Craving a good walk glorified by grade-A mountain scenery? Golf at a Canadian ski resort between winter seasons.
Verdant greens, ice-cold creeks, sandy bunkers, in-your-face peaks—it’s all par for the course at Canada’s ski resorts in summer…and spring and autumn. Slopeside golf is in full swing April through October. In fact, swing season runs longer than ski season. Starting with Honey, I’m in a business meeting in Banff, here’s where to plan your next lie.
THE WEST
Banff, Alberta
Your ball flies further at higher altitude, where decreased air density exerts less drag. Banff is a prime test zone: a 250-yard drive at sea level translates to 265 yards in the highest town in the Canadian Rockies, a six-percent boost. Occupying prime terrain beneath craggy Rundle and Sulphur mountains, Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course has stylish bunkering, contoured greens and stretching par-threes. Memorable holes include the famous Devil’s Cauldron 4th hole, a 199-yarder with a 30m dive from tee to slanted green over a crystal clear yet menacing pond. Make up for any miss-hits on the 15th, originally tee no.1, with a swing off the high elevated rockface, arcing over the Spray River and (with luck) onto the peak-ringed fairway. There’s liquid courage available directly by the tee box at the Waldhaus Restaurant, the original 1920s clubhouse.
The Vibe: From Scots in plus-fours to Americans in chinos, this bucket-list course attracts all kinds of golfers who come for its grade-A mountain scenery.
The Aprės: Stanley’s Clubhouse does a powerful twist on the classic Arnold Palmer using freshly brewed Fairmont Lot 35 tea and locally distilled Park vodka.
The Local Knowledge: A decade before Stanley Thompson designed his 18-hole masterpiece here, a nine-hole course was built by First World War P.O.W.s interned at a nearby camp.
The Stats: At Fairmont Banff Springs, the Stanley Thompson course has 18 holes and Tunnel Mountain offers another nine. Just 20 minutes away, Canmore’s Stewart Creek and Silvertip golf courses feature 18 holes each.
Jasper, Alberta
This wild and crazy national treasure ranks consistently in the top 10 courses in Canada, and often in spot no.1, for good reason. The rustic yet luxe Jasper Park Lodge course makes a jammy backdrop for rounds on this Stanley Thompson-designed meisterwerk. You’ll struggle to keep your head down where hazards include coyote, elk and the occasional bear. The bucolic National Park setting belies the course’s many technical aspects, lovingly restored in the 1990s using Thompson’s 1924 blueprints. Today the JPL’s undulating bunkers, elevated tee boxes, and dramatic holes lie in near-spiritual alignment with distant mountain vistas.
The Vibe: Ironed lumberjack shirts and buffed biceps come to the fore. Spirits are high in anticipation of the historic course’s centennial in 2025.
The Aprės: Join the achiever’s club by booking a session at the new golf simulator, The Bear’s Den, open year long. Or keep it real with a paddle in a rented canoe ‘round Lac Beauvert, G+T in hand.
The Local Knowledge: Ask for the Birthday Round discount for Albertans. (Must be played on your birthday with Alberta ID.)
The Stats: Eighteen rugged holes and rustic-chic cabins for an ultimate Canadian getaway.
Panorama, B.C.
The outdoor pools at Panorama village are dip and dunkable year-round, but they’re just the opening act. The Greywolf Golf Course is where to dive into the deep end: gorgeous cliff-edged greens, steep elevation changes, and airy drives that arc over babbling white-water creeks. The snow-tipped Purcells frame the 6th Cliffhanger, a par-3 with a plateau green that falls away theatrically on three sides, and a green that’s not much comfort, either. Down the road in Invermere, steep ravines overlooking Lake Windermere dominate Eagle Ranch Golf Resort’s 18 holes and Copper Point’s two champion courses, the Ridge and the View, where broad fairways and teasing bunkers shake up a spicy cocktail of challenge vs. playability.
The Vibe: Owners of second-homes at Lake Windermere who have tired of spending $1,000 to tank up their twin-engine MasterCraft wake boats.
The Aprės: Families and friends hit the Pano pools before and after rounds, or head for the warm water and beautiful beaches at Windermere. For a post-links adrenaline hit and a spectacular view, pull up a chair at the Cliffhanger for a Greywolf Caesar.
The Local Knowledge: Don’t get psyched out, says Panorama local Pat Gillespie, president of Alberta Alpine. “Greywolf’s layout is world class and challenging but does not play with difficulty because of its wide fairways.”
The Stats: The golf season runs from late March through October, with nine courses within 30km of Panorama. From posh to public, no matter your level, Invermere-area options abound.
Whistler, B.C.
The magnificently marketed multi-sport-world of Whistler-Blackcomb puts golf front and centre between winter seasons. This alpine playpen is home to four championship courses by four different designers, each with bent grass greens, knockout views, and totally varied plays. Architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. bit off a lot when he carved the par-72 Chateau Whistler Golf Club into the juiciest bits of Blackcomb Mountain—and Fairmont guests enjoy nearly unlimited golf during their stay (a few conditions apply). Nicklaus North, the first course to which Jack gave his own name, is nestled between Green Lake and the glittering River of Golden Dreams. Arnold Palmer designed Whistler Golf Club’s par-72, 6,722-yard course to wend and bend through handsome old-growth cedars and firs. It’s 30 minutes to Pemberton for Big Sky Golf & Country Club’s 18 holes, plus their five-hole, par-3.
The Vibe: PGA-grade golfwear, Arnold Palmer iced-teas mixed with lemonade, and loads and loads of powercarts.
The Aprės: Here’s an idea: Book a languid massage and spa session at Scandinave, followed by a few martinis at Mallard Lounge.
The Local Knowledge: Impress yourself on the blingiest 19th hole around. Heli-golf includes a scenic 20-minute flight up to Mount Currie and a half hour of eco-friendly ball bashing from B.C.’s highest tee.
The Stats: With these five stunners available for play in one trip to Whistler, you’d better get your body in golf shape, you may be playing up to 36 holes in a single day.
Kimberley, B.C.
Kimberley’s Trickle Creek tees off into a Les Furber fantasy, high by the rugged slopes of North Star Mountain—one of seven courses (make a week of it!) dotting the mountainous region between Kimberley and Cranbrook, two towns only 30 minutes apart. Let Trickle Creek’s 11th hole set the tone: a doozie par-3 with a pine-edged tee box hanging high above the green 175 yards away. Two more courses, Purcell and Bootleg, are minutes from Kimberley and, just outside Cranbrook. St. Eugene’s stunning 18-hole par-72 follows the contours of the St. Mary’s River Valley, draped in lodgepole pine woodlands beneath Mt. Fisher. Don’t miss the Norman-Woods magic at Kokanee Springs either, where broad fairways dance across a lake-and-glacier-dappled postcard.
The Vibe: Kootenay cool, Rockies relaxed.
The Aprės: Raise a few steins in Kimberley’s downtown Platzl, where the oompahpah beat goes on.
The Local Knowledge: From 1912 to 1970, St. Eugene Mission housed a residential school for indigenous children. Today, the St. Eugene Resort hotel, golf course, and casino is operated jointly by three First Nations communities.
The Stats: Kimberley and Cranbrook boast seven championship courses.
THE EAST
Tremblant, Quebec
Tremblant’s mountainside golf truly is devilish. Le Diable’s demonic bunkering and waste areas will test your mettle and your patience. Plus, there’s more sand than you’ll see anywhere outside of the Caribbean, especially on the front nine. The mountainous back-nine climbs through yards and yards of dense, mature forest. Bonus: six sets of tees allow you to choose your challenge. Nearby Le Géant started the golf boom at Tremblant when it opened in 1995. Designed by Canada’s Tom McBroom, the course rewards good shots and punishes those who come up short. Flat lies? Don’t count on it. But with five sets of tees, Le Géant lets you tailor the course to your abilities. Overall it’s a big, beefy course that lives up to its name, and then some.
The Vibe: Think Pine Valley with a Québécois accent. Golfers are a worldly mix of cultures, accents and golfing abilities. Translation: loads of Americans.
The Aprės: Like a box of crayons, the village at Tremblant is especially colourful in summer: buskers, strollers, live music in the square. For happy hour, the patio at Resto-Bar Le Shack is definitely where it’s at.
The Local Knowledge: No matter how narrow and intimidating, there is still lots of grass out there to play on. Just hit it straight, advise the locals. Think: classic resort golf on the challenging side of the spectrum.
The Stats: Le Maître and La Bête (truly a beast of a course) are in the vicinity as well. Check out Golf Manitou, a par-58, 3,355-yard short course ideal for novices and players looking to perfect their short game.
Blue Mountain, Ontario
Ontario’s Blue Mountain region is home to the widest vertical drop in the East. It’s also home to an impressive variety of golf courses, from full-length stunners next to Georgian Bay to the mini-putt beside the alpine roller coaster in the Village at Blue Mountain Resort. At the foot of Blue Mountain lies Monterra, Blue’s home course. While not truly a links, holes are laid out on their own, creating a feeling of splendid isolation. Another course designed by Canada’s Tom McBroom, each hole is different, and water and bunkering come into play often enough to make your round strategic. Monterra isn’t overly long, but to score well you’ll need to consider each shot’s placement carefully. About 20km from Blue Mountain is Lora Bay, a rising star on the Canadian golf scene. Beautiful Georgian Bay vistas, multiple tee decks and a challenging but fair design make it an I-wanna-come-back experience. Strategically placed bunkers and moundings frame your shots while not being intrusive. All of this is courtesy of that McBroom guy again, along with PGA player Tom Lehman.
The Vibe: Horse and apple orchard farmers, retired teachers and telecommuting Torontonians. The vibe is slow, smalltown Ontario with a jolt of fast-lane electricity.
The Aprės: Sip an Electric Blue cocktail (vodka, blue curacao and Sprite) at Jozo’s (the original “aprės-tee”). Or better yet, just brag about your round while ordering a beer—everyone else does.
The Local Knowledge: There are many fine private courses nearby if you can finagle a reciprocal: Georgian Bay Club, Oslerbrook, Mad River Golf Club in Creemore. But the funnest course on the mountain may be the par-67 mini-putt in the Village at Blue. Oh, and a last bit of advice: Because there just may be more cyclists than golfers in the region this time of year, watch out for clusters of bike-riding MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra) on the roundabouts.
