Kananaskis Country course returning in ’18
Promising signs emerging as work continues on post-flood restoration
There is still no consensus on the best nickname for the steep steps that lead to this rediscovered tee.
Some members of the restoration crew at Kananaskis Country Golf Course have coined it, Stairway to Heaven. Others prefer, Heart-Attack Hill. Whatever you call it, take it from me … When the twin tracks at Kananaskis Country reopen in 2018, you absolutely must climb to the back deck on the sixth hole of the Mount Kidd Course, an elevated launch-pad that was in the original design drawings but hasn’t been accessible for many, many years.
“Now, with the stairs there, it’s going to be a great opportunity for people to see what Robert Trent Jones originally had in mind,” said Darren Robinson, general manager at the 36-hole facility.
“You’re at an elevated vantage point with this long, looming Par-5 stretching out in front of you, with a creek along the lefthand side, with a bright white fairway bunker in the distance to your right, with Mount Lorette being somewhat of your backdrop to that hole. It’s just spectacular.
“And once the time comes to be able to hit a golf shot from up there … Typically, when you’re at a lower elevation, you’re seeing that ball climb up to the mountain. But now, starting at elevation, you’re going to see your ball climbing over the mountain ranges, and that’s going to be a pretty neat sight.”
It’s been nearly a year since the rebuild of flood-ravaged Kananaskis Country Golf Course again received the green light after an independent review of the project.
Restoration crews have made impressive progress since the getback-to-work good news was delivered on Sept. 30, 2015.
There is now grass growing from tee to green on more than half of the holes on the Mount Lorette layout.
If you spied a snapshot of, for example, the short-and-sweet sixth assignment on that side, you might figure you could book a tee time for tomorrow.
That’s not the case, but they remain on track to reopen both loops in the spring of 2018.
“We’ve just got smiles pasted ear-to-ear on our faces, seeing this evolve back into a golf course again and seeing the lush fairways and greens and tees,” Robinson said.
“When the first grass went down, I think that’s when it started to feel real.
“Before, you’re moving around dirt and all that and you see the vision and the outcome in your mind.
“But being able to see it with your eyes, it’s a totally different experience, seeing green grass on the ground.”
And what can golfers expect to see when they finally return to K-Country for another round?
This is a restoration project, so there won’t be any major surprises.
In fact, you’ll likely need a really sharp memory — or before-and-after photos — to even notice any of the tweaks.
The mountain scenery, of course, remains as spectacular as ever.
Maybe even better, since you haven’t yet been treated to the panoramic look-see from the top of that steep staircase on Mount Kidd’s sixth hole, which now shares a back tee with No. 3.
“We’re restoring the design and, at the same time, taking the opportunity to make tweaks where you know they’re going to make a difference to playability, to enjoyment, to maintenance, to all those types of things,” Robinson said.
“I think various people, depending on their intimacy with the courses, will notice some things here and there.
“But more than anything, I think people are going to just know that it looks and feels and plays better than it ever did before.
“They might not be able to pinpoint why, but the experience is just going to be even more heightened than what they ever experienced out here before.”