Kananaskis Country Golf Course
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°54′10.16″N 115°8′36.16″W / 50.9028222°N 115.1433778°W |
| Location | Kananaskis Improvement District, Alberta |
| Established | 1983 |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Government of Alberta |
| Operated by | Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Website | kananaskisgolf.com |
| Mount Kidd Course | |
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,136 yd (6,525 m) |
| Course rating | 73.7 |
| Slope rating | 140 |
| Mount Lorette Course | |
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,232 yd (6,613 m) |
| Course rating | 74.6 |
| Slope rating | 139 |
Kananaskis Country Golf Course is a public 36-hole golf course situated in Kananaskis Country, a park system west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada: in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies.
The course opened in 1983 and was purchased for $25.5 Million. The facility is located at the south of Kananaskis Village, Alberta. There are two 18-hole golf layouts, named Mt. Lorette and Mt. Kidd, after the mountains under which they play. The course ranks frequently in the top courses in Canada including the rankings of Score Golf Magazine.[1] The two courses host about sixty thousand rounds of golf annually with eighty-five percent played by Albertans.[2]
During the June 2013 Alberta floods, Kananaskis Country "sustained the most extensive damage in its 36-year history."[2]Alberta's government committed $18 million to rebuild the course and to protect it from the future flood damage.[2]
The course was built while Premier Peter Lougheed was in office at a cost of $25.5 million ($69 million in 2023) using energy resource money from the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund to diversify Alberta's economy. Since its opening in 1983, Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd has had the lease to operate the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. Kan-Alta Golf was the construction manager for the restoration of the golf course, following the 2013 flood.[3][4]
Architect
The courses were designed by Robert Trent Jones. He described the course's location in the Rockies as "the best natural setting I’ve ever been given to work with."[5] Early in his career, Jones had formed a partnership with Canadian architect Stanley Thompson, and he helped to design several courses in Canada, including Capilano in Vancouver and Banff in the Canadian Rockies. Between 1931 and 1999, Jones designed or re-designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 U.S. states and 35 other countries.[5][6]
Gary Browning was the architect who led the flood restoration project. The project upgraded the course to six tees per hole and included a very short forward distance.
Courses
The Kananaskis River runs through both golf courses.
Mount Lorette is the north course. The front nine goes through the forest and a couple of lakes are encountered starting at the fifth hole. The river is seen starting on the 14th hole and runs alongside a stretch of four holes.
Mount Kidd is the south course. The river runs along and comes into play through most of the first 12 holes before the course proceeds into the woods on the southeast segment of the property. Mount Kidd is the shorter of the courses. Holes 2 and 5 meet near a bend in the river. Mount Kidd also features the two longest par fives on the property. The course features a double green near the clubhouse. It serves the 18th of Mount Lorette and the 9th of Mount Kidd.
Course Scorecards
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 | |
| SI | 3 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Black | 73.7 / 140 | 454 | 612 | 413 | 197 | 330 | 560 | 413 | 197 | 400 | 3576 | 421 | 416 | 212 | 391 | 493 | 390 | 204 | 394 | 639 | 3560 | 7136 |
| Red | 71.2 / 136 | 429 | 563 | 376 | 183 | 291 | 501 | 379 | 176 | 375 | 3273 | 406 | 398 | 191 | 381 | 466 | 364 | 186 | 369 | 603 | 3364 | 6637 |
| Blue | M:68.8/132 W:74.9/145 | 391 | 541 | 350 | 169 | 277 | 479 | 347 | 152 | 350 | 3056 | 388 | 385 | 165 | 350 | 439 | 341 | 160 | 343 | 560 | 3131 | 6187 |
| White | M:66.2/123 W:71.8/136 | 369 | 514 | 325 | 162 | 258 | 460 | 330 | 124 | 326 | 2868 | 346 | 330 | 130 | 306 | 412 | 296 | 142 | 328 | 509 | 2799 | 5867 |
| Orange | W:67.9 / 124 | 325 | 394 | 313 | 139 | 249 | 376 | 313 | 111 | 302 | 2572 | 302 | 283 | 116 | 272 | 381 | 273 | 119 | 296 | 425 | 2467 | 4989 |
| Gold | W:59.4 / 98 | 140 | 262 | 185 | 106 | 177 | 311 | 226 | 90 | 214 | 1711 | 249 | 223 | 94 | 191 | 258 | 190 | 97 | 221 | 300 | 1813 | 3534 |
Ratings
SCOREGolf’s Golfers’ Choice Awards has recognized Kananaskis Country Golf Course as "Best of the Best" in the following categories: Best Value in the West, Best Service in the West, Best Condition in the West, Best par 4 in the West, Best Par 5 in the West, and Best Golf Destination in the West. Golf Digest rated the Mount Kidd and Mount Lorette in the top 50 Courses in North America for "Great Value."[7]
Score Golf Magazine rated this facility at 7.6400, making it among the top courses in Alberta.[1]
In 2011, ScoreGolf listed Mt. Kidd as the third Best Public Course in Alberta, with Mt. Lorette taking fifth place and Golf Week included Mt.Kidd on its list of Best Canadian Golf Modern Courses.[8] In November 2011, the golf publication, Golf Digest included Kananaskis Country Golf Course on its top 75 golf resorts biennial list.[8]