INVERMERE, BRITISH COLUMBIA – When your neighbor is an 800 pound gorilla, sometimes the best thing to do is to speak softly and occasionally throw bananas onto the front lawn. In the highly competitive golfing world that’s what Eagle Ranch Golf Club and Resort, located the heart of the Rockies, has had to do with their neighbor up the mountain, Greywolf.

Both courses debuted at almost the same time (Greywolf, 1999; Eagle Ranch, 2000), receiving rave reviews from players on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. But, that’s the end of whatever similarities they had. Greywolf was a finished product, high in the mountains above this ornate town and a part of Panorama Resort, an international ski destination owned and operated by Intrawest.

Greywolf is an Intrawest resort Photo provided by Intrawest

By the time the first ball was struck, Greywolf - like the ski village itself - was a star, complete with a magnificent log-cabin styled clubhouse, full services and all the bells and whistles one expects from a leading Rockies resort. And Intrawest’s international publicity machine soon got out the word that here was a course of unusual visual and playing grandeur.

Eagle Ranch, by contrast, opened its meandering ravine layout before everything was in place. Only the course was ready while the pro shop and restaurant operated out of a module unit. 

The clubhouse is now near completion and designs for the residences for what will eventually be a major resort destination are on the walls and can be inspected more closely at the resort’s sales offices.  

Getting there is almost enough of an experience on its own. Driving south or north along the Columbia Valley, you’re in the Rocky Mountain Trench with the Rockies on one side and the Purcell Mountains on the other. Like sailing, getting there is half the pleasure.

Eagle Ranch

Eagle Ranch's rolling terrain Photo by: Toshi Chatelin

The course is nestled on the bench lands above the Columbia River and overlooking Lake Windermere and the nearby town of Invermere and is located midway between Golden and Cranbrook. And like the surrounding lands, it is characterized by gentle rolling hills and spectacular ravines.

Eagle Ranch is minutes from Invermere, allowing for easy access to shopping, motels, and entertainment. Also, the Valley's ski resorts, other golf courses, streams, and expansive mountain ranges offer opportunity for other activities.  
 
Instead of building residences around a golf course, the course was constructed first to attract residents to building areas already set aside. And what golfers are getting is one of the Rockies’ premiere layouts, a 6,650 yard Bill Robinson-designed course that is sculpted from a meandering network of rolling canyons and constantly varying terrain. The Oregon-based Robinson calls it “the finest pieces of property I have seen for accommodating a golf course.”

Sales pitch aside, it’s hard to argue with him. Robinson utilized aged beams and recycled wood creatively in the construction of the rest cabins, kiosks and bridges to enhance the natural ranch setting. Rock work and fescue grasses complement the ponds and streams.

Eventually, the resort – located at the bottom of Panorama Mountain and developed by Stone Creek Properties of Calgary which also developed Silver Tip Golf Course at Canmore, Alberta - will be anchored by a Clubhouse and Lodge near the 18th green, where it will overlook the Windermere Valley. Its facilities will include a swimming pool, health club, and spa.

Private boat launching facilities will provide residents access to Lake Windermere and the Columbia River during the summer and in winter they’ll be able to cross-country ski, snow shoe and skate. When it’s completed, this will be one of the most spectacular resorts along the Columbia Valley.
 
One advantage Eagle Ranch has over its neighbor up the mountain is a longer golf season since it does not’t have to wait as long for the snow to melt and can get in a couple of extra weeks at the beginning of winter.

The course offers diverse terrain, following the natural contours of the site. The result is a series

Eagle Ranch #7 tee box and hole Photo by Toshi Chatelin

of unusual and challenging holes throughout its length while at the same time offering spectacular views from almost any point on the course. Your ball is either outlined against a backdrop of mountains or dropping into landing areas well below the tee box and flying over canyons that present challenges to both skill and nerves. 

You’d hardly guess that this is a fresh course with new greens. The ball runs true and even in the first year demanded a good line and speed. The course immediately felt as though it had been in service for some time.

Eagle Ranch plays from 5086 to 6650 yards with multiple tee boxes at each hole, plus every cart is equipped with Uplink GPS (Global Positioning System) so players always know the exact distance to the flag. And there will be some holes, because of the distance-deceiving, undulating fairways, that make good use of the system.

And with names like North Eagle Canyon, South Eagle Canyon, Eagle Ridge, and Eagle Canyon, you have specific hints of what you’re about to face.

The opening 491 yard (blacks), par-5, is the perfect warm-up hole with a wide fairway that leads to a green protected by traps and a large swale. The second 172 yard (blacks), par 3 offers a stunning view of the valley and a green that is reached across water.

As you progress, holes become more difficult with the short 370 yard (blacks), par 4, 9th offering the first real canyon challenge. It’s the first of five holes over deep ravines that begin with a 214 yard tee shot (blacks) that must carry the gully.

The back nine, beginning with the sharp dogleg, 376 yard (blacks), par-4, 10th, follows the natural contours of the Columbia River resulting in a sequence of challenging holes. You need a 200-yard shot to the edge of the ravine that runs parallel to the fairway and then another accurate 176 yard shot to the elevated green that’s 90 degrees right of the fairway. Miss the initial yardage off the tee and you won’t get there.

The 16th signature hole is a 173 yard (blacks), par 3 where players hit from an elevated tee over a gorge to a small green 80 feet below. There is nothing between tee and green but brush, hoodoos, and an abandoned bear den. Lose the ball into this environmentally sensitive area, and kiss it goodbye.

The finishing hole will be etched forever in your mind regardless of how well you play it. At 537 yards (blacks), the par 5, 18th requires three perfect shots. The first is a 230-275 yard shot to the edge of a deep ravine and then – depending on your tee shot – you have another 100-150 yards over the ravine towards Mount Nelson and to a landing area that is wider than it looks.

The final 100 yard approach is to a small green that greets you with spectacular views of Lake Windermere and the town of Invermere below –and where the clubhouse and lodge will be located.

Greywolf 

The Greywolf course offers spectacular views Photo by Toshi Chatelin

The 7,140 yard, par 72, Greywolf is simply one of man and nature's most perfect combinations, a mountain course designed by architect Doug Carrick and carved out of the valleys and mountainsides at the Intrawest Panorama resort in the heart of the Purcell Mountains.

This is no ordinary mountain course. It is 18 holes of overwhelming, natural beauty that offers extraordinary views at all time.  Every shot you make is outlined against Monument Peak, Mt. Nelson, or Jackpine Bowl and the course provides a true championship test.

It's an exhilarating test of golf, forcing play over a rushing mountain stream on the par-5, 545 

Greywolf  putting & patio Photo by Toshi Chatelin	The patio at Greywolf overlooking the course Photo by Toshi Chatelin

yard, 5th, then across a deep gorge on the par-3, 6th. Yet, it’s the most player friendly mountain course you’re ever likely to play, with generous landing areas from the tee and it rewards bold play to the green. Every hole is immaculately groomed, and each is its own signature hole capable of being put on the cover a golf magazine. 

Each hole has been given a name beginning with Hopeful Meadow and continuing with such titles as Wolf’ Lake, Panorama, Eagle Nest and finishing with Hopeful Return.  Each nicely summarizes the hole’s primary characteristic.

 

Greywolf's cliff hanger hole #6 Photo by Toshi Chatelin

The dramatic 6th hole, 'Cliffhanger', for example, plays 175 yards (blue tees) across Hopeful Canyon to a green perched precariously along the edges of vertical rock cliffs. “Hopeful” is the right word if you miss-hit your tee-shot.

But amazing things can happen. A fellow writer in our threesome came up short and saw his ball disappearing into the canyon. He immediately turned and started putting another tee into the ground, and thereby missed seeing his ball hit a rock and bounce back up from the gully and onto the short rough on the edge of the green. From there he made par. I hit a perfect tee shot and three-putted. There must be a lesson there, somewhere. 

Greywolf
www.greywolfgolf.com