Alberta Bound
Debbie Redmond - Glenview Travel
I love the Rocky Mountains. I love the clear blue sky and the emerald green lakes and I never get tired of sight of the snow capped peaks which seem to rise up to meet you as you drive the highway into their midst. I never fail to get excited as the great mountains begin to tower ahead as the Yellowhead winds its way ever closer to the entrance to Jasper National Park gateway to the Rockies.

As the stands of pine get thicker and the terrain rises and the road seems to climb endlessly it hardly seems likely that anyone would find a place in this vast wilderness to build a golf course. But there are three spectacular courses worth playing and around which to build a holiday full of fresh air, golf and a commune with nature. This is a true Canadian experience, and adventure all rolled into one. A vacation filled with the chance to see pristine forests, lakes so green and water so crystal clear you can see all the way to the bottom and this is only the prelude to your round of the day.

As we drove into the town site of Jasper, the river roaring on the left, I scanned the right bank of the highway for wildlife and was not disappointed. Uncommon for us city dwellers, but a daily occurrence for the locals, there was a herd of elk gazing calmly undisturbed on the roadside. We took the turnoff over the river towards Jasper Park Lodge and up to the first golf course.

Jasper Park Lodge is set on the shores of Lac Beauvert - "beautiful green lake" aptly named for its luscious colouring, about two miles from the centre of Jasper. It was built originally for the rail travellers but as the train runs less frequently it now caters to coach tours, and independent automobile traffic. Situated on the acres of property is the superb 18-hole golf course - one of two in the Rockies designed by Stanley Thompson. At 6663 yards, par 71 it is a challenge well worth trying.

The course was originally built for opening in the summer of 1925, and recently the Fairmont chain has spent a great deal of effort authentically restoring it using the old plans so it now appears much as it did back on opening day. It is a well-established course with plenty of bunkers, water and trees to keep you on your toes. My favourite hole is the eleventh, a par 4 requiring a perfectly straight tee-shot right toward the heart of Pyramid Mountain. The vistas are beautiful from the many elevated tees and it is sometimes hard to keep your concentration particularly if a party of elk suddenly decide to wander across the fairway against your approach shot.
















Non-resident guests can play the course, although for a premium charge. Off-season rates start including power cart at $99.00 with in season rates $175.00 (mid June to September) Twighlight rates are the best value and with the long summer nights it is possible to tee off till 6pm. The hotel offers packages including meals and golf but there are also plenty of other local accommodations, from cabin colonies such as Tekerra Lodge, to hotels like the Sawridge, The Athabasca, and the Tonquin.
Hard to believe that there could be still more spectacular scenery, wildlife and golf but there most definitely proved to be. We travelled south along the Banff Jasper Highway 93 marvelling in the beauty and stunning scenery. We saw the magnificent Mt Edith Cavell as we left Jasper following our route alongside the Athabasca River. We came to the famous Columbia Icefields, where the glacier tumbles toward the highway. We wound our way passed Saskatchewan Crossing, the junction of the Thompson Highway from Rocky Mountain House, and on to Lake Louise after negotiating the Bow Pass. We saw Mountain Goat as specs of white against the high cliffs they scramble upon, we saw the fleeting back of a Black Bear disappearing into the forest, and we saw several handsome fully racked bull Elks out for an afternoon forage as we turned onto the 1A on our final leg to Banff.

The Town of Banff is situated at the base of Mount Norquay on a bend of the Bow River. It is a much more commercially established town site than Jasper, and its main street, Banff Avenue is crammed with plenty of boutiques and restaurants. There are dozens of hotels, The Inns of Banff Park, The Mount Royal, Charlton's Evergreen Court, to name a but a few. The jewel of the town is the rambling old grand Dame, described by some as a baronial castle, nestled high above the thundering Bow River, The Fairmont Banff Springs. This is another of the railway hotels built early in the 20th century and is the home of the second Stanley Thompson golf courses.

Similar to the Jasper layout, the course winds its way along the valley between the mountains, sometimes straight below the mammoth rocks, sometimes along the mighty Bow River. There are 27 holes here, each providing its own unique challenge. My favourite hole is the 8th, a par 3, on the Stanley Thompson course. It requires a tricky shot from an elevated green across water to a heavily bunkered green.
The scenery from the tee box is breathtaking and the reward for reaching the green is a veritable thrill.

There is a fine golf academy at the course, and the Tunnel 9 is perfect for anyone intimidated by the length or slope of the Stanley Thompson. The green fees as with her sister property at Jasper, are available to non-guests at a premium and range with power cart from $85.00 to $180.00, the Tunnel 9, $50 to $85.00.

We spent some time after golf enjoying a gentle hike on a well-marked trail above the town of Banff under Tunnel Mountain. Then we headed further south just to the outskirts of Banff National Parks to Canmore.

Canmore was until recently a sleeping mining town of several thousand people. There has been a huge surge of building beneath the Three Sisters Mountain close by the Canmore Nordic Centre, which was built as a site for the Calgary Winter Olympics.

The development includes new housing, shopping and hotels and has spread across the Valley to the north side of the Tran Canada highway. It is in this location high above the valley floor that you will find the awesome Silver Tip Golf Resort.

Breathtakingly beautiful aesthetically, it also provides a worthy challenge for any willing to tackle the 18 holes carved out of the mountainside. A total of 5 tee box placements make it possible for a level playing field for the novice or the scratch golfer. The vistas and the shot making will be memorable for all who play.

I never get tired of the mountains. It is hard to imagine a more perfect way to spend a well-deserved vacation. The panorama etches in my mind and the golf is a happy by- product of the coming together of nature and the man's desire to create the most perfect golf hole. The three mountain courses, a chance to experience Canada's Rocky Mountains: unforgettable, unbelievable, go soon.