River Bend

Stretching across Alberta's vast landscapes, from the cosmopolitan centres of Calgary and Edmonton to the legendary mountain courses of the Canadian Rockies, Alberta delivers a unique Canadian golf adventure. Alberta offers everything from Rod Whitman's contemporary masterpiece at Blackhawk near Edmonton to Stanley Thompson's timeless mountain classics at Jasper Park Lodge and Banff Springs. Whether you're seeking the exclusivity of Calgary Golf Club, the strategic genius of Phil Mickelson's signature design, or the breathtaking scenery of Rocky Mountain golf, this Alberta trip creates an unparalleled combination of great golf with jaw-dropping natural beauty that defines the true Canadian golf experience. Why Alberta Golf Will Redefine Your Canadian Experience Alberta - Where Prairie Elegance Meets Mountain Majesty Alberta's unique geography creates golf conditions unlike anywhere else in the world, stretching from Edmonton's parkland perfection through Calgary's foothills positioning to the Rocky Mountain masterpieces beyond. Your Complete Canadian Golf Collection: Five Must-Play Courses: Calgary Golf Club, Mickelson National, Banff Springs, Jasper Park Lodge, and Blackhawk Golf Club Dual Gateway Strategy: Fly into Edmonton and out of Calgary (or reverse) to minimise unnecessary travel Heritage & Innovation: Play Stanley Thompson's 1920s mountain masterpieces alongside Rod Whitman's contemporary brilliance Alberta's Must-Play Golf Courses: Five Contrasting Venues Calgary Golf & Country Club - The Holy Grail of Canadian golf, this Willie Park Jr. design from 1922 remains tricky to access with a legendary waiting list. Known as the first course in Canada to install fairway irrigation, it's where oil executives and golf pilgrims aspire to play. The 126-acre layout features the back nine enclosing the front nine in an anti-clockwise direction from the clubhouse, creating strategic angles that have challenged members for over a century. Mickelson National Golf Club - Phil Mickelson's only signature design in Canada opened in 2020 on a former farming site transformed through massive earthworks. This private club stretches over 240 acres with dramatic elevation changes, strategic water features, and Lefty's famous risk-reward philosophy. Built with prevailing Chinook winds in mind, the course includes a towering 646-yard par 5 and multiple driveable par 4s that tempt aggressive play whilst penalising poor execution. Banff Springs Golf Club - Stanley Thompson's 1928 mountain masterpiece remains the gold standard for scenic golf architecture. Set within Banff National Park alongside the Bow River, the course features 150 bunkers crafted to mirror mountain peaks, with the iconic Devil's Cauldron par 3 playing over a glacial lake beneath Mount Rundle's vertical face. Nothing prepares you for the sheer enormity and charm of this setting. Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club - Thompson's 1925 masterpiece celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025 with special programming starting July 1st. Set beside crystal-clear Lake Beauvert with snow-capped peaks aligned with fairways, this course appeals to golfers of all levels whilst maintaining architectural excellence. The par-71 lakeside layout rewards strategic thinking over brute force, with elevated tee boxes and dramatic mountain vistas on every hole. Blackhawk Golf Club - Rod Whitman's contemporary masterpiece near Edmonton opened in 2003 and quickly established itself as one of Canada's top modern courses. This public access championship layout features rugged terrain and dramatic contours that play longer than the scorecard suggests... Sample Alberta Golf Adventure: 5-Day Experience Day 1 - Calgary Arrival & Championship Golf Golf: Calgary Golf Club (advance member arrangements essential) or Mickelson National Golf Club (member guest access required) Travel: Arrive Calgary International Airport (YYC), collect rental car Accommodation: Stay Calgary (downtown or airport area hotels) Day 2 - Banff Springs Pilgrimage Golf: Banff Springs Golf Course - Stanley Thompson's legendary 1928 design featuring the iconic Devil's Cauldron par 3 Travel: Calgary to Banff (90 minutes via Trans-Canada Highway) Accommodation: Stay Banff townsite or Fairmont Banff Springs Day 3 - Jasper Park Lodge Centennial Golf: Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club - Thompson's 1925 masterpiece celebrating its 100th anniversary Travel: Banff to Jasper via spectacular Icefields Parkway (3.5 hours of UNESCO World Heritage scenery) Accommodation: Stay Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge or Jasper townsite Day 4 - Edmonton Transfer Travel: Jasper to Edmonton via Yellowhead Highway (3.5 hours through different prairie scenery) Accommodation: Stay Edmonton (downtown or west Edmonton area hotels) Day 5 - Blackhawk Golf Club Finale Golf: Blackhawk Golf Club - Rod Whitman's contemporary masterpiece (45 minutes from Edmonton) Travel: Return to Edmonton, departure from Edmonton International Airport (YEG) or Calgary International Airport (YYC) Optional Extensions: Extra Banff Day: Add a second night in Banff for hiking, hot springs, and additional mountain exploration Wolf Creek Addition: Include Rod Whitman's 36 hole venue in Ponoka -between Edmonton and Calgary Calgary Extension: Extra day for additional Calgary area courses Seasonal Considerations: Peak Season (June-August): All courses accessible, maximum daylight hours, premium pricing Shoulder Seasons (May/September-October): Competitive rates, fewer crowds, potential weather considerations Mountain Course Seasons: Jasper opens typically May 10th, Banff Springs May 9th, weather dependent Getting There and Getting About: Alberta's Dual-Gateway Strategy Dual Airport Flexibility Alberta's two major airports create exceptional routing flexibility. Calgary International Airport (YYC) offers direct flights from London Heathrow (Air Canada, WestJet), Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris CDG, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. Edmonton International Airport (YEG) provides connections through major Canadian hubs with excellent domestic service. Consider fly-in/fly-out strategies: arrive Edmonton, depart Calgary or vice versa to eliminate backtracking and maximise golf time. Inter-City Transport Options The 300km (186-mile) drive between Edmonton and Calgary via Highway 2 takes approximately 3 hours through scenic Alberta prairie. Major car rental companies operate from both airports with competitive rates and one-way rental options. VIA Rail's "The Canadian" provides rail service between cities, though schedules may not align with golf itineraries. Regional airlines offer 1-hour flights between Edmonton and Calgary for time-pressed travellers. Driving Logistics International driving permits required for rental cars. Traffic remains manageable in both cities compared to Toronto or Vancouver. Winter driving skills are unnecessary during golf season, but mountain routes require attention to weather conditions. Regional Weather Patterns Alberta's golf season typically runs April through October with potential November extensions during warm Chinook periods. Edmonton averages slightly cooler temperatures than Calgary due to northern latitude. Summer temperatures range 12-26°C (54-79°F) with dramatic daily swings. Mountain courses can be 10-15°C cooler than prairie cities. Pack layered clothing system for all conditions. Convenient Airports Calgary International (YYC): Better international connections, closer to mountain courses (90 minutes to Banff) Edmonton International (YEG): More domestic connections, direct access to Blackhawk Golf Club (45 minutes) Accommodation Strategy: Dual-City Base Planning Edmonton Downtown Edmonton hotels provide easy access to Blackhawk Golf Club. West Edmonton area hotels are also positioned strategically for Blackhawk access. Calgary Strategic Positioning Airport area hotels provide practical solutions for a starting or finishing your holiday. Mountain Resort Accommodation Fairmont properties at Banff Springs and Jasper Park Lodge deliver ultimate golf resort experiences but command premium pricing. Both Banff and Jasper townsites offer numerous alternatives from luxury lodges to family-run establishments. Canmore Value Base Canmore provides excellent strategic positioning between Calgary and the mountain courses. Vacation rentals and boutique hotels offer exceptional value whilst maintaining proximity to mountain courses, comapred to staying in Banff town centre. Fuel Up and Wind Down: Alberta's Culinary Scene Fairmont's Clubhouses Mountain resort clubhouses offer upscale casual dining with panoramic views. Banff and Lake Louise are excellent dining options. Calgary Downtown Standouts Calgary's restaurant scene rivals any major Canadian city with farm-to-table establishments and fine dining experiences. Edmonton's local craft breweries provide authentic regional experiences. Alberta Beef Experience Major steakhouses across both cities showcase world-famous Alberta beef. Prime cuts represent local specialities with exceptional quality that defines the regional dining experience. The bone-in T-bone is one of the local favourites. Alberta Golf Course Booking Strategy: Securing Alberta's Five Must-Play Legends The Big Five Booking: Calgary Golf Club remains virtually inaccessible to visitors - membership connections are absolutely essential. Mickelson National requires member guest arrangements due to its private status. Blackhawk Golf Club offers public access with 2-4 weeks' advance booking recommended for prime times. Banff Springs opens May 9th with tee times bookable 2-3 months ahead, particularly for summer weekends. Jasper Park Lodge celebrates its centennial year with special programming starting July 1st - book early for this historic season. Accessing Private Venues: A personal call or email in the proper format may open more doors than you think. Sometimes access is possible if asked for discreetly and professionally. Consider contacting club professionals or concierge services who may have established relationships. Other exceptional alternatives include Stewart Creek Golf Club in Canmore and Kananaskis Country Golf Course (Mount Kidd), both offering championship experiences with easier access. Mountain Course Seasonal Windows: Jasper Park Lodge typically opens May 10th, weather permitting, whilst Banff Springs opens May 9th. Both courses close mid-October, depending on weather conditions. Peak season (July-August) requires 8-12 weeks advance booking for weekend times. Shoulder seasons offer better availability and competitive pricing. Regional Booking Strategies: Edmonton area courses, including Blackhawk, typically allow 7-14 days advance booking for public players. Calgary semi-private courses require 2-4 weeks for weekend access. Wolf Creek Resort, between the cities, offers excellent value with 1-2 weeks' advance booking for Rod Whitman's additional designs. Multi-City Coordination: Plan Calgary Golf Club early if member access is secured. Schedule mountain courses (Banff, Jasper) for maximum scenic impact mid-trip. Save Blackhawk Golf Club for the trip conclusion or Wolf Creek Resort serves as an excellent midway point between Edmonton and Calgary, depending on your time or route. Weather Contingency Planning: All courses offer flexible rebooking policies for weather cancellations. Mountain courses are particularly susceptible to sudden weather changes. Confirm cancellation policies when booking, especially for premium mountain experiences where weather can change rapidly.

Top 100 Golf Courses of Canada 2022 Welcome to the last major chart release before we begin our next two-year cycle at the end of the year. Three Canadian tracks made it into the coveted global standings last time around and it will be interesting to see if they’ll be joined by any more layouts from the Great White North this time. For now, we’ve concentrated solely on the national listings, where there are 6 new entries, 14 non-movers, 27 courses climbing up and 53 falling down. The top three positions in our new Canadian Top 100 are unaltered, which means Cabot Cliffs in Inverness, Nova Scotia retains the No.1 spot for the third consecutive edition of our biennial golf listings. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, this 18-hole layout also occupies a place in the top half of our World Top 100 so quality golf is assured for those who make the not inconsiderable trip to play here. Cabot Cliffs Recent comments from reviewers include: “any golfer that appreciates the natural beauty of golf should put the Cliffs at the top of their list… the site that Cabot Cliffs traverses is surprisingly diverse. One expects the rolling dunescape along the cliffs but the course also moves through marshland and inland through woodlands and meadows, up and down through significant elevation change.” Rising two places to #4, the course at Banff Springs Golf Club in Alberta is looked upon as Stanley Thompson’s masterpiece. His redesign of the original layout in the late 1920s cost a million dollars, making it the most expensive course in the world at the time, but many would now consider that money well spent. Banff Springs Our well-travelled correspondent Bob McCoy posted a review last year, saying “on my list of 1,175 courses played, Banff Springs is the best mountain course in the world and is definitely in my World Top 100 list.” Another impressive upward move inside the elite top 10 comes from the course at Memphrémagog Golf Club in Magog, Quebec, climbing three spots to #9. It’s a new millennium design from Tom McBroom that was built a while back for a couple of wealthy business who wanted a tough track to test both their elite membership and the small number of guests who receive a rare invitation to play here. The next big positive moves are made further down the listings. At #35 (up ten), the course at Rosedale Golf Club in Toronto has been in play for more than a hundred years now, hosting all the national major championships in its early years, including the 1928 Canadian Open which was staged six years after Donald Ross redesigned the layout. In more recent times, respected Ross restorer John Faught has worked at the club to thin out trees, rework bunkers and rebuild a number of greens. Rosedale Moving up seventeen places to #36, the course at Lookout Point Country Club in Fonthill, Ontario celebrates its centenary next year. One of only three Canadian layouts designed by Walter Travis, the course lies just ten miles west of the famous Niagara Falls at one of the most elevated positions on the Niagara Escarpment, hence its name. Architect Ian Andrew has left his mark here in the last few years, restoring a number of the greens. Lookout Point The course at Scarboro Golf & Country Club in Toronto (up ten to #41) is A. W. Tillinghast’s only Canadian design, with the architect rebuilding the original George Cumming layout in the early 1920s. Renovation work has been carried out by a few designers since then but it’s the more recent bunker restoration by Gil Hanse and Ian Andrew that has taken the course to another level altogether. Scarboro In the bottom half of the new table, another four courses make double digit improvements on their previous chart positions. Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ontario (up twelve to #54) is home to another Walter Travis design dating back to 1922. Robbie Robinson upgraded the layout in preparation for the Canadian Open to mark the club’s 50th anniversary in 1972 and Ian Andrew oversaw an extensive bunker renovation just over ten years ago. The trademark Travis “chocolate drop” fairway mounds are long gone but the inherent character of his layout remains largely intact. Cherry Hill Described by a reviewer last year as “a real diamond in the rough,” the Algonquin Resort Golf Course in St Andrews, New Brunswick (up seventeen to #71) has been in operation for over a century. Donald Ross modified the initial layout in the 1920s and this version of the course remained in play until Thomas McBroom made modifications early in the new millennium. In 2016, a Rod Whitman redesign reinvigorated things by way of tree removal, bunker refurbishment and the rebuilding of several greens. Algonquin The Ross and MacKenzie nines at the St Charles Country Club in Winnipeg (up fourteen to #78) have been in play since the late 1920s. Mike DeVries consulted at the club for a number of years but it’s the current bunker upgrade work of Jim Urbina that has really caught the eye here. As he says: “this is the only Alister MacKenzie course in Canada, and a great Ross. This is having a Rembrandt in your backyard for years and getting the chance to restore it.” St Charles Country Club Moving up ten rungs on the ladder to #89, the course at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton debuted in 1922, with holes laid out by J. Munro Hunter, the Alberta amateur champion. Stanley Thompson was called in to remodel the layout soon after it first opened and the new course was unveiled in June 1933, six years after the architect developed his redesign plan. The club’s rebuilding its clubhouse at the moment to create an elegant and modern structure that will serve the members for years to come. Royal Mayfair Six courses drop out to make way for six newcomers though, strictly speaking, three of these are re-entries, having previously graced the national chart in times gone by. The first re-entry is Sagebrush in Quilchena, British Columbia at #18. Opened to much critical acclaim in 2009, this Rod Whitman-designed layout ran into financial difficulties and was forced to close a few years back but it’s now, in the words of the club, “accepting limited groups for a ‘beta test’ of the club’s emerging facilities for the remainder of the Summer and Fall 2021”. We can only say welcome back to one of BC’s finest golf experiences! Sagebrush Also re-appearing at #69 is the 18-hole Mt Kidd layout at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Alberta, which was devastated by flooding in 2013 and re-built by Gary Browning as part of a multi-million dollar disaster recovery programme. All but four of the thirty-six holes on site were reconstructed from scratch before the Mt. Kidd and Mt. Lorette courses could be brought back into play five years after they were decimated. Kananaskis Mt Kidd It’s been a while since Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was last in the Canadian Top 100 (#94 then #95 in the first two chart editions to be exact) so it’s more than a decade since this Bill Kinnear-designed layout gained national recognition. Robbie Robinson, Bill Robinson and Graham Cooke have all made changes down the years to a course that has hosted both the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur championships three times since the mid-1960s. The highest of the brand new entries arrives at #38 and it’s the newly opened Mickelson National Golf Club course outside Calgary that muscles its way into the standings. It took more than a decade for owner Barry Ehlert and his Windmill Golf Group to finally get this place off the ground last year, transforming what was formerly flat farmland with little movement into a big, bold stadium layout which is well-equipped to host major professional golf tournaments. Mickelson National Also new at #78, the course Tarandowah Golfers Club in Springfield, Ontario is a Martin Hawtree layout that’s designed to play firm and fast as a links-style track, with undulating bent grass fairways, pot bunkers and cunningly-contoured greens. Anybody playing here nowadays would be hard pressed to believe this property was nothing other than a family farm up until golf came along in 2006. The last of our new entries at #86 is Waskesiu Golf Course in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan. Stanley Thompson designed the layout in the late 1920s though an 18-hole course didn’t get built until 1935. The architect returned shortly after World War II to suggest improvements but not all of them were implemented. Doug Carrick consulted at the club in the mid-1990s, adding new tees to lengthen the course, along with new bunkers and a few other tweaks. To view the complete detailed list of our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of Canada click the link. Our regional rankings for ten Canadian provinces have also been refreshed. To view these revised listings in greater detail, click the following links: Alberta Top 50 British Columbia Top 60 Manitoba Top 10 New Brunswick Top 5 Newfoundland and Labrador Top 5 Nova Scotia Top 15 Ontario Top 100 Prince Edward Island Top 10 Quebec Top 30 Saskatchewan Top 5 If you have any comment to make on any of the above charts then please use the “Respond to this article” link at the top or bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Top 100 Golf Courses of Canada 2017 The spotlight falls on Cape Breton Island and the 36-hole Cabot golf facility Two years ago, when we last reviewed our Canadian Top 100 chart, we mentioned that St George’s Golf & Country Club had only just held onto its number 1 ranking position and we hinted that it might be displaced by Cabot Links this time around. Well, it just shows you should never try to predict these things because both of these courses have been toppled from the top two chart positions (each dropping a place to number 2 and number 3, respectively) by the latest 18-hole layout to appear on Cape Breton Island’s west coast, Cabot Cliffs. Some might be a little bit surprised at this move as we normally take a somewhat conservative approach when ranking brand new courses but the decision to allow a layout like this to enter such an important national chart in the top spot wasn’t taken lightly – as a matter of fact, from all the recent feedback we’ve received, it would have been negligent on our part not to have done this. And so, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Cabot Cliffs design is our new Canadian number 1 and over the last eighteen months this fabulous layout has elicited glowing comments from our reviewers, such as: “not to be missed by golfers looking for something really special,” “no weak holes, just one stellar hole after another” and “Canada’s strongest contribution to the great courses of the world.” Indeed, it will be really interesting to see where both the Cabot courses are placed when we produce our updated World Top 100 at the end of this year. Two Alberta tracks make significant moves up the listings and they’re both spectacular Rocky Mountains resort layouts which were fashioned by Stanley Thompson back in the 1920s: Jasper Park Lodge (up two to number 4) is an original design that overlooks the sparkling waters of Lake Beauvert and two years after it debuted it was followed by the redesign of Banff Springs (up three to number 5) for the Canadian Pacific Railway company, with part of a mountain dynamited to make room for all eighteen holes of the new layout. Three Quebec courses also race up the revised chart. The first of these, rising an incredible twenty-four places to number 14, is Memphremagog, an 18-hole layout commissioned by Paul Desmarais and Jean Monty in 2007. Architect Tom McBroom described it to us as “a wonderful walking course with the holes blending and flowing seamlessly from one to the next” but such is the privacy attached to this track, it’s taken the best part of a decade to realise just how good it is. The second big climber in this province lies 100 miles to the northwest, just outside Montreal, and it’s the old Willie Park Jnr layout at Mount Bruno which leaps up fourteen spots to number 18. Altered shortly after the Canadian Open was held at the club in 1922 and 1924, when Stanley Thompson added bunkers to four of the holes, the course has been further improved in more recent times by Tom McBroom. The third big mover is an Ian Andrew project on the west side of Montreal, rocketing a remarkable thirty-six places up to number 57. The Blue course at Laval-sur-le-Lac has had all of its earlier architectural features upgraded, leaving nothing of the original layout. In particular, challenging green sites have been built to encourage more aggressive play and place a premium on precise approach shots. Three Ontario courses also make noteworthy advances in the standings. Summit Golf & Country Club in Richmond Hill, laid out by George Cumming and George Lyon in 1912 then modified by Stanley Thompson shortly after, rises twelve places to number 42 and this century-old layout was upgraded recently by Doug Carrick, who remodelled three of the holes and renewed the greens and bunkers on all the other holes. The Ridge at Manitou course near Parry Sound advances all of twenty-five places to number 50 and this new millennium Tom McBroom design is set within a rugged 300-acre property, with maintained areas extending to only half of that area, leaving lots of room for nature and golf to co-exist in a wonderfully natural setting. Further down the chart, Black Bear Ridge makes a terrific jump from number 100 to 66. Situated in Belleville, 120 miles east of Toronto, the course was laid out by proprietor Brian Magee in 2005. The stated aim of the owner was to “build something simple and timeless, with great practice facilities” and now, more than a decade later, it can safely be said that he’s achieved just that. Apart from our new number 1, there are eight other new entries in our Top 100, the highest of which is the Rod Whitman-designed Links course at Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Alberta (new at number 60), where nine new holes were added to the South nine from the old 27-hole setup to form the new Links layout in 2010. The last of the newcomers arrives at number 98 and it’s Olympic View, a Bill Robinson course which is operated by the GolfBC Group and is situated on the south side of Vancouver Island, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Olympic National Park in Washington. Occupying a beautiful woodland setting, with holes routed around lakes and wetland areas in a tranquil, secluded environment, this is one of best public access courses in British Columbia. Rank/ To view further details of our newly revised Canada Top 100 rankingsclick the link. We've also updated and expanded the regional rankings for the ten Canadian Provinces. For the first time we've created a Top 100 for the golf rich province of Ontario. We now list 280 of Canada's best golf courses, which equates to just over 10% of the nation's total golf facilities. To view further details of our newly revised Canadian Provincial rankings, click the following links: Alberta Top 40 British Columbia Top 60 Manitoba Top 10 New Brunswick Top 5 Newfoundland and Labrador Top 5 Nova Scotia Top 15 Ontario Top 100 Prince Edward Island Top 10 Quebec Top 30 Saskatchewan Top 5 If you’d like to get in touch with us about our newly revised Canadian rankings then please do so via the “Respond to this article” link at the top or bottom of this page. We look forward to receiving feedback whenever we re-appraise any of our national charts so if there’s something in the above narrative we should be made aware of then by all means let us know about it. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses