Repair work has reached a feverish pitch in Kananaskis Country as trails, roads and buildings slowly return to a pre-deluge state.
However, one large tract of land remains conspicuously untouched.
The Kananaskis Golf and Country Club hasn’t been repaired since Evan Thomas Creek jumped its banks and submerged many of the landscape’s 36 holes in late June. Golfers are worried and provincial officials haven’t made their minds up about the multi-million dollar course.
Gordon Schultz of Golf Canada West, a Canmore-based company selling golf vacations, has begun a petition on the website www.change.org to save the course. Much of his business relies on bookings at the course, which he said is worth saving.
“The Kananaskis Country Golf Course is a publically-owned facility that has been leased and managed for a number of years. It’s a recreational resource for the province – thousands upon thousands of rounds are put through every year. It would be a shame to allow it to lay fallow,” Schultz said.
About 150 jobs were lost when the golf course was shut down for the 2013 season, and Schultz said the golf industry is feeling the effects.
“Kananaskis was by far and away our principle golf partner. The loss is a huge hit for us. It is a quality facility. It is reasonably priced.”
It costs between $78 and $96 a round to play at the Kananaskis Course, which Schultz said is a deal considering the calibre of play. He said the longer the province waits to fix it, the more damage piles up.
“It’s not a resource that can be abandoned. Other golf courses in the area suffered damage and are back up and running … Nothing has been done in Kananaskis.”
Jim Eremko is a partner with Golf Design Services Ltd. of Canmore. He said the course is absolutely worth saving, as it’s one of the most popular in Canada.
“It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., who is considered one of the finest golf course architects ever. The course itself is very aesthetic and the setting is very beautiful. The two 18-hole layouts are very challenging and world class. It’s one of the better-known courses in Alberta and Canada,” Eremko said.
He wouldn’t guess about reconstruction costs, but said building a course of that calibre usually takes two years.
“I’d love to see it rebuilt. I think everyone does.”
Caroline Campbell of the Alberta Wildlife Association, disagrees with that sentiment. The organization has questioned the existence of the course in Kananaskis Country since its construction, asking if it’s appropriate to have an urban style golf course in Kananaskis Country. Allowing the area to return to its natural state would benefit wildlife, particularly cutthroat trout. Before the flood, between 80 and 100 adult cutthroat trout lived in a four kilometre reach of the creek, Campbell said.
“The Evan Thomas Creek (alluvial) fan was channelized into the Kananaskis River because of the golf course,” she said. “In its construction, channelization made it worse from a fish and flow point. We should take the opportunity to do the best we can for a species that is hanging on the edge in Alberta.”
Since there are so many other golf courses in Alberta, Campbell said Kananaskis Country doesn’t need a course. While golf isn’t as bad for the area as logging, which also occurs, it alters the landscape considerably.
“We’re questioning recreation that didn’t require that setting. It can happen in other areas.
“We’d like to see rehabilitation to the land, particularly for native fish species. This could be compensation for other uses that have intensified since the Olympics. We support the government assessing how the land can be restored to take into account watershed and wildlife.”
The golf course was built in 1981 and is owned by the Alberta Government, who leases it to Kan-Alta. Alberta Parks spokeswoman Mary Lou Reeder said the government won’t speculate on the future of the golf course, and Kan-Alta did not return calls to the Outlook.
“We’re currently doing an assessment that will provide a proper damage assessment. There are no timelines right now,” Reeder said. “Until the assessment is complete, we’re not speculating about its future.”
