that features a number of do-or-die shots. The 16th, a par-3 with a green surrounded by sandstone formations, is one of the prettiest – and most intimidating – par-3s you’ll ever play.

Speaking of great par-3s, the infamous “Cliffhanger” par-3 at Greywolf is fast becoming one of the icons of Canadian Rockies golf. No story about Greywolf, a truly spectacular Doug Carrick course, is complete without mention of this incredible cliffside hole. “Irretrievable” is an understatement when it comes to shots hit short or left of the green (for obvious reasons). Located high in the Purcells, this mountain-encased course might be the most visually impressive layout in all of Canada.

The new kid on the block in this area is Copper Point, another course sketched on the tables at Browning Design. Here Browning’s associate, Wade Horracks, sculpted a “minimalist” design (just “spoonfuls” of dirt were moved around) that feels like it’s been there for years as opposed to months. Bunkers were edged by hand into existing knolls and holes follow natural troughs and depressions. In terms of mountain gazing, the highlight is soaking in the views of Mt. Nelson from, appropriately enough, “The View,” Copper Point’s signature restaurant.

Down the valley a stopover to play the two courses at Fairmont Hot Springs, Riverside and Mountainside, is also well worth your while. Pondering the peaks and swapping golf stories in their famous odourless hot springs is always a great way to close out the day. Or, golfers can head up the valley to play two great courses at The Radium Resort – The Springs Course and the shorter Resort Course – and get a similar day’s end experience in Radium’s giant hot pool.

Few areas in the Canadian Rockies have been more enriched with the game than Kimberley and Cranbrook. Within the past few years three courses have popped up in the area, all receiving numerous accolades. The newest layout here, and a course proudly embraced by the locals for its great value, is Bootleg Gap. Named for the “gap” in the mountains to the west of the course, Bootleg Gap is a 27-hole, Les Furber design that does not disappoint. The back nine plunges into the St. Mary River Valley and, together with the views of “The Gap,” has a genuine away-from-it-all atmosphere.

St. Eugene Mission, another course that makes great use of the St. Mary River, is easily one of Les Furber’s best layouts. Besides the incredible variety of holes, the payoff here is a great closing stretch, which features the ancient Mission building – and the pyramid-like tip of 9,336-foot Mount Fisher - in the background.

Kimberley’s Trickle Creek is also Les Furber’s handiwork (perhaps we should call this the “Les Furber Passage?”). At Trickle Creek, a course with a definite “alpine” feel, golfers get treated to an energetic layout that rolls and tumbles through thick pine forests at the base of North Star Mountain and the Kimberley Ski Resort. With a lofty 4.5 star rating from Golf Digest and a new Marriott Residence Inn next door, Trickle Creek is the quintessential mountain resort course.

Finally, an hour to the east and on the other side of Mount Fisher is the booming mountain town of Fernie, which boasts one of the oldest sites for golf in the Rockies. Established in 1918, The Fernie Golf Club offers golfers a glorious opportunity to stroll fairways and gawk at the serrated mountains that envelop the property. Tough, but not too tough, walkable, but not overly short, this par-70, 6,556 test is about as charming and soul-soothing as golf gets - a fitting testament to all that is the Canadian Rockies.

True, in the Canadian Rockies there are no holes that skirt a foam-flecked sea or cruise through authentic linksland – characteristics that often comprise the world’s most sought after golf destinations. But there are mountains. Oh yes, there are mountains; hundreds of peaks that split the skies. There are glacier-fed rivers and streams that splash into the valleys, bubbling up in hot springs here and there. And there is golf. Great golf. Regardless of where you are in the Canadian Rockies, for it’s a vast area of rousing beauty, you can go in confidence, knowing that, between the courses and craggy cathedrals, you’ll have a feast. You can know that, in the thin mountain air, the ball will want to fly. And you can know that your tired, over-civilized bones have found a home.

Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is rich forever. -John Muir-

Andrew Penner is a member of the Canadian PGA and a freelance writer. His book, One Flew Over The Caddyshack, is available at Amazon.com.