Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course - Stanley Thompson 18

A truly outstanding golf course. The setting, conditions, routing and history of this place make it so special. Yes the price is high but amazingly it's worth every penny. Had a smile on my face all round thinking about where I was. So many cool holes from the famous par 3 4th to the par 4 on the back where you hit toward the hotel high up on the hill. Conditions were fantastic greens ran so fast and pure. What a day!

This course definitely lives up to its rating.

Beautiful scenery with wide open fairways and perfect greens.

Every hole was fantastic.

Great golf facilities and friendly staff.

Course in perfect condition, postcard picture views at every turn. Friendly staff. Expensive but bucket list worthy.

Unfortunately they had a shotgun at 10am and our tee time was 1:24. Needless to say we got stuck in the middle of a shotgun. Drunk slow players in front and behind us on the front. (Kinda weird they sent us out in between them, bad management Overall I think) The back played great because they were all of the course by then. It’s a fabulous course but we felt a little deprived of an overall awesome experience.

It was a bit pricey, but I understand that it is in the center of Banff, a tourist hot spot. It was a very challenging course with tons of sand traps. Glad I went so I can say I've played it!!

Banff Springs has been on my bucket list for quite some time and it did not disappoint! The vistas are unmatched and course is very playable for golfers of all levels. The weather was wild…I think I changed what I was wearing four times throughout the round to accommodate the hot sun, the howling wind, and the cold rain. It was like we got to experience playing golf in three different seasons all within the same round. Cannot wait to play it again!

Really stunning course in great shape. Greens play very true. Its just a must play. Surprisingly course does not play that difficult. A little pricey.

When people ask me about my favorite courses, I shift the conversation to favorite golf "experiences" and then list 5-7 magical places. This course, for me, is one of them.

I love everything about it, the variety, the setting, the history, the sense of place, etc.

My foursome played through wind and rain and through elk. It's such a journey through nature with the Bow river waving hello at various points and the epic "Castle in the Rockies" (the Fairmont hotel) in view on the back nine.

I rarely give bucket-list courses like this five stars for value. This one gets it thanks to the exchange rate. As of this review, the $250 Canadian green fee equates to $190 American. That's pretty solid considering the other courses I mention on my favorites list - Whistling Straits, Pebble Beach, Turnberry in Scotland, Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand - all cost bigger bucks.

I will start this review by saying this is my favorite golf course I have ever played, period. Out of every course I have reviewed, this course is my favorite. I love my northern Minnesota courses and the Arizona big hitters but this course hits the box for everything that I enjoy in a golf course.

The clubhouse was great, nice big building with a great restaurant, pro shop was a good size but could probably be updated a little bit. They sell an awesome yardage book if you like those, very nicely done. Plenty of clothing options and many different things for “Collectors.”

The range was pretty cool, not huge but another mountain backdrop which will never get old. A few practice putting greens and a nice wedge area to chip and such. We started there and then the loud speaker welcomed us, by name, to the 1st tee box.

The starter was very informative, helpful and nice. He gave us some tips and told us about the bears and what not. We didn’t see any which is good, but I was a little bummed. This course is awesome, with 7 different tee combinations. Black tees play at 6938 yds and Reds play at 4478 yds. I played the Blacks and found this course to be challenging and extremely enjoyable. A bad hole on my end was very hard to stress about when you see the views and character of this place.

A historic Stanley Thompson design that opened in the 1920’s, you can feel the history when you step on the course. I absolutely loved it. Their website has an awesome timeline feature where you can learn all about the course. You are almost doing yourself a disservice by not learning a little about this place before playing it.

Now to the fun part, the track itself. As I said earlier, I played the tips and found it to be a challenge and loads of fun. You start of on a 414 yd par 4 that slightly turns to the left. It is a nice hole to get yourself going and slow down a little. You then move onto hole 2, a 171 yd par 3 that is awesome. This starts a nice stretch of holes that have Rundle mountain as a backdrop and its incredible. It’s a very cool view to watch your ball against. The signature hole is obviously #4, the 192 yd par 3 named “Devil’s Cauldron” This hole is noted as being one of the top 18 holes in the entire world, and it means business. This hole is on a whole different planet, it is elevated, you are shooting over an awesome looking pond, a beautiful green complex and Rundle mountain in the back. I hit the right back bunker and bogey’d, but I will always remember this hole, what I played and how it went. This course is worth playing simply for this 1 hole, the other 17 are just icing on the cake, a very delicious icing that is. So many holes on this course that are amazing. Holes 8 through 15 run alongside a river, this is the coolest stretch of holes I have been on. The water is incredible looking and it provides an awesome sound while you are playing. Hole 15 has a tee shot that is just as memorable, elevated tee box that is next to the original clubhouse (which is now a good German restaurant) You overlook the mountains and it is an incredible view. I was told by someone helping at the carts that no matter what tee I was playing from, to go and play the Black tees on 15, I quickly understood why. Multiple pictures were taken from this tee box.

Beautiful fairways, nice bunkers (not white sand which I hoped for) but they were clean and maintained, greens were pure but not the fastest I have played, a little slower than the other 2 Canada tracks I played. This was a little upsetting but I also teed off around 8 so we had a little dew going. Carts were brand new, stocked with water, towels, divot tools and all.

All in all, this place is magical, simple as that. It is a steep green fee, but that should not make you flinch. You are not considering this course because it is a cheap muni course, you are at this course because it is a historic powerhouse with some of the best holes and scenery you will ever play. I cannot wait to get back to Alberta and Banff and play a few more courses, this will be the main show though. 10/10, play it, enjoy it, and don’t forget your camera.

What a fantastic layout, with beautiful vistas and the best customer service I have ever received at a golf course - BUT - How does a course of this prestige, ranked #9 in Canada, knowing they are on many golfers bucket lists, not inform their guests that their greens are punched?? I've played courses all over the North America and have never had this experience of not knowing of course maintenance, even low end courses on GolfNow inform potential guests of course maintenance. I traveled from Ontario, with having the opportunity to play a few rounds while on vacation with my family, and being in Jasper a few days earlier, I could of selected your other course to play, if knowing Banff Springs greens were punched, shame on you Fairmont.

Great Customer Service....... Breathtaking Views........ Poor Management of one of Canada's gems.

Let me get the only "bad" out of the way. This isn't Thompson's original routing. If it started at 15 and ended at 14, this would be undeniably a top 100 course in the world.

These 18 holes are still great played in the present order. The "Signature" hole is the Devil's Cauldron par 3 4th, but there are at least a dozen world class holes out here. Architecture buff or not, you will enjoy a round or two here. Considering the exchange rate, I paid $240 for two rounds. Not bad for a world class course and experience. Most American "Bucket list" courses (Pebble, Whistling Straits, Pinhurst #2, etc) are double that for 1 round. You also can't get onto most Golden Age courses without knowing someone in America, but the majority of Thompson's best are public access.

Despite a poor winter, Banff Springs' conditioning was great. The greens ran beautifully and not a spot in the fairway. Off the course, they have a driving range, putting green and chipping area for your warm up needs. They have a shack for food on the turn as well as a restaurant and pro shop with all you want.

The course itself is spectacular. The vistas are amazing and this might be the prettiest mountain course you play. Eye candy isn't much without a good course and I consider this to be a great one. Thompson's par 3 sets never disappoint: beside the 4th, the second plays to an elevated green, the 8th and 10th are a good pair and the long 13th would only be better if it was the 17th. You will use many clubs on these and all the green contours are appropriate for the scale of the shot. The par 5s are wonderful and feature bunkering that forces the risk/reward. The 7th and 18th demand a great tee shot and second to be near the green, otherwise the 3 shot route is perfectly shown by the bunkering. All par 4s are old school in that you need to flirt with the bunkers to be in the best approach position. The 15th is all world as you drive from what used to be the old clubhouse and it is now a restaurant. The 14th might be the best on the course. There are a couple of short par 4s, but not necessarily an easy birdie as the green sites demand a fine approach. Low handicappers might find this to be the best of Thompson's courses as 12, 14, 15, 7, 18, 4 and 13 are all quite demanding and no hole is easy. I shot my handicap at Highlands and Jasper while I averaged about 5 more at Banff. Not so difficult that you feel beat up, but a very enjoyable challenge.

If in Banff for the hiking, then this is worth a day of golf. The golf here is world class as are the amenities.and the vistas. You can't go wrong and this is another reason why Banff might be the best national park experience on Earth.

All I can say about this course is Wow. It is the nicest course I have ever played. It had so may breathtaking views and the course was in amazing conditions. Definitely one for the books. Add this to your bucket list.

Having played this course a few times, I can say how excellent the conditions, service and maintenance are on a consistent basis. The course challenge is presented through the many, many bunkers spread throughout the course. Every hole offers a fair clear shot off the tee. The fairways are for the most part flat which allows clean shots. There is a great mix of good par 4's which allow scoring chances, and the stretch of holes 10 through 14 offer an incredible challenge. #4 is the signature hole, but #15 is just as gorgeous. The views make this course breathtaking, but to add to that is a world class challenging golf course.