The many improvements to Greywolf Golf Course

Greywolf Golf Course kicks off the 2015 season with a new clubhouse

Ever since 2013, when the Totem Group purchased Greywolf Golf Course, there has been a huge emphasis on incremental improvement to the course’s overall user experience. Justin Brown, Greywolf’s director of golf, said, "The five-year game plan is to make Greywolf the number 1 resort course in Canada.” While admirable, this will be no easy task as Canada is home to some of the planet’s finest links stretching from sea to sea.

The benchmark golf courses against which Brown measures Greywolf’s improvements are the Banff Springs Golf Club and the Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course. What makes bettering these courses difficult is that both courses have certain intangibles that truly make the difference. For example, both were designed by the famed Stanley Thompson and both are situated on truly unique and special properties. However, management at Greywolf is more than up to the challenge and has already made considerable inroads to becoming number 1.

For instance, Greywolf is pleased to announce the official opening this season of its brand-new multi-million dollar clubhouse. Featuring modern rustic architecture with stunning views and one of the most outstanding dining facilities in the Columbia Valley—Cliffhanger Restaurant—golfers are offered the opportunity to dine in an unforgettable alpine setting. Under the culinary direction of Steve Pearson and head chef Jamil Rhemtulla, the restaurant offers a full-service menu with a contemporary Canadian theme. Built brand new from the ground up in 2014, Greywolf's new clubhouse also features underground cart storage, club storage, full-service locker rooms and a 2,000-square-foot pro shop.

There also have been huge improvements to Greywolf’s course conditions and pace of play, the latter being one of the biggest factors to bettering the golfing experience. “Instead of having split tee times, we switched to a system where there are 10-minute intervals between tee-off times and a very proactive group of course marshals.” As a result, an average round of golf has decreased from between five and six hours to about four hours.

Course conditions also have greatly improved. Under the direction of Bob Novecosky, director of agronomy, there has been a complete overhaul on the course’s drainage system, proactive management of mountain pine beetle, a newly restored driving range and renovation of every cart bridge throughout the course.

It appears that the changes are making a difference. Last year, there was a 10 per cent increase in rounds played from 2013 to 2014, and for this year, management is expecting another 10 per cent increase as well.

In going forward, Brown said that there will “continually be incremental improvements, whether big or small, made to the course.” As for future plans, in the next few years, Brown would like to up the ante on the level of service offered as well as bring unique events to the course. A Canadian Tour tournament is not out of the question for the forthcoming years, and Brown even hinted toward a Web.com event as well.

For those uninitiated, Greywolf is a golf course that is not to be missed, with new ownership, an ambitious management group and plenty of reason to smile on the course. The courses at Banff and Jasper have every reason to not get too comfortable as the leading resort courses in Canada.