Gilwood Golf and Country Club

Comfortably situated within the boundaries of Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park is the Gilwood G&CC, an 18 hole course that sits along the eastern shoreline of Alberta's third largest lake. Opened in 1987, this challenging Par-72, Les Furber design boasts a rating/slope of 74/137 from the back tees. Golfers have a choice of four tees per hole allowing them to play anywhere from 5,385 to 6,883 yards.

The pro shop appeared fully stocked and the staff were friendly. The course just finished replacing their fleet of golf carts this summer with new electric Club Car carts. The clubhouse which is starting to show its age is just a short chip away from the first tee box.

The view from the tee box on the opening 360 yard, Par 4 feels a little claustrophobic as players have a chute of tall trees to fly their ball through to find a fairway that is roughly 20 yards wide for the first third of the hole. The smart play is a hybrid or fairway wood off the tee leaving you at most a short iron or wedge into a two tiered, pear shaped green. A premium is placed on driving the ball straight on pretty well every hole as the surrounding fairways are tightly carved through a native landscape that is eager to snatch errant shots. And if the tall trees aren't enough of a vertical hazard, the course is punctuated with over 50 bunkers and 6 sparkling water hazards. Longer hitters may reach the Par 5's in two but the real challenge at Gilwood comes from its varied Par 3's, which from tee to green require a combination of length and accuracy to score. Other than the par 3's and hole 18 that is dead straight, every other fairway either turns left or right.

The bent grass greens vary in size and shape and the many swales and undulations can make two putting a challenge. Approach shots, when they found the green were sticking and putts rolled nicely on the lines on which they were directed. They are a pleasure to play on.

Tee boxes were level and trimmed to a nice height, fairways were plush and in very good shape, the rough, although damp on this early morning round played predictably. The bunkers are placed strategically both on the fairways and around the greens. They all appeared to have plenty of sand and were groomed. The cart paths are smooth and looked after. There are no significant elevation changes.

This 6,883 yard tree lined layout and its fantastic greens provide a wonderful place for all caliber of golfers to pursue the game of golf. At Gilwood G&CC, Les Furber has crafted a good collection of holes full of character that will test your skills.