24 of 70: Fort in View Golf Course, Fort Saskatchewan AB

The Fort in View Golf Course proved to be somewhat less than I expected. The website shows a number of interesting pictures and the course is fairly well publicized so one is thinking of another good golf outing. When I got there, however, the first impression I got was that of a huge farm expanse covered by 27 holes of golf. Not really a pretty sight.

I was partnered with Wes and Chad, Wes being a regular player at Fort in View but out for the first time this year. He plays elsewhere of course, but what he likes about Fort in View is that, with 3 different nine hole courses you can always get on. The Buck nine, the Clark nine and the Simpson nine can be combined to provide a regular 18 holes of golf. On any given day, the course combines two of these nine for those playing 18, the other nine is open for those playing a shorter game. Highly practical.


Yesterday, we first played the Buck nine. The first hole was quite rough as it had suffered severe winter kill, not only on the fairway but also on the green which was almost unputtable. Fortunately, the short par 3 second hole offered a quick diversion. It is a fairly elevated green over the water and comes as a surprise in an otherwise flat course. Perhaps one of the prettier holes on this front nine. And as I managed a par, it cheered me up some. Perhaps I could settle in a simple practice round after all. But I soon found out that the par 3's were the only ones I would par all day. I did again have problems putting and that got me reflecting about it. In Florida, in spite of the fact that we played a different course each time out, the greens and putting conditions were quite similar even if some greens were far more undulated than others, one could easily adapt. Here in Canada, so far at least, we have found vastly different putting conditions which makes the game quite challenging when playing a course only once.

The second nine we played was the Simpson, Wes' favorite. It is a short nine but I found it somewhat difficult and, perhaps, a little too gimmicky for my taste. The second hole, for example, is a short par 4, a  severe dogleg right where, even from the corner it is difficult to see the green nested in the trees. There are also many water hazards on this nine and they are often invisible to the newcomer which adds to the difficulty. Perhaps what makes this course attractive for the regulars is a desire to overcome these difficulties or again, as for Wes, the challenge of blind shots over trees as a shortcut to the green. As for me, I am looking forward to another course and another day of golf.