As the 2018 Saskatchewan golf season comes to a close, it is time for the 1st Annual Drive The Green Golf Top 5 Golf Courses in Saskatchewan segment! With a wonderful drought settling in this summer and the beautiful Saskatchewan winds blowing freely, there were ample opportunities to hit the links. As you plan your 2019 golf trips with the boys, lets take a closer look at some courses to keep your eye on……….
Honorable Mention – Katepwa Beach Golf Club
Located in the scenic Qu’Appelle Valley in Southern Saskatchewan, Katepwa Beach Golf Club offers one of the best and most demanding course layouts in the province. The course has every type of trouble that most Sask golfers are familiar with links style. Fescue, elevation changes, thick brush and trees that means automatic re-tee or drop. Water surrounding the greens and to top it all off almost every hole offers a risk vs reward scenario.
The only thing keeping this course out of the Top 5 is it is only 9 holes so you play from different tee boxes the 2nd time through. If Katepwa Beach Golf Club had a full 18 hole course complementing the design of the original 9 it would be tough to leave out of the Top 5.
Honourable Mention – The Legends
One of Saskatchewan’s youngest golf courses, The Legends opened in 2011 and brought a true links golf test to central Saskatchewan. Tipping out at a shade under 7300 yards, The Legends is a tough course on a day with no wind. But if any of the readers are familiar with where Warman, SK is, a day with no wind is as likely as Mike Weir winning another green jacket. 30-50 km/h winds, knee high grass in the waste areas that line the holes, and water lining 13 of the 18 holes highlight some of the challenges this course offers.
People may be asking why this course is only an honorable mention with that resume and the answer is The Legends needs time to mature. In 10-20 years, this course will be a mainstay in the Top 5 courses in Saskatchewan. But right now, some of the trees are still too young and small to serve their purpose. Holes that in 10-20 years will be tough holes can be taken advantage of right now. Once those trees mature The Legends will be an even tougher test.
#5 Deer Valley Golf Club
Ten years ago, Deer Valley would have been number 1 on my list by a country mile. Since then mother nature reared her ugly head and the course paid a heavy price for cutting its holes so close to the water’s edge in the Qu’Appelle valley. Multiple holes saw greens split into two levels, fairways split in half, and portions of greens and full tee boxes completely disappear due to shifts in the ground. Most people have read this far and are thinking how is this course in the top 5 with that opening. But, Deer Valley is slowly returning to the course it once was. Tee boxes are being rebuilt, the fairway and greens that split are being reworked. Once it gets back to form it will sky rocket up this list.
It is arguably the most beautiful course in Sask. At 6800 yards from the back tees, it isn’t the longest course, but it is a strategic 6800. There aren’t many bail out areas at Deer Valley, you hit the shot that is asked of you otherwise you are dropping or hitting 3 off the tee. It offers everything from reachable in two par 5s, risk vs reward tee shots on par 4s, demanding long par 3s, and par 3s you can attack. You will need every club in your bag when you play Deer Valley. It is also a great course to play a match with friends or as part of a tournament because big swings in scores are not if but when. Those reasons more than make up for course conditions that are improving every year and make Deer Valley a lock for a Top 5 course in Saskatchewan.
#4 Waskesiu Golf Course
The most iconic golf course in Saskatchewan comes in at number 4 on the list. The original Lobstick tree might be gone but a new tree has been put in place and this course will likely be on the top 5 list for that tree’s lifespan. This Stanley Thompson design has been around for 75 years and is located inside Prince Albert National Park.
It is not overly long (only 6300 yards) and it is not overly narrow compared to other northern SK courses. But Waskesiu Golf Course challenges golfers in different ways. From subtle elevation changes and uneven lies in the fairways, to thick rough around the greens, to greens that have to be kept rolling slower otherwise they would be impossible, and greens that always break towards the lake no matter what you think you are reading when lining up a putt just to mess with a golfers confidence.
It is home to the Lobstick tournament every year, which is a week-long match play tournament and this course is a perfect fit for that tournament because it is set up perfect for match play golf. Decisions to be made on how to play every hole and can be altered depending on the stage of the match. Tree lined fairways which can turn 2 up into 1 down in 3 quick holes. The trees are also open enough that you can find you ball and advance it out compared to other northern courses where it is a drop or re-tee the second it crosses the plane of the tree line.
And let’s not forget the hot Kaiser bun sandwiches at the turn. All in all, from the course layout, the scenery and wildlife you are bound to see, and the general fun had playing a round at Waskesiu Golf Course easily puts it in the Top 5 courses in Saskatchewan.
#3 Dakota Dunes Golf Links
Located on the Whitecap First Nation just south of Saskatoon is another relatively new course to Saskatchewan. Dakota Dunes Golf Links is a monster of a course. At just over 7300 yards from the back tees I believe Dakota Dunes is the longest course in Saskatchewan (Ding, ding, Fact Check). Like other courses on the list this course has everything to challenge a mid-range to high level golfer. The signature aspect of the Dunes is the waste areas that act as the rough of every hole. Your ball can land in anything from sand, long grass, cactus, sage brush or even dead trees and good luck playing out of there because of its length you are also probably having to hit a 7 iron or lower to reach the green.
Have I mentioned the length of this course yet? It has two par 5s over 600 yards and only one par 4 under 400 and what goes better with a long course than an average wind of 30 km/h every time you play it. Make no bones about it this course will humble even the best golfers on a windy day. While it is a very tough course it is always in pristine condition and the bright green fairways and greens cut out from the desolate waste areas make it pretty to look at from every tee box. There is a reason it has hosted CPGA events and has made score golfs Top Public Courses list. It is a monster but definitely a course deserving of its ranking here.
#2 Elk Ridge Golf Resort
The second northern SK course to find its way into the Top 5 is Elk Ridge Golf Resort located just outside the Prince Albert National Park. There are three different nine-hole tracks here. Aspen, Birch and Tamarack and they are 27 of the most demanding holes in the province not only is there trees lining every hole, but it is also pretty pretty preeeettttyy narrow. Oh, and it is 6700 yards depending on which two 9s you play.
Elk Ridge is basically Waskesiu Golf Course (#4 on the list) on Steroids. They have similar designs both being cut out of the northern SK forest but Elk Ridge is longer, narrower, and the greens are faster. One of the real perks of the course is because of where it is located, the Sask wind is generally not a factor. Although I am not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing to not be able to blame it on the wind when you hit an errant shot into the trees.
Like Deer Valley you will need every club in your bag to get around Elk Ridge and post a good score. What really cements Elk Ridge’s spot at number 2 is the entire golf experience you get at this resort. Cabins, townhouses and a hotel are all options for lodging, great dining options at the club house, #4 on the list Waskesiu is just up the road and there is three more good golf courses within 30 minutes of the resort. So, not only the championship calibre of the course puts it at 2 but the ability to have an elite golf trip with the boys and use Elk Ridge as the central area is a real feather in the cap of this resort.
#1 Riverside Golf & Country Club
Finally, we get to number one and anyone who has played a fair amount of golf in Saskatchewan probably saw this list building towards this. But coming in at number 1 is Riverside Golf & Country Club. I believe it is 1 of only 3 fully private courses in the province (Ring the bell) and you get the private course experience when playing it. It is always in perfect condition, the greens run true and fast every time you play them, and being a private course there are not many slow rounds.
I may be a little biased as I was a member here for 5 years when I was younger. But my favorite part about Riverside is how every hole tempts you as a player. You could think out your round prior to teeing off and be standing on every given hole knowing the smart shot but every hole has a line that if you hit it there you will be in position A+ to score on that hole. Whether that is cutting the corner over trees on the dog legged par 4s or going for the par 5s in two when three of the four par 5s have trouble in front. You know you should hit the smart shot but how cool would it be to be putting for eagle or have less than 100 in on a par 4 and that is where this course gets you.
When you break it all down Riverside is just a good golf course top to bottom from layout to condition to pace of play it truly is the Top Course in Saskatchewan. I mean it was the only course in Sask to make ScoreGolf’s Top 100 courses in Canada this year, that speaks for itself. If you have not played it and get the opportunity to play it, DO NOT turn that invite down.
There you have it, Drive the Green’s Top 5 Golf Courses in Saskatchewan. I am sure there will be some debate among readers with the list I have created. There were disagreements among the Drive the Green boys on the list as well. But I wrote the article so at the end of the day it’s my list. If you feel I slighted your favorite course and want to make a case for it feel free to contact one of the DTG boys on twitter @DTGHarv, @DTGbronel @DTGmattyb or on Instagram @drivethegreengolf