May 12th: Silvertip Hole #10

Silvertip Hole #10 -- 559yd Par5 Handicap 3

Silvertip:
Perhaps the greatest challenge is the constant distraction presented by the surrounding mountains and spectacular vistas. This is evident on the 10th tee, a roiling 559 yard par 5 dogleg right with a forced carry over water. The green setting is right off of a postcard but you won't be able to mail in your score that easy!

(10th Tee Box View)

(A shot from behind the 18th green; you see the water carry from the 10th tee on the right of the picture)

"I think the hardest thing to do on this golf course is focus," said Greg Andrews, Silvertip's Director of Golf. "Everywhere you look there's dramatic scenery and a snapshot. Most golfers want to take some extra tee shots because they are too busy enjoying the scenery to concentrate on the golf."


As you can probably tell, the terms focus and distraction are in just about every review of this course. Good luck ladies!

Corrections:
Please note the corrections to the descriptions and yardages of the following holes (changed on that day's blog and underlined): #1,#4 and #8 --- the management at Silvertip finally responded and confirmed my original suspicions; the scorecard on the website is not the 2009 scorecard and holes have been reordered.

Sightseeing Near Canmore:
SPRAY LAKES

The Spray Lakes Trail start north of the Canmore townsite, and leads you to some of the most breathtaking scenery in the area. From the townsite, you can see the trail snake up the side of a mountain.

Not to fear, the road is fairly safe, just drive carefully, as it can narrow and wind at times. The road soon turns into gravel and into what is called the Smith Dorrien trail, and takes you by the beautiful Spray Lakes Reservoir. The Smith Dorrien eventually ends in Kananaskis Country, near the Upper and Lower Lakes. A good day trip is to do a loop by starting at Canmore, and then driving back to town using Highway 40, taking in Kananaskis as well.

(Both shots above are of the Spray Lakes and Spray Lakes Reservoir area)