Rockies Golf tour: 1. Calgary to Banff

It is hard playing golf when most of the fairway is covered in bunkers and you are not used to it.
0 on Arrowtown GC, Otago, NZ; 173 on Kananaskis GC, Alberta Canada.

Starting our tour in Calgary on the first weekend of June. We stayed in the Fairmont Palliser. This is the oldest hotel in Calgary and actually has a station in it. The hotel was built in 1914 because of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

We wandered through the city walking 12km one day and cycling 60km along the Bow river and Elbow river, the next.

Bad news for this trip:
The coffee is awful in Canada so far.
Everything seems to have loads of sugar in it; even potatoes.

Good news:
The packraft and associated paraphernalia purchased by Sarah and delivered by Kin in NYC arrived safely, stowed in our golf club coverall and is now travelling with us by bus to Vancouver.
The golf group we have joined has 52 golfers. Lots of competition. Very friendly.

Round 1: Kananaskis:
www.kananaskisgolf.com

None of our photos will compare with those on the websites, but we tried.
We played Mt Kidd course. Beautiful scenery, very windy. Every hole has a gorgeous backdrop. The greens have not yet fully recovered after the snow but as it has only recently opened it is in good condition. Our scores were not great but it did not matter. We had fun.

Moving on to Banff, we are now staying in the Fairmont at Banff Springs.
View from the terrace.

An iconic hotel with 700 rooms, multiple restaurants and very close to water falls and of course loads of mountains.





We walked from the hotel to the golf course via a raging river.













Round 2: Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course:
www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/golf/

Hotel at the end of the 14th fairway

Devil's Cauldron- no. 4 Par 3.

'

Sulphur mountain

We loved this course.

Many iconic holes. More difficult than Kananaskis; much longer, more wind. Longer grass.

Elk wandered across the fairways. There was one very challenging bunker shot with an elk between Jo and the hole. We had to wait for it for finish eating and wander off before taking a shot.

We even spotted marmots popping up from their burrows near one tee.
















The only bears we have seen so far are either stuffed or stone.

Note Marilyn Monroe photo to top left of Sarah- She too has posed by this bear.

A day off golf to explore around Lake Louise.
Took a gondola ride and then walked up to a scenic viewpoint for our first glimpse of the Lake.

The weather has changed and it may snow in Banff tomorrow.

Walked along the side of Lake Louise to see the glacier,

 but by the time we got there it had started to rain and the view disappeared.

The huge Chateau Lake Louise dominates the other end of the Lake; a concrete monstrosity.

Lake Moraine, a few km away seemed much more peaceful; less people, the lake a deeper greeny blue.

Time for a quick snap of Castle mountain, named by a Scottish explorer called Hector (same as the dolphin) before calling it a day.