By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
When is a nine-hole golf course not a nine-hole golf course? If that puzzles you, simply take a drive out to the Fort Saskatchewan Golf & Curling Club, where you’ll find the answer. You see, this little gem, situated in the heart of the city of about 24,000, and presided over by the massive, iconic water tower, is set apart by its unique teeing arrangements.
With three sets of tees, players can choose where they play from on their opening nine, then shift backwards or forward, for the second go-round. While some of the tee set-ups are close together given the somewhat limited space on some of the starting areas, there are others where the change is dramatic. Case in point, the first par-3 challenge you find.
From the White tees, this test measures out at 152-yards with the green sitting several yards above. On the return visit, the tee shot increases dramatically to 173-yards and calls for that blast to carry a huge gully from where you teed off the first time around. Of that longer tee shot, Head Golf Professional Adam Pederson noted, “It can call for anything from a 7-iron for big hitters to a 4-iron as the wind swirls in there. Par on that hole is a great success. Most of the time if you get to the front edge of the green thinking you hit enough club, the ball ends up 50 yards downhill leaving you a demanding uphill chip.”
Other holes if you switch tees increase/decrease from 30 yards or more, making this ‘little’ course play much more difficult than one would imagine and it’s certainly not the same thing the second time around.
Speaking to the unique characteristics of this not-for-profit layout where any surplus revenue is plowed back into the facility, Pederson explained, “With the three sets of tees, you can start off on the White tee markers and then shift to the Blues. Those tees are completely different from the others. So there’s a lot of changes in the way the holes play. It gives you more of a feeling of an 18-hole golf course rather than playing the same two nines consecutively.”
This course offers quite a lot of room off the tee boxes on the par-4 holes which you’ll find can be a bit shorter than the newer builds of today. The greens here though are the equalizing aspect, an old-school style where many are narrow and small with quite a bit of slope.
“You don’t want to be above the hole here,” Pederson pointed out, as if you miss from any distance from that locale, there’s a good chance your next shot will be a chip back onto the short grass.
One thing the Head Pro emphasized is this is a track that at first sight is deceiving as t’s anything but flat. There are elevation changes here not noticeable from nearby roadways, and that’s what makes this nine-holer play bigger than it appears.
“There are a lot of times you won’t have a flat lie here. There are a lot of unexpected elevation changes, especially on No. 7 where the green sits far below the fairway,” and often calls for a blind shot into that area if your drive isn’t far enough to the right side of the fairway. If you’re offline from there, to help send your shot in the right direction there is a tall pole topped with a Canadian flag showing the way but whether you take that advice is totally up to your swing path.
“The first time playing this hole, drive up to see the green complex because it will surprise you,” the pro suggested.
On some other holes players run into other blind shots, as is the case with No. 7, so it’s best to hook up with a club member if possible, or take a look at where you’re going before blasting away.
Previously, this club let only members book several days in advance. That has now changed. “We’ve now made it easier for the public to book in advance,” said Pederson about joining forces with Play Golf Canada to ensure everyone has access to this fun and interesting nine-hole layout. “We’ve always had a great partnership and we’re waiting for better exposure for the Fort Saskatchewan Golf and Curling Club to allow that clientele to experience our course, maybe for the first time ever.”
In closing, Pederson said don’t be fooled by what you see in passing by. “From the road it looks flat, but when you go out to play it, there is nothing flat about it. Thee’s a lot to take in on your first round.”