Banff Alberta Canada Golf Trip
T&L Golf, July 2007 & Golf Magazine, July 2005
Damn, just the picture makes you feel small and insignificant, doesn't it? Valley Of The Ten Peaks, Banff National Park
Budget Banff
T&L Golf, 7/07
The Place Since the 1920s, this mountainous area an hour and a half west of Calgary has been a magnet for well-heeled visitors, but it can be experienced more modestly. The area has seen numerous courses added in recent years, making it one of the leading golf destinations in the country.
Playing: The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course. Stanley Thompson's masterpiece forces golfers to choose between being hypnotized by panoramic views of the Rockies or by the grandeur of the course itself. Nowhere is this more on display than at the fourth—the aptly named Devil's Cauldron—one of the finest one-shot holes in the world. $181. 403-762-6801, www.fairmont.com.
#4
Stewart Creek Golf Club In nearby Canmore, Stewart Creek has wowed golfers with its exposed rock outcroppings and natural look since it opened in 2000. Built on the site of an abandoned mining project, the course makes judicious use of its bunkering and elevation changes. $113-$158. 403-609-6099, www.stewartcreekgolf.com.
Kananaskis Country Golf Course Kananaskis offers breathtaking mountain scenery coupled with two courses created by Robert Trent Jones Sr. $77. 403-591-7272, www.kananaskisgolf.com.
Staying: Falcon Crest Lodge A modern hotel in Canmore with plenty of mountain ambience. $153-$180 per night. 866-609-3222, www.falconcrestlodge.ca.
Fairmont Banff Springs The splurge option. A Jazz Age railway hotel in the shadow of the Rockies. $470-$788 per night. 403-762-2211, www.fairmont.com.
Dining: Murrieta's Tucked in a majestic natural setting, Murrieta's offers up a surprising blend of seafood, meat dishes and pasta. The West Coast salmon in saffron butter is a house specialty. 403-609-9500, www.murrietas.ca. $$
Other Activities: When you're off the course, why not put up a sign that says gone fishing. Banff's Lake Minnewanka is only fifteen minutes from the center of town and is one of the best spots in Canada for lake trout. Numerous tour operators will provide guides and gear; one of the best is Banff Fishing Unlimited. 403-762-4936, www.banff-fishing.com.
From July 2005 Golf Magazine article:
The Canadian Rockies are a lot like Charlize Theron: pretty in pictures, but mind-blowing in person. An hour's drive west of Calgary, Banff is easier to reach than you think, and provides as dramatic a backdrop for golf as exists on the planet. Plus your U.S. dollar goes further north of the border, so it's also more affordable than you'd think. Now that's a real Rocky Mountain high.
Where To Play:
Fairmont Banff Springs GC (7083, 71, $145, www.fairmont.com , 403-762-6801). The first course in the world to cost over $1 million to build… when Stanley Thomspon unveiled it in 1928! Fused with the surrounding terrain rather than imposed on it, and resort-friendly for the casual duffer or downright wicked for the competitive player. Every hole is picturesque. The Fairmont also boasts a 3,357-yard par-36 9-holer.
Silvertip Resort (7173, 72, $115-$130, www.silvertipresort.com , 877-877-5444). 15 minutes east of Banff, this Les Furber design is an 8-year-old wild child. You'll have your hands full trying to keep control over the rollicking layout characterized by uneven lies, humpy-lumpy greens, and climate-changing elevation swings--it's a 600-foot drop from the hightest point at the 9th tee to the lowest at the 13th green.
Stewart Creek GC (7195, 72, $115-$135, www.tsmv.ca, 877-993-4653). The first of two planned courses at Three Sisters Mountain Villiages. The namesake mountain range overlooks the course, offering enchanting target lines. Wide fairways, and an altitude-aided reachable 530-yard par-5 finishing hole.
You Do The Math:
The ball flies 10% farther up here, so club accordingly. And to convert cost to U.S. dollars, shave 20% off Canadian prices.
Where To Stay:
Fairmont Banff Springs (Spring $265-$382 USD, Summer $265-$549 USD, golf packages from $815 USD per room include daily lessons and 3 meals a day, www.fairmont.com/banffsprings, 800-257-7544). Built in 1888 as a retreat for Canadian Pacific Railway passengers, the Euro-inspired baronial castle is at once a landmark and an experience. Somehow the 770 rooms exude intimacy, with a coziness that belies its mammoth size. The quaint town of Banff is an easy walk, but it may be hard to leave the world-class spa and 12 restaurants & lounges on-site. Why visit Banff if you're not going to book a room at the Fairmont?
This place looks like it could have been used for the exterior hotel shots from The Shining (it was actually the Timberline Hotel in Mt. Hood OR). Hit the attached link to fully appreciate the Fairmont's beauty.
Worth the 4-hour drive along a highway that redefines scenic, is Jasper Park Lodge. A sister resort of Banff Springs and home to another Stanley Thompson designed gem. The 903-acre resort feels like a laid-back luxury summer camp with log cabins and cedar chalets dotting the banks of Lac Beauvert ($449 & up CDN, www.fairmont.com , 800-257-7544). The course is a 6,663-yard par 71 ($149 CDN).
Where To Eat:
The Fairmont's Bow Valley Grill is a gluttonous lunch buffet with a dessert case worth skipping the buffet for. Secluded in the woods is the Hansel-&-Gretel-esque Waldhaus Cottage, with a formal dining room upstairs and a more relaxed and family-friendly Pub below, serving authentic Bavarian fare like venison ragout, wiener schnitzel, and Chocolate Toblerone fondue. In Banff, Melissa's (www.melissasrestaurant.com) is a breakfast favorite famous for Eggs Benedict with Canadian back bacon, while Earl's (www.earls.ca) is an upscale institution in Canada's Western provinces and now making inroads into the U.S. It's popular, so go early.
Further Distractions: Knock 'em dead at Fairmont's 5-pin bowling alley after a few Labatt's. Take a 45-minute drive up to Lake Louise for limpid emerald water, backed by towering Victoria Glacier. Resembling a Hollywood movie set, it's an idyllic spot to enjoy a hike, canoe trip, horseback ride, or picnic. Rocky Mountain Raft Tours offers one and two-hour rafting trips down the Bow River which shove off right below the Banff Springs Hotel. No roiling whitewater, just a leisurely bob alongside Tunnel Mountain, the Hoodoos, and majestic Mount Rundle. A two-hour drive but a world away is the Columbia Icefield, on the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks. Hop a ride on an all-terrain SnoCoach (in shirt sleeves in the summer) for a fun and informative 90-minute spin on a glacier 5 times the size of Manhattan. Bikers can choose from 4 guided rides ranging from easy to aggressive, with the entry-level 1-hour tour covering 3 miles along the Vermillion Lakes.
Fat Guy Research: Here's a good article on the architecture of Banff Springs GC: http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/canada/banffsprings1