He Says: Golf in the Mountains

Aug 23

Aug 23 He Says: Golf in the Mountains

Our two weeks in the Rockies brought with it a chance to try something new - golf among the mountains. The Canadian Rockies are home to a few of the most famous and scenic golf courses in the country. Being in the heart of tourist country meant that golf didn’t come cheap… but I managed to take advantage of some afternoon deals at Kananaskis Golf Club and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Kananaskis Golf club has a fascinating history - long regarded as two of the best courses in Canada, a 2013 flood completely destroyed all but a few of the 36 holes. After spending a few years trying to figure out what to do, the club had some help from the government to basically rebuild from scratch. The courses reopened last year and if someone hadn’t told me you wouldn’t have been able to tell.

Before and after the re-build at Kananaskis

Looking back from the 5th green at Kananaskis Lorette Course

Tee shot on the par 5 15th - pick a spot in the mountains and swing away!

Jasper Park Lodge has long been regarded as one of the best courses in Canada. Legend has it that designer architect Stanley Thompson climbed nearby Pyramid Mountain, notebook in hand, and laid out the course. A crew of 50 people took two years to blast and clear the land to allow the course to take shape.

The 16th green at Jasper (the putt missed)

The Par 3 9th hole - 220 meters - normally a 3 wood but with the elevation and 70ft drop it was a 7 iron!

Teeing off down the famous 14th hole - the green is by the gap in the trees on the left, but the smart way to play the hole is down the right

Removing forests to build a fancy golf course is a reminder of how far National Parks have come from being a playground for the rich to being focused on preserving the natural beauty - no way would this course have been built today which makes it even more special. See below for an aerial shot from our hike up Tunnel Mountain of Banff Springs Golf Course to see how it fits in the surrounding landscape.

From the top of Tunnel Mountain looking at Banff Springs golf course

Both courses were amazing experiences in a surreal settings...hard to get too frustrated if you just lift your head up a few inches and take a look at the surroundings!

A few other fun tidbits about mountain golf

Both courses were at ~5000 feet altitude, which means the ball flies further - something I haven’t experienced before. At Kananaskis I had no idea and proceeded to hit it over 6 greens in my round...even at Jasper I struggled to aim short and let the thin air carry the ball back.
If you hit your ball in the woods, don’t even think about going in to look for it unless you’re ready for a bear encounter. The golf carts came equipped with bear spray, and we were told at Kananaskis that there had been a lot of bear activity. No pressure!
For some reason the putting greens at the mountain courses were impossible to read...some say they slope away from the biggest mountain, some say towards the nearest lake, whatever it was I had a tough time reading anything!

A few bonus photos from my round at Tobiano Golf Course in Kamloops - while not in the Rocky Mountains the dramatic elevation made for a stunning afternoon. Also the hardest golf course I think I’ve ever played!