Review of Copper Point, Radium Springs

Playing from the blue tees, I drove my ball right as my playing partner James drove it to the middle of the fairway. Chris on the other hand, knocked his ball out of bounds on the right and decided to hit a provisional. When I got out to my ball, I managed to see the undulations on the fairway of hole # 1. The fairway sloped towards the center, somehow keeping the balls in play. I decided to hit a 6-iron because I couldn’t see the green. James ended up in the left bunker after hitting his second shot with a Callaway hybrid. I ended up just off the green and chipped on in three. I would bogey the hole.

The next hole was quite a ways off and I was glad that we were riding. I don’t think they would let anyone walk this course because the tee boxes are so far apart from one another. Hole # 2 is a par 3, 164 yards from the blue tees. I hit a 6-iron and ended up right, under a spruce tree. I flopped my ball from under the branch but it trickled into the front bunker. I would end up bogeying the hole.

Hole # 3 had an elevated tee and if you had troubles driving the ball, you would find yourself in the rough alot. It was a long 532 yards, par 5 that would eat you up if you duffed your tee shot. I would settle with a double bogey. There was something about hole # 4 that spooked me because I ended up hooking my ball off the tee box. Taking a drop, I would hit my 3i hybrid to 100 yards from the green then PW to the center of the green. Luckily, I walked away with a double bogey.

Hole # 5 had a small gorge between the tee box and the fairway. Sometimes, holes like this would spook me but I managed to drive it to the right of the fairway. I would hit my 4-iron to the edge of the green, chipped on using my 9-iron and single putt in for a par. Most of the holes in the front 9 were manageable and pretty straightforward. When we arrived on hole # 7, a par 3, we thought we played the hole before. It almost looked identical to hole #2 but this hole was shorter by 4 yards. Chris thought it was Groundhog Day all over again. James said that he had wished Copper Point would make each hole unique.

Up and around the back of the clubhouse, hole # 10 is a dramatic elevated tee, a par 5, 572 yards monster. If you followed the fairway like me, you would drive it straight. James and Chris decided to cut the corner and drive it right. They had more bunkers to navigate but eventually, they met me on the green in three. We all had a chance to par the hole.

In the back nine, you would have more water hazards as water comes into play on several holes. In all, Copper Point was fun but it managed to eat me up alive. I ended up shooting 103 after losing 3 balls and getting penalized for one out of bounds.

Challenge yourself in K-Country

If you want to challenge yourself and take in some breathtaking scenery then you have to come play Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd in the Kananaskis National Parks. The locals call it ‘K-Country’ and it is one of the most spectacular places to play in the Canadian Rockies. K-Country is about an hour drive west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada where the 1988 Winter Olympics were held. Along the way to K-Country, Mount Nakiska could be seen across the river. In the Olympics, Mount Nakiska was the site of the Men’s Super G races.Both courses in K-Country offer spectacular scenery, along with an interesting layout. Mount Kidd is a little more drier than Mount Lorette and offers some elevation changes, as the course plays along the river. Water does come into play on many holes, as accuracy and length are equally important to keep your ball high and dry. There are more water dangers on Mount Lorette as the course plays around rivers and lakes. There’s a few holes that you have to navigate over a river or creek to a small landing area. Over driving it will only cause you to wave goodbye to your ball as it trickles downstream.To play Kananaskis, there is online booking available this year as well as by phone. The course opens on May 7th and will close in October. If you’re interested, the course is on the internet at www.kananaskisgolf.com. The closest airport is YYC.

Out in the country where the balls fly free

Living on the prairies, I get to play a lot of golf in the country, inner city and beltline where golf courses take advantage of the natural terrain and contour of the land. There are some very nice courses that are links styled as well as more traditional type courses. I hope to take this opportunity to write about the various courses in the prairies, countryside, inner city and beltline.If you’ve checked the rest of my blogs, you’ll start to see a pattern. I plan to write about mountain courses as well, because they are built on the side of a mountain and brings a whole new meaning to sidehill lies.I hope you get a chance to read some of my golf course reviews in the weeks ahead. If you have played a course that you think I would enjoy, please leave me a comment with the name of the course, a nearby city or town and country.

Start of a good thing – mountain courses

Playing mountain courses can be up and down. Now, that’s not a play on words but it is a fact that most if not all, golf courses that are built in the mountains take advantage of the natural terrain.This blog starts a chain of many more blogs to come, as I survey some of my favorite mountain courses in the US and Canada. I’ll have to put my writing skills aside for mountain courses outside of North America for now, until I get to travel there with my golf bag. If there’s a mountain course that you like, please drop me a comment with the name of the course, its nearby city or town and country.