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Sparwood Golf Club: Finally Stopping at the Little 9-Hole Muni

I’ve driven by this little 9-hole mountain course more times than I can count and always thought it would be fun to stop and play someday. On August 7th, today was finally the day.

It’s got that classic muni feel — up one side of the valley and down the other, out and back, no frills. Playing a new course for the first time always makes club selection a bit of a guessing game; you’re never quite sure where to place your shots. But that’s part of the fun. I really enjoyed the undulating fairways and the little ups and downs throughout the round, and the greens rolled true.

A cart path winding through the undulating fairways at Sparwood Golf Club

It’s hard to pin down a favorite hole the first time you play a course — but it gets a lot easier once you birdie one of them. That was hole 7, a short downhill par 3 tucked in among the trees. I rolled in a long 50-foot putt for birdie there, and that was the moment the course won me over.

Overall, it’s a great course for the community. It’s tough to compete when there are so many championship-level courses in the area, but this little 9-hole spread has real character, and I’d happily play it again.

The hole 5 marker at Sparwood Golf Club, a 285-yard par 4

Sunshine Village: Chasing Champagne Powder Above Banff

Sunshine Village earns its name on a bluebird day. And even on a grey one, it’s hard to beat the setting. The gondola out of Banff climbs straight into the Sunshine Meadows, and the resort itself straddles the Alberta-British Columbia border, which means you can ski across a provincial line on your lunch break.

The terrain is genuinely varied: Goat’s Eye Mountain has the steeps and the moguls for anyone chasing a burn, Lookout Mountain rewards the hike-to crowd with wide-open bowls, and the Wawa/Standish side keeps things mellow for a family group or a lower-mileage day.

Snow quality lived up to the name — light, dry, and forgiving even a week after the last storm. Lift lines were minimal on a Tuesday in January; expect longer waits at the Standish and Angel Express chairs on weekends. Sunshine Mountain Lodge is the only slopeside stay, and being able to ski to your door after the last chair is a real advantage if the budget allows for it.

Rating: 4.5/5. Pack layers — the exposed alpine terrain gets windy — and grab lunch at the Mad Trapper’s Smokehouse partway down Goat’s Eye before your legs give out.