Calgary and Surrounding area - Golf Thread

[flamingreen]

The Canal at Delacour is a nice track and reasonably priced for a semi-private course. Has some of the nicest greens in Calgary to boot. Though, if you want to golf there I would recommend doing it in the near future before the mosquitoes swallow up the course in July and August.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by chid

I'm doing Silver Wings next weekend

Don't worry about losing balls! There are only 4 trees on the entire course, and they're all 3 feet tall.

Pray it's not windy either.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by chid

I just started getting into golf, and did Heather Glen last weekend and really enjoyed it. I'm doing Silver Wings next weekend

Wow, you just started and you're playing at some of the finer courses. If I had the chance to restart I would do what you do as it is just sooooo much better than the city courses.

I can't remember the course I think it was Mckenzie Meadows where they have houses built pretty much on the course but I took out my 3 wood, shot it long and far and then it started to slice (which I never do) and it missed the persons window by about a meter. Scary. Next person behind me shot and it rattled the same house except on their roof. Must suck to live in that house haha

[chid]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Wow, you just started and you're playing at some of the finer courses. If I had the chance to restart I would do what you do as it is just sooooo much better than the city courses.

I can't remember the course I think it was Mckenzie Meadows where they have houses built pretty much on the course but I took out my 3 wood, shot it long and far and then it started to slice (which I never do) and it missed the persons window by about a meter. Scary. Next person behind me shot and it rattled the same house except on their roof. Must suck to live in that house haha

Thats good to know! I don't have a slice to my swing, but I have problems getting the ball in the air, I sort of hack down onto it so the ball doesn't come off the ground more than a few feet. I am told that I'm fortunate though that I don't slice the ball.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I hate to say this, but I would move to the burbs (Chestermere) if that course was good - from the website it looks fantastic.

I would definately not put Chestermere in the fantastic category. Houses come into play far too easily. It's an average course - certainly not something that I'd move there just to play.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

Lynx Ridge is really scenic and has some pretty fun holes to play. The signature hole is pretty challenging with a lay-up and then a little ravine to clear. (Not sure on cost this year)

Sirocco was one that I vowed to never try again. We went when it first opened and it wasn't quite all put together yet. May be worth checking out but it left a sour taste. ($80)

Lynx Ridge is $95 - no cart and no range. It's bad value considering the medium high quality of the course - but there aren't a lot options in the NW. They are going fully private in a year or two so you may want to try it while you can.

Sirocco - I'm with you. Never seems to have pulled it all together. Kind of like River Spirit (though I'll give that a go this weekend)

As for golf balls - I have a simple rule. $1 a ball, be they recycled or not. I've had decent results with Maxfli noodles in this price range. At this price I'm not perturbed by the loss of a ball, and don't spend a lot of time looking.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by flamingreen

The Canal at Delacour is a nice track and reasonably priced for a semi-private course. Has some of the nicest greens in Calgary to boot. Though, if you want to golf there I would recommend doing it in the near future before the mosquitoes swallow up the course in July and August.

+1 Was there on the weekend, very impressed with the condition of the greens.

[Tyler]

Golfed Speargrass yesterday.

Not bad deals on Monday' and Tuesday's. Less than $50 for 18, a cart, and a bucket of balls.

Pros - Fairly cheap, course wasn't too busy, lots of long par 5's to work on your drives, few houses to hit

Cons - smells like horse crap on the front 9 due to the neighboring ranch, good luck if its windy, there are few trees, the last 3 holes are gorgeous but the rest are nothing to rave about, its a bit of a hike from SE Calgary, let alone the north end

[EddyBeers]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Thats a contradiction right there. Lets say the average par 4 is 400 yds long.
It will take them 5 swings of the club (not counting practice swings) to get to the green and then 3 more shots on average to put it in the cup. Thats 8 on a par 4. If they play the same way on a par 5 they are likely to score a 10.

Overall on a par 72 course they are likely to score in the 140's. There is NO WAY you can score 140 and play your round in the expected 4-1/2 hours. This person should be practicing more and playing and learning on a par 3 course which are specifically built for beginners. The city has lots of these and they are easy to get on.

McCall Lake Par 3
Lakeview Par 3
Shaganppi Par 3
Richmond Greens Par 3
RCGA Par 3
Buffalo Run executive Par 3
Douglasdale executive Par 3


Its a guarantee that they will enjoy their game a lot more and the people playing with or behind them will enjoy theirs a lot more.

If their par 4's on average are 400 yards, they are playing off the wrong tees, that is their first problem. Second, I do not know many courses from the tips that average 400 yards a par 4, at SilverTip where I play most of my golf it is barely 400 yards on average from the tips for par 4's, and it has to be one of the longer courses in Southern Alberta.

The average par 4 for anyone averaging 75 yards a hit should be about 300 yards. That would be 4 swings and 3 puts, a 7 on average on each par 4 and a 124 on average on a par 70. That person should be playing off the front tees.

The biggest problem is that people do not play from the right tees. If you are a guy that shoots higher than 120, you should be playing from the front tees, 100-120 from the whites, 80-100 from the blues and under 80 from the tips. I golf with a few guys who will always play SilverTip from the Black or the Blues and they have no business being there.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by ShotDownInFlames12

Aren't you the guy that got into an argument with the marshall for trying to keep pace? Even though you couldn't play any faster? That doesn't sound like enjoying a good round to me (I realize that is only one incident - but I would bet situtations like this are alot more common on city courses)

You assume too much. I had a great round of golf that day.

Any other assumptions you want to make about me?

My overall point is that if you play city courses you should expect to deal with the beginners. That being said, I've never played McCall so I can't comment on the difficulty of that course and I agree with the poster above that if those are classified by the city on their website as advanced/more difficult then beginners should steer clear of those for a while.

The city starter on the first hole does a good job of letting beginners know they should play another course. The city takes pace of play quite seriously. The marshalls do an excellent job of maintaining a good pace of play.

I don't play city courses because I find it less enjoyable. I'm not saying everyone should follow my lead, it's just my opinion. I would rather play somewhere that the pace of play is consistent and the course is more spread out.

The pace of play has improved greatly this year. I've played 5 rounds at Maple Ridge and each game was just over 4 hours. Not bad for a city course

[Dion]

Played Nanton this afternoon in 3 hours. Nobody ahead of us to slow us down.

[wooohooo]

3 hours? Holy cow. Do you guys just hit without practices, run to your balls and not bother looking at the lie on the green? I have never fully enjoyed a game that was less than 4 hours because I always felt so darn rushed. But 3? That's just insane!

[flamingreen]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

3 hours? Holy cow. Do you guys just hit without practices, run to your balls and not bother looking at the lie on the green? I have never fully enjoyed a game that was less than 4 hours because I always felt so darn rushed. But 3? That's just insane!

Didn't you know? It's not how you golfed, it's how fast you golfed. The sooner you realize it the sooner you'll be on your way to becoming a full fledged amateur golfer.

[FlamesKickAss]

3 hours is easy if it is a twosome with a cart and you are hitting it in the fairway, and not have to wait for the group ahead of you. I used to do 18 in 2.5 hrs in sylvan lake before work at 9

[DuffMan]

I went out about 1 1/2 months ago on a fairly crappy day, like 8 degrees and wet, and I played 36 in 4 hours. That's me, by myself in a cart, not waiting for anyone. I miss those days.

[Dion]

nm

[Dion]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

3 hours? Holy cow. Do you guys just hit without practices, run to your balls and not bother looking at the lie on the green? I have never fully enjoyed a game that was less than 4 hours because I always felt so darn rushed. But 3? That's just insane!

If you hit the ball straight and don't get into trouble it's quite easy.

Last year a buddy and i played Nanton in 2 1/2 hours. Mind you we were walking pretty fast and not taking any practice swings

[edn88]

When I was playing at Springbank, my buddy and I would get the first or second time in the morning, and walking be done in 2:45ish. You have to have a purpose when you are golfing - hit the ball, start thinking about your next shot on the way, pull your club, make a few practice swings. Ditton on the green... don't spend too much time looking for lost balls.

When I play that fast, my scores are usually 2 or 3 strokes better - lets you get that last bad shot out of your mind faster.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by edn88

When I play that fast, my scores are usually 2 or 3 strokes better - lets you get that last bad shot out of your mind faster.

Exactly. You develop a rythm with your game and swing. Something you can't do when you're always waiting to hit the next shot.

[jammies]

Playing on the city courses for cheap is embracing socialism. Why should my hard-earned tax dollars go to support a bunch of dilettantes and hackers?