Athabasca Golf and Country Club

I woke up early September 3 and had a sudden urge to go on a golf trip. Three hours later I was pulling into the Athabasca G&CC's parking lot. Check in with the pro shop was cordial and I was told the tee sheet was open and I could go off when ready. I believe my last visit here was in October of 2017 and I remember that the trees were pretty much bare, so it was nice to see the trees fully dressed in summer foliage this time around. This Par 72 can play as long as 7,048 yard from the tips but todays round would be played from the Blue, Silver combo tees which worked to 6,286 yards.

Athabasca has, what I think could arguably be three of the best holes to start a round of golf. Hole 1, a fun 417 yard, Par 4 whose wide fairway tumbles downhill some 80 or 90 feet from its elevated tee. It's always great fun standing on high and watching a good drive seemingly just hang in the air and then see it split the fairway. Hole 2, is a magnificent 538 yard, double dogleg Par 5 with a foreboding hazard running halfway up the fairway on the right. But to many players, it is the Par 3, 3rd hole that is one of the courses most memorable holes. From its elevated tees, golfers face a daunting forced carry, downhill to an irregular mid-sized green that can play as short as 88 yards or reach as far 219 yards. As there were no golfers behind me, I played 5 shots from the 170 yard tee box and had 4 ball marks to repair on the green. Hole 3 has a stroke index of 17 so it can play easier than it looks.

The majority of fairways are flanked by mature aspen, pine, poplar and spruce trees. Missing the generously wide and rumpled fairways left or right, golfers still have a chance of recovering unscathed as the rough plays fair. There is really only one water hazard left on the property and it may come into play on your approach shots to the greens on holes 14 and 16. The bunkers of which number around 30, vary in size and shape are placed in all the right spots.

The greens and green complexes are well thought out. Many of them have sneaky false fronts that need to be carried and many were surrounded by mounds that can deflect shots. The greens are very generous in size and the many swales and undulations will require some skill to read correctly. They were very receptive to approach shots and rolled consistently.

When you take to the fairways at Athabasca, you'll be playing a course recognized as the 4th hardest in Canada to play, so if you're a golfer that is up to a challenge, this scenic 18-hole layout will deliver.

Got back a while ago from our yearly northern golf trip and had a great time. We played Cougar Creek, Barrhead, Westlock, Athabasca and Lac La Biche on the trip and to say the least, we were beat when we got home.

All the courses were in excellent condition. Greens, fairways etc. all neatly groomed and great shape. The one and only complaint that we had was with the greens in Athabasca! We did inquire about the greens from a couple of long time members and they were of the opinion that the Greens Keeper

( Superintendent) had become very complacent after being with the club for too many years and really didn't care about the course, it was just a job.

The course is so very picturesque and challenging and it is too bad that it is not cared for the way it should be. We will return for our fall tour and hopefully the greens will be repaired and treated with some TLC.

With the golf season in Alberta winding down I headed 3 hours north to tackle a course long regarded as one of the more difficult tracks in Canada. The Athabasca G&CC offers a superb variety of challenging holes, great scenery, numerous elevation changes, fairway corridors flanked by birch, aspen & pine trees all leading to very receptive, true rolling greens. I arrived at 08:30 to find the course under a frost delay until 10:30. I have to thank the pro for getting me out ahead of several groups of impatient seniors that showed up later. I managed to play 18 holes in just under 3 hours and managed two under my handicap. Having hit 10 FIR & 11 GIR, a great round by anyone's standards. I just couldn't get those birdie putts to fall in. None the less, with blue sunny skies, no wind and exceptional course conditions, everything all added up to a very satisfying & memorable round of golf.

First time playing here, great shape all around. Loved the layout, challenging but also a course for all types of players. A must play course.

Would come back again and play.

We try to play this course at least once a season. It never disappoints. The course is in great shape, the greens are fast and there is lots of variety. The setting along the river is beautiful and peaceful. On some days it yields the odd glimpse of wildlife just to add interest. The locals are friendly and very proud of their course.

This is a shotmakers course with a premium on smart club selection! A lot of fun to play.

I love playing this course. No matter what tees you play from you have to play #3 from the tips or at least go have a look.

The course was in great shape, picturesque and has felt like you were in the mountains. We saw wildlife multiple times. We were amazed.

Very enjoyable day on the course. Excellent course conditions, friendly staff and proper spacing between groups.

Only issue for the day was a cart that quick functioning but was quickly replaced after a phone call to the club house.

Had heard many good things about Athabasca but never expected to be as good as it was. Very challenging and interesting design with a tough and tight front nine but a more fair and open back nine.

I love this course. Needs a good rain to make it really shine. The only downfall is the snack cart is only around on weekends and the restaurant is terrible. High prices for subpar food.

Although I don't live in the Athabasca; I am within a 45 minute drive. Booked 18 holes to play Monday, and had such a great experience that we went back for 18 Tuesday, 27 Wednesday and another 18 Thursday! Challenging but forgiving for all levels of golfing. The water and extensive trees give a feel of golfing in the mountains. Beautifully kept course; fast greens....deer walking across the fairway was a nice sight. Will absolutely play it again!

Love the layouts; tree lines; bunker placement; narrow fairways; fast greens. Too bad have to stop after nine with thumb size hail. Definitely will go back.

Nice course with some narrow fairways and lots of hazards and elevation changes. It really needs water, but we haven't been getting rain so most courses are suffering this year. Greens are fast and undulating. The third hole was closed so we played a bonus hole instead. People were friendly and we'll be back again.

This course is just awesome. Challenging course and in a well maintained condition.
The best course in Alberta in my opinion.
The staff are great and I would say to all golfers GO PLAY here you will like it.

It has to be one of the best courses for the price in all of Alberta. Especially if you can find a good deal on golf now, you can golf this amazing course for 10-15 dollars (77 is the normal weekend rate) I golf this course once a week while I'm out at my cabin in the Athabasca, and I will continue to go back. Some days the pace of play can be slow (if you run into a group of kids on a weekday)

This is a great course that we travel to usually a couple times of year. Next time we will ask if there is a tournament as we got stuck behind a 5some looking for the same ball for over 10 minutes. once we got to the back nine it was smooth sailing. I would have loved to re-golf the front nine.

The experience made me want to come back again.Well worth the drive. Would recommend course to whoever enjoys Golf as it fits Golfers of all handi-caps

The back nine layout is way better than it was years ago. It really gives the golfer a continues flow of challenges from the front to the back nine.... The staff are very friendly and accommodating. The food is good.... There are 2 things that I would like to mentioned though... First, it's the high tension wire across the hole 16..... I have good drive... 2nd shot I hit the wire and my ball did not go any farther and got a bogey instead... The point is it does ruin the game when you hit it and it affects the picturesque view of this hole. 2nd, it's slow play but I guess it's the weekend..... Overall.... This golf course it's a hidden gem of Alberta.... Everyone should try this challenging golf course.... It's a well worth golf course to drive to and play... I highly recommended this golf course to all my fellow golfers..... I love this course...