Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield
Rankings:
The Takeaway: Beyond the opening and closing hole on the front nine, the outward nine is mostly corridor golf before opening up on a back nine that boasts more engaging hole designs and mountain views. Grade B
Quick Facts
Designer: Gary Browning 2000
Cost: $150 - $245 (includes cart) Click for current rates
Phone Number: 403-609-6099 or 1-877-993-4653
Course Website: Official Website - Visit Stewart Creek Golf & Country Club's official website by clicking on the link provided.
Directions: Get here! - 4100 Stewart Creek Dr, Canmore, Alberta T1W 2V3 – CANADA
Photos: See additional photos of Stewart Creek Golf & Country Club
What to Expect: Founded on an old mining site, Stewart Creek boasts an impressive location with plenty of elevation changes and the Canadian Rockies providing a scenic backdrop at various times throughout the round. The course opens with a bang with a memorable downhill par four with mountains framing the left side, but then Stewart Creek plays possum for the rest of the front nine before emerging with the dramatic dropshot signature 9th hole. The back nine offers a stronger set of holes with a good mixture of lengths and features while also providing some inspiring mountain views. The elevation changes are mostly mild and trees heavily line each fairway in an effort to demand accuracy, and if you do leave the fairway, you are likely to lose your ball as the thick foliage outside the short grass is quick to eat it. Upon check-in, players are given a cart to get around the course in and can use it to navigate to the driving range and practice greens before teeing off. Overall, Stewart Creek is a solid course, particularly on the back nine, with beautiful mountain views; which is exactly what players come to see in Alberta.
By the Numbers
| Tees | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 71 | 7009 | 74.2 | 142 |
| Blue | 71 | 6648 | 72.5 | 139 |
| White | 71 | 6168 | 69.8 | 135 |
| Gold | 71 | 5821 | 68.1 | 128 |
| Red | 71 | 5035 | 64.3 | 118 |
| Red (Ladies) | 71 | 5035 | 69.0 | 133 |
Individual Hole Analysis
Signature Hole: 1st Hole – 386 Yard Par 4 – The opening hole at Stewart Creek is an awesome way to start your round and instantly sets the scene for the golf course. The elevated tee shot features the impressive Rocky Mountains framing the left side of the hole along with an old coal mine entrance on the left side of the fairway between a pair of bunkers. With a heavy tree line on the right, there is nowhere to bail out to so ripping one down the center of the fairway is the call of the day with the mine entrance being a good aiming point to utilize. The sloping green is a quick reminder that you will need all aspects of your game to card a good round at Stewart Creek.
Best Par 3: 9th Hole – 212 Yards – For some, the captivating 9th hole could be considered among the signature holes of all of Alberta. The tee shot boasts tons of eye candy with the towering mountains creating the backdrop and 100' foot drop to the green that is flanked on the left by a bunker and pond. With the amount of hangtime your tee shot will have, hitting this green in regulation will be a challenge while trying to keep the ball on line as long as possible and hoping that any wind that is in play doesn't deter your ball's mission. The ridge across the center of the green moves balls towards the front in the early half of the putting surface and pulls them off the back in the later half.
Best Par 4: 10th Hole – 407 Yards – With another beautiful mountain backdrop that will remind players they are in Canada, the 10th also offers the widest fairway on the course and a chance to swing away on your driver with confidence. Tee shots up the right side will provide the ideal angle into the green with the front being wide open and effectively taking the bunker out of play on the left side. Hopefully you've adjusted to the amount of ball flight you get at high elevation by this point in the round because approach shots that fly long will likely find themselves in one of the bunkers positioned behind the green.
Best Par 5: 18th Hole – 530 Yards – The closing hole at Stewart Creek does a great job of offering as much memorability as the opening hole does. The 18th features an unassuming start with a blind tee shot to a raised fairway that bends to the right and descends downhill towards the greensite that is protected by a pond on the left side. Quality tee shots will result in an opportunity to reach the green in two and not sand on the hole should give confidence to players to take a chance at getting home and finishing with a birdie. The final green at Stewart Creek is triple tiered and you'll need your flatstick skills to walk off with success.
Birdie Time: 14th Hole – 294 Yard Par 4 – Tipping out under 300 yards, the par four 14th is vulnerable to giving up a birdie midway through the back nine; but it doesn't come without risk. The tee shot must carry a ravine 225 yards from the back tee and favor the left side to utilize the slope in the fairway to move your ball towards the green. A trio of sentinel trees on the left side will require you to bomb your drive over the top of them or carve around them enroute to your destination, but doing so successfully will result in a great chance to card a birdie. The long and skinny green is a good runway for shots coming in from distance, but you'll need accuracy to find it.
Bogey Beware: 4th Hole – 478 Yard Par 4 – Long and straight, the dreaded combination that are the demise of so many golfers. The 4th hole is the most difficult offering at Stewart Creek requires demanding back to back shots to be successful. Like choices in life, choose the right. With the fairway sloping right to left throughout, keeping your ball up the right side will yield the best angles to attack this hole from, particularly on the approach shot where the terrain can help kick balls towards the green. While the area immediately around the green is devoid of trouble, the small ravine and bunkering that comes into play shy of the green will require players to layup short of the 100 yard marker to take that trouble out of play. Par here will feel like a birdie.
