Shadow Mountain Golf

I was up at the crack of dawn to make the 5 hour drive from Medicine Hat to the Shadow Mountain Golf Club just north of Cranbrook. There are plenty of premium golf courses in the Cranbrook area and Shadow Mountain is one of them. I had arrived about two hours before my scheduled tee time so there was plenty of time to stop by the restaurant and put away a monster cheeseburger with extra bacon that even Homer Simpson would have drooled over.

This eighteen hole track offers the usual amenities that you would expect to find on site at a championship venue (driving range, short game practice area and practice chipping and putting greens) and is an ideal place to loosen up and work on any areas of your game.

There is a wide variety of tee options available for allowing players of every level to enjoy the course. The opening hole is an enjoyable par 5, dogleg left and is a fabulous introduction to the adventure ahead. The generously wide and well conditioned fairways are seamlessly cut through the native fir, cedar and spruce trees. Complimenting the indulgent views of the rolling landscape are the innumerable and strategically placed fairway and greenside bunkers. There are but five water hazards on the course but only three of them will come into play.

The greens complexes are very large targets and played as well as they looked. You would do well to take a little extra time deciphering the many contours and undulations of every green to avoid those dreaded 3 putts. The greens played amazing, as well struck approach shots would stick. Green speeds and pace were consistent and putts were rolling exactly where you aimed. There are numerous elevation changes on the course, particularly on holes 15 and 17 which I assume would be considered their two signature holes. The drop down to the fairways from the elevated tees is at least 100-130 feet and certainly adds an extra element of fun to an already enjoyable round. The par 4, 11th hole plays 415 yds from the blue tees and was my favorite hole on the course. It calls for a strong drive left center of the rumpled fairway which then turns right to a raised green protected up the left side by 3 bunkers.

Located 20 minutes north of downtown Cranbrook, Shadow Mountain will cater to golfers looking for a scenic, well conditioned course with a varied mix of elevation changes, smart bunker placement and challenging greens. I didn't bring my "A" game today but that didn't keep me from having fun. Guaranteed, the next time I'm in the southeast corner of BC, Shadow Mountain can expect a return visit from this golfer.

I've played this course a few times, and it usually beats me up. But, that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It's a beast of a course, but it's spectacular! Bring your camera and an extra sleeve of balls and enjoy the awesome experience that is Shadow Mountain.

We had a perfect day for golf. Shawdow Mountain has some great views as does all courses in the Invermere valley.

I found the majority of the holes were landing areas either 180 yards out or well over 260 out. Nothing for the average golfer. Perfect drives headed for the middle of the fairway kicked off into the trees leaving second shots being chipped back to hard fairways.

Sand bunkers were extremely hard with little or no sand.

Rarely do you get a flat stance on the fairway.

Greens were in excellent condition but again had numerous breaks and actually hills in the green.

This is by far the worst designed course I have ever played.

There are numerous other courses which play much fairer in the area such as Bootleg Gap, St Eugenes Mission, Wildstone and Trickle Creek.

I recently was through the Columbia Valley and played all the courses of note. Based on scoregolfs rankings I excepted Shadow to be one of the weaker courses we played. Boy was I wrong! It was impressive from the very first. Plenty of elevation change, including long uphill par fours and a few shorter downhill 4’s. The course in general is difficult, but the par threes In particular are an impressive challenge. It can be played from shorter tees for those who don’t like a challenge. We played the first 13 holes in the rain and still loved every minute!

This one's a winner. A must play course for the challenge, scenery, and enjoyable golf holes. No cookie cutter par-fours out and back. Par threes are super challenging but still fair, especially #4 and #8, the two longest at 215 and 221, respectively, from the Black tees.

Bring your camera for #15 and #17. Both feature panoramic tee shots to fairways some 200 feet below the tee box (From the back tees). Gorgeous vistas and the entire hole lays before you.

Not many houses on the perimeter to spoil the natural beauty and quiet. Women may especially enjoy playing here, given that the course totals only 5,000 yds. from the forward tees. Compared with the Black tees at 6800 yds, each red tee shortens the course by an average of 100 yards, which makes this an excellent choice for new golfers, women, or short hitters in general.

One thing to note: tee sets are recommended based solely on handicap, but if you are a short hitter, opt for the tees that best fit your driving distance and carry ability. Not a lot of forced carries, but playing a shorter set of tees will allow you to hit a wider variety of approach clubs into the greens. I played the blacks since my course handicap is about 6, but I would've enjoyed the blues as much and would have been able to hit a few more short irons second shots into the par-4 greens.

Make the drive to Cranbrook, BC and play this course. I had a Monday-Tuesday special at $54, but even at the regular price of about $89 during the peak season (includes GPS cart, range, and two bottles of water) this course offers one of the best golf values in North America. Take it from someone who is frugal in the extreme and who, more than anything, hates to overpay for an over-hyped course.

My measure of golfing value used to be the two Kananaskis courses between Calgary and Banff, Alberta, but Shadow Mountain is my new yardstick for value.