If you are a golfer living in Alberta you have to get out to one of the two Fairmont courses in our province at least once in your golfing life. Miss it and you just might regret it. Check that-you will regret it.
If this trek hasn’t happened, now is the time to take advantage of a great opportunity to play both tracks and see for yourself why people rave about Banff Springs and Jasper golf courses.
I had the chance to play Jasper last year and I have no excuse for waiting so long to play this brilliant piece of golf architecture. It was the second time I had played there after living in Alberta for years. Earlier this month I teed it up at Banff Springs, something I had not done in about 10 years. Each one brings plenty to the party.
The Banff Springs course began in the early 1900’s with W. Thomson coming in to help CP rail build a golf course and then in 1915 Donald Ross came to town to add another nine holes.
CN Rail had enlisted Stanley Thompson to build their gem of a course up in Jasper and in 1928 Stanley was asked to come to Banff and work his magic.
The bunkering and routing are his trademarks and Banff has plenty of reminders. Thompson held true to his philosophy of letting nature be your architect. There are examples at almost every turn.
“ When you think of three, four and five, three went out and turned right into the massive rock shelter base of Rundle Mountain and four was right at the base of Rundle with the shot over this glacial pond that was there and five sort of routed you back in,” said Steve Young, Director of Golf at Fairmont Banff Springs.
Thompson wasn’t done though and he added 13, 14 and 15 to make better use of the land and provide the stunning views on each hole. That worked out pretty much as planned.
In 1989 the Tunnel nine was built and the new clubhouse was added, changing the routing which is still being played today.
Now back to the deal. Under the Stanley Thompson Challenge you can play both these courses for $299 dollars and then give your feedback on which you prefer under this very friendly rivalry which started a few years back. The challenge involves Albertans from north and south, along with anyone else who wants to join in. Of course some players might have a hometown bias as always is the case with an Edmonton/Calgary rivalry in all sports. No matter. Play the courses and decide for yourself.
“Play us and then go to the other course and play it, just to reinforce that their home course is the best course,” said Young. “It did really have an effect because we found that people that never played Jasper played it and loved it. They love us a little bit better but they loved Jasper,” said Young with a bit of a smile on his face. “It was the same thing when people who never played Banff and we just appeased them to death and we won them over.”
There is the friendly part of the rivalry showing up.
So just like heading to two different art galleries to see masterpiece after masterpiece, you as a golfer can drink in all the outstanding work of two Alberta courses which will likely never be replicated.
For more info on the challenge go to [email protected].
You have to give this a shot!
