31 of 70: The Broadmoor Golf Course, Sherwood Park, AB

According to the 2012 Central and Northern Alberta Golf Pass Book, and I quote, '' Established in 1961, the Broadmoor is known throughout the province as one of the premier golf course to play. The mature trees, well designed layout and excellent playing conditions make it a pleasure for players of all abilities''. Well, on Monday, July 2nd, when we played at Broadmoor, the course was in terrible shape, by far the worst course we played this year. I will comment on the fairways in a bit, but half the greens were unplayable because they had suffered unbeleivable winter kill or they have been killed by some form of disease or extremely poor maintenance. Many of the green surrounds have been patched with uncut grass strips and marked as ground under repair. Very unfriendly.

The fairways, for the most part were in good shape with the occasional ground under repair as you approached the green, as on number 9 shown here from the tee box. I first played Broadmoor in the early 70's. The routing has been reversed since then and I would agree with the change. Number 10 was far too difficult as a first hole with players not yet warmed up. Far too many drives were sliced into the adjoining forest slowing down the pace of play. The course was originally designed with large forgiving fairways but the present day maintenance staff has decided to make the course more difficult to play by narrowing down the landing area. Consequently, no matter how long or short your drive might be, it will rarely find the middle of the fairway, which averages probably between 15 to 20 yards wide. The rough on each side is often wider than the fairway and all the holes have the same straight cut with no imagination at work here.

We had, however, a gorgeous warm day to play and made the best of it. One has to appreciate the large Alberta blue skies, made even more dramatic by fluffy clouds. The front nine with all its water hazards is the most picturesque and pleasant to play. My game is starting to come together again, not that I scored as well as I would have liked, but it was a marked improvement over my last outing. Pretty much right on with my handicap. With more than half the games in this adventure still to come, there is time for improvement. In closing, here is the shot of today's wild life!