 | Alberta Bound | Sep-18-2007 |
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| Greens: |  9/10 | Excellent. Bunkers had lots of good sand and were trimmed very nicely. Greens had slight undulations and a few at two or three tiers. Fringe was even and smooth giving way to well trimmed rough.
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| Fairways: | 9/10 | All fairways were in very good shape. First cut was even and gave way in most cases to lines of mature trees with undergrowth trimmed. The yardage was marked with red, white and blue stakes. The landing areas varied from generous to a little tight with the holes along the highway rolling from left to right. Fairway bunkers were in good shape with quality sand.
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| Tees: | 9/10 | Riverside has done a very good job on their tees. They are excellent with lots of flowers, stones, good signs, official distance markers, and nicely paved path around tees with curbs. I always wonder why more courses do not take the time and effort to put a little decoration into their tee boxes. Most seem to think that all golfers want is a flat area to hit their ball from. It makes the course look and feel so much nicer when you get to the tee box and spend a minute admiring the teeing area. There was 4 sets of large tees |
| Course Design: | 8/10 | Riverside is very interesting with a variety of holes. The river crosses the course on at least four occasions. Along with the river there are also other water hazards. The first hole starts you off with a relatively simple par 4. The second hole is a little tougher with water and bunkers on the left. You then come to a great little par three. It has a lake in front with rocks and bunkers. In fact all the par threes are quite good. The 4th is a par five which requires a good drive so that you can see around the dog leg left. Hole 5 and 6 have water that comes into play. When you get to the back nine you face some difficult holes. The 14th is a U shaped hole with water on the right. You will need three good shots to reach this green and avoid all the trouble. The 18th is another tough par five. The river is on the left and you have a narrow landing area. Water again in front of a green surrounded by bunkers. The course is fairly flat expect for the 10th hole, so walking is a good option. Over the years houses and condos have built up along a number of fairways. |
| Value for $$$: | 7/10 | Riverside Golf Resort represents good value. It’s green fees and cart rentals are about the same as other courses of this quality in the valley. The attractiveness, the shape and the facilities add up to a quality experience. |
| Difficulty: | 9/10 | This can be a tough course. From the blues you face a slope rating of 136 and 6500 yards. The whites present you with a slope of 125 and 6150 yards. It has to be one of the tougher courses in the valley. As mentioned above the par 5’s on the back are difficult. The 11th is a long par 4 sloping from left to right and playing to 442 yards. The 17th is also a long par 4 at 420 yards. The par threes are average length but water is in play on all four. Club selection is important and you will need to think your way around this course. Even though it was tough we enjoyed it. One of the ladies in our group shot a personal best score on the front nine. |
| Scenery: | 9/10 | With the river running through the course and the mountains to the east and west the setting is very good. The tee boxes and the well maintained as are the fairways so that adds to the views as you make your way around the 18 holes. |
| Staff: | 9/10 | We had a frost delay and the staff were very good about letting us know. I went over to the clubhouse to see how long and the lady in the pro shop took my room number so she could let me know my new tee time. The lady at the bag drop and the start were very friendly and interested in making our day start off well. The head pro was interesting to talk to and club manager also wanted to help with calling us about the delay. |
| Clubhouse: | 8/10 | The club house functions as a restaurant and pub for the resort. The pro shop is very well stocked with clothes and golf equipment. The restaurant offers full menu dining and the pub has pool and darts. There is a good size patio with nice views of the mountains. |
| Other Intangibles: | 8/10 | The club uses electric carts with ball and club washers and a rain hood for your clubs. A pleasant starter welcomes you and get you on your way. The practice facilities are good with a bunker for practicing your sand shots near the 10th tee. The score card gives a good map of the course. The washrooms are located at the 2 and 13 holes and also serve two adjoining tee boxes. The parking lot and cart paths (where needed) are paved and they have a bag drop. We did not see a beverage cart but it was cool and we were first out so might have missed it. |
85/100
The course celebrated it's 20th birthday this year and it is now a mature course that is well taken care of. The resort has everything you need for your stay. With Mt.Side across the road and the hot springs, this is a good spot to stay while in the valley golfing. It is also permits you to drive to Cranbrook and Kimberly in an hour so you can play the courses at the lower end of the valley. |
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