We have played beach golf, mountain golf, desert golf, and ocean golf. Nothing looks like this. Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada has been on our bucket list for a long time.
We have not played it yet but we are going at some point and that is not a question. When multiple people who have played Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, and courses all over the world say the same thing unprompted, you pay attention. The single most spectacular setting they have ever played. More than Pebble. More than Bandon. We wanted to give you everything we know before we get there ourselves.
THE COURSE
This Is The One You Need to Play
Devil’s Cauldron - Hole 4 (Banff Springs Golf Course Official Website)
Banff Springs sits inside Banff National Park about 90 minutes from Calgary. Stanley Thompson designed the original 18 holes in 1928 and in 1989 a second nine called Tunnel Mountain was added giving you 27 holes on the property.
Book the Stanley Thompson 18. That is what people travel from around the world to play, that is where Devil's Cauldron lives, and Golf Digest named it one of the best courses in Canada. Also remember that elk have the right of way on the course because it sits inside a national park.
Devil's Cauldron is one of the most famous par 3s on earth.
Hole 4. Downhill par 3 from a tee box 60 feet above the green. The tee shot must carry a glacial lake with Mount Rundle rising directly behind it and six bunkers surrounding the green. Golf Digest named it one of the 18 most beautiful holes in the world. Every person who has stood on that tee says the same thing. You cannot do it justice with a camera.
THE NUMBERS
Better Value Than You Think
Green fees for the Stanley Thompson 18 run approximately $529 CAD per round at peak season which comes out to roughly $385 USD at the current exchange rate. I like to call this the American discount when I go to Canada.
The Canadian dollar is weaker than the US dollar right now which means everything up there costs less than the price tag suggests. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is the iconic place to stay with off property options in Banff town if you want to bring the nightly cost down.
BEYOND GOLF
Banff National Park is World Class
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are two of the most photographed places in North America and both are within an easy drive of the course. Johnston Canyon is a short hike through limestone walls with waterfalls at the end of it.
This is the kind of trip where non golfers in your group will be just as excited to go as the golfers and that matters when you are trying to get everyone on board.
THE INSIDER
Book Early & Go in the Summer
Banff Springs Golf Course (Banff Springs Golf Course Official Website)
The Stanley Thompson 18 opens in early May and runs through late September with June through September being the sweet spot for weather and conditions. Peak summer tee times fill up fast so book your round as soon as you book your flights.
Build a full Canadian Rockies golf trip around this
Silvertip and Stewart Creek are both stunning public courses about 20 minutes away in Canmore. Jasper Park Lodge is a four hour drive north through the Rockies and ranks among the top 50 courses in the world. If you are going this far you might as well make it a full week.
NEXT WEEK
Your Thursday Edition of The Turn
Oceanfront suites, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Arnold Palmer all in one trip. Next week we break down the ultimate Florida golf getaway at Hammock Beach Resort.
See you next Thursday.
Beau
