Fairmont Banff Springs – North America’s Most Beautiful Golf Course?

It’s rare in life when things that have been hyped up still exceed your expectations. I had seen the pictures and expected some amazing scenery at Banff Springs Golf Course. My expectations were blown away. Not only was the scenery another level, but the course itself turned out to be one of the top courses I’ve ever played.

The Fairmont Banff in Alberta Canada is a destination for travelers from all around the world. People flock here in to see the beauty of Banff National Park just a few hours Northeast of Calgary. For many, the turquoise waters of Lake Louise are as stunning of a place as they will ever see. Others are hitting the trails hiking to the back country tea house and other chalets in some of the most beautiful forests in the world.

Perched on the edge of this amazing wilderness is the small town of Banff. Banff sits at an elevation of around 5,000 feet with a population of only about 8,000 people. The town itself was named back in 1884 by George Stephen who was the president of Canadian Pacific Railway. It was a nod to his birthplace near the town of Banff, Scotland. Like many railroads of the time, the Canadian Pacific Railway would build hotels and the company built the Banff Springs Hotel back in 1888.

The Fairmont Banff Springs now, the hotel sits at the confluence of the Bow River and the Rundle River and is truly an amazing sight as it sits among the grandeur of the surrounding mountains of Banff National Park. Additionally, the hotel’s name is a nod to the natural hot springs that flow from Sulphur Mountain and are actually piped into the hotel.

In 1910, Scottish Professional Golfer, William Thompson was brought in to design a golf course. He did and just a year later a 9-hole course with sand greens opened. Just 8-years later, Donald Ross was brought in to design an 18-hole layout for the hotel. Then, in 1927 golf course architect Stanley Thompson was chosen to design and re-route the Banff Springs Golf Course. It seems he had such great success in designing Jasper Golf Course up North, the Banff Springs hotel wanted to to design what was called “the final word in golf.”

The course has a hosted a list of celebrities as well as some of the top golfers in the world. That includes time spent at the course by Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. As well as a skins game played in 2006 that included Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, John Daly, Stephen Ames and Sergio Garcia. A second skins games was hosted about five years later.

The Fairmont Banff Springs of today has two golf courses. The 18-hole Stanley Thompson Design and an additional 9-hole course called the Tunnel Mountain 9. The crown jewel and a must play is the Stanley Thompson 18-hole championship course. It’s a golf course that is built on a piece of land unlike anywhere else in the world. The course rolls through the valley with holes running along the crystal clear Bow and Rundle Rivers. It’s not necessarily a mountain course. It’s a course surrounded by mountains.

Make sure to arrive early and look around the clubhouse. The views from the clubhouse restaurant are amazing. So, plan to spend a few minutes before or after your round to relax and take in the scenery from the large windows.

The Championship course is the Stanley Thompson Course. It’s a Par 71 layout that plays just under 7,000 yards from the tips. There are a lot of sets of tees. So, you will have no issue finding your favorite yardage. From the forward tees, you can play in the 4,500 yard range. The

course incorporates a lot of the local geography into holes with all 18 holes having names. You’ll see names like Peechee, Rundle, Gibraltar and the famous par 3 fourth named the devils cauldron. This par 3 is arguably one of the most scenic par 3’s anywhere. You get tee off from an elevated tee box down to a punch bowl green with the iconic Mount Rundle in the background.

It can’t be said enough times that the golf course offers postcard views on every tee box. That includes a lot of amazing wildlife. That includes elk, deer and many others species. The wildlife is prevalent. As a matter of fact, it’s so prevalent that the their is a local rule that if your ball strikes an elk, deer, or other animal (or gets close to them) you get to replay your shot with no penalty. That rule turned out to be well exercised the day we played as quite a few “dangerous elks” were spotted near balls sliced way out into the woods. Speaking of views, it’s certainly has to be one of the few golf courses where tourists are whitewater rafting down the rivers that border some of the holes on the course.

From the first tee shot, this course is an adventure and a walk through the lush forests of the Canadian Rockies. Number one is a great starter with a downhill slight dogleg left. Number two is a mid-length par 3 with amazing mountain backdrops. The third hole is a par 5 that many call their favorite hole. The fourth is the signature hole and will be a memory you take with you no matter your score. Holes 8 through 15 hug the crystal clear river with mountain vistas on every turn. The routing then turns back toward the clubhouse and the Fairmont Banff hotel. An insider tip is make sure to go all the way up the mountain and play the black tees on number 15. It takes you up to a high elevation tee shot with more of those amazing long range views.

Banff Springs is a golf course with well over 100 years of history. If you find yourself in or around the Calgary area, it’s worth the drive to get to Banff and play the course. If you do, you’ll certainly be treated to scenery and golf that will last a lifetime.

There’s no doubt that Banff Springs Golf Course is in my top 10 courses of all time. Honestly, it’s in the running for top 5. Who would have known that this tremendous layout should’ve had a place on my bucket list golf courses. A course like this just couldn’t be built anymore because of it’s pristine national park like location. If you have any reason to head to Calgary, make sure to play Banff Springs Golf Course.

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