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Golf – That's One for the Ages
Copyright (c) 2007-2023 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Written by: Travel Alberta
In Alberta golf, nothing's quite as mean as the back 9 holes at Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club.
A diabolical layout routed through the coulees and ravines of Alberta's famous Badlands, players leave the course feeling like they've gone 10 rounds with an angry Tyrannosaurus rex. Silly creatures that they are, golfers simply come back for more.
In Alberta, golfers can choose dozens of courses in the gleaming Rocky Mountains, the welcoming Foothills, or the expansive bald prairie. But there's nothing as haunting, bullying, and mesmerizing - and dare I say as much fun - as Dinosaur Trail's back 9.
Located 130 kilometres northeast of Calgary, on the outskirts of Drumheller - and only a couple of Tiger Woods-like drives down the road from the Royal Tyrrell Museum - the back 9 opened to Alberta golf in 1996. While tourists come from around the world to see million-year-old dinosaur fossils and skeletons at the Tyrrell, in-the-know golfers arrive for Alberta golf's greatest nine-hole challenge.
Winding back and forth like the tail of a Triceratops, the nine holes are rugged, stark and visually intimidating - the ultimate challenge in target golf. For the record, there is a front 9. It's benign, a traditional parkland-style layout that's pleasant enough. Consider it a warm-up act before seeing the big star on stage.
"The back 9 is Arizona desert-style golf, and you have to accept it for what it is," says Phil McCluskey, the course's general manager. It's a layout that will shave about 10 strokes off any golfer's ego, says McCluskey, also a Canadian PGA professional.
"I played the back 9 the first day it opened and I lost seven balls. It's target golf, but the thing is it gets easier the second or third time around."
That's the story I heard a year ago on my inaugural visit. Two older club members joined me, and while they played senior golf (short drives down the middle) I lost a dozen balls to the next ice age, watching shots hook and slice off tight fairways and down into the coulees below.
And it didn't matter one bit. Alberta golf scenery is spectacular, and this place is evocative of a time long ago. It's where the dinosaurs lived and played, and that's terribly cool.
"The thing is we get players coming in after a round and all they want to do is talk about the back 9," McCluskey says. "Are they beat up after their first visit? Sure, but the average player just says he wants to come back. And the fact that we remain very busy tells me people love it."
As I discovered there are some things to bring. First, a sense of humour helps. Second, have lots of ammunition. You'll lose a few golf balls, although there are plenty to be found as well. (Note: while dinosaurs no longer roam the area, garter and rather large Bull snakes do, so let lost balls rest in peace.) Third, be ready for weather. In 2003, the temperature hit a baking 40C 12 days in a row. People still play, they just tend to "puddle." Oh, in the spring and fall, winds some days whip like a Texas tornado. Lastly, be ready for something wonderfully unique in Alberta golf, and the world for that matter.
Remember that little was disturbed when the course was designed. Fairways and greens were located where the landscape dictated. For example, the 11th hole slides along the Badlands on the left and has ravines jutting in and out of the fairway. This makes it critical to choose the right club off the tee. Due to archeological concerns, the hill sticking out across the fairway had to stay.
When I first played the 11th hole, I found the tee shot deceptive. The hill jutting across the fairway created an illusion that my mind couldn't decipher. The result? I thought I hit a perfect drive but instead it landed out of play, up on the hillside.
"That happens a lot," my playing companions consoled, saying it's much easier the second and third time around. It's biggest challenge in Alberta golf - why golfers keep returning.
Copyright (c) 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://www.travelalberta.com
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