Wildstone such a nice layout, it doesn't need any tweaking

Jamie Curistan, a golf professional at Wildstone GC, has been on site since it opened and is in full agreement that this track doesn't have anything that needs to be fixed.

By Gord Montgomery (iG)

CRANBROOK, B.C. — Not much has changed at Wildstone Golf Club in Cranbrook, BC, since it opened six years ago, but then again, considering what a beauty it is, why would they want anything different?

After all, this layout, starting at the first tee and running right through the 18th green is magnificent from the grass on the greens right on up to the mountain vistas in the distance.

But just don't take my word for it. Let the one of the course's pros, Jamie Curiston, fill you in on the details.

"I just think they did such a good job on the design," he said of the Gary Player Black Knight playpen. "Nothing is out there by accident. Every bunker is in the way or is an aiming point. The only thing that has changed is the maturity of the golf course. The greens have become a little more receptive over the past few years, but really,  nothing has changed."

And that, my friends, is why this place is such a great play.

With five different tee boxes and huge greens, its set-up is designed to let everyone from the low handicapper to the most novice of players tee it up here and have a blast. The layout offers everything you want including holes with lies that are either uphill, downhill or level and green complexes that have huge swales on them, where if you get on the wrong side, well, good luck with a 2-putt.

Thankfully though all of those components work together to make this a most enjoyable play even if it's the same now as it was before. Because good never ever gets old.

Asked how the public has responded to this amazing  track, Curiston said word-of-mouth reviews have been nothing but positive.

"When people come off the course I think they're very pleased with the experience and when you step up to the top deck of our driving range, with Mount Fisher in the background, there's really nothing like it," continued Curiston, "That is such a good start to people's days.

In regard to the course itself, the pro said that one of the great features of this layout is the variety one runs into. Sure the course still plays the same as it did on Day 1, but this is a playground that didn't need to be tweaked.

There are long par fours (like No. 3 which plays to 395-yards from the middle tee box) but it is all uphill, making this test a whole heck of a lot sterner. The quiz master then gives you a “gimme:” of sorts with the next hole, a par 4 measuring in at 253-yards that is, for the most part, is all downhill making it play much shorter.

One of the big things here is that there are five tee boxes, ranging from 7,127 yards at the back end all the way down to 4,947 yards, so really, there is the right length of course here for one and all. Thus, everyone has the chance to walk away with a smile on their face at the end of the day because if you start in the right spot the ending has every chance of being a happy one.


"There really is a little bit of everything out here," Curiston noted.
Now if you're perhaps thinking I've gone a bit over the top in my praise for this B.C. beauty, here's some more food for thought. SCORE Golf ranked Wildstone as the 42nd best public golf course in Canada (where there are reportedly over 2,000 golf facilities) and the ninth best for value. It was also listed as Golf Digest's Favorite Round in 2011.

Oh, and speaking of value, Wildstone has realized that golfers like great deals so they have a variety of special rate to help sate the public's appetite for those. Curiston said there are lots, but the most popular ones like the All Inclusive or the Nine 'n Dine with a cart for only $45 (with a $15 food voucher),

So, don’t just take my word for it. See what everyone is talking about when the name “Wildstone” comes into play, because trust me on this one, you won’t be disappointed.

For more on the first Black Knight Design course in Canada, check out their website at wildstonegolf.com or call them toll free at 1-855-565-4653.

About the writer: Gord Montgomery is a retired sports editor of two weekly newspapers in the Edmonton area and is a member of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his eighth year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at noraltagolf@gmail.com. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf.

The driving range at Wildstone is a great place to get your day underway, not only to warm up for your game but also for the spectacular views it provides.