There may be no other nine in golf that possesses two 230-plus yarders as superlative as the two found on the front of Jasper Park. Regardless of the distance on the scorecard, the 9th plays considerably shorter as there is a 70 foot drop from tee to green. Thompson built a raised green complex on the valley floor surrounded by seven bunkers. As the green slopes predominately from front to back (i.e. in keeping with the slope of the surrounding land), the play is often to land the ball short of the putting surface and watch it chase onto the green.
According to Alan Carter, Jasper's Director of Golf, Thompson puckishly designed the par-3 ninth, Cleopatra, as a voluptuous woman with strategically placed mounds and bunkers. When the railroad president saw it, he demanded that Thompson alter it. But in the distance behind hte hole is a mountain formation called the Pyramids, so it still has the Egyptian touch. From the tee, the view beyond the green over the coniferous forests to the towering peaks is magnificent.
Upon closer inspection, the golfer finds that the fronting bunker is actually fifteen paces shy of the green. Thompson built up the green pad twleve feet off the valley floor, which means that a) a difficult recovery shot awaits any tee ball that is missed left, right or long and b) as the green is entirely manufactured and elevated from its surrounds, reading putts is tough.
Jasper Park Lodge:
I'm told it's not unusual for certain holes on the course to be "temporarily closed" at intervals during the summer because of casual four-legged visitors making appearances, such as bears, mountains lions, cougars, wolves and porcupines.
Stops Along the Way - Mount Edith Cavell:
Without a doubt Mount Edith Cavell (3363 m.) was the highlight of our trip to Jasper. The north face of this impressive peak towers over the town of Jasper and is definitely a must-see. Between Jasper townsite and the Athabasca Falls further south, the main road (hwy 93) is parallelled by the old road (hwy 93A). Somewhere halfway this hwy 93A, the Edith Cavell road leads towards the Mount Edith Cavell parking lot. Be prepared that the quality of this 15 km. tarmac road is extremely poor. So be careful and take your time.
Once you've arrived, you can either choose to do a nice alpine meadows walk. Or take the main hiking trail to the base of Mount Edith Cavell. It is a short hike (1/2 hour max.), but what a scenery! Towering in front of you is the impressive north face of Mount Edith Cavell. To the right "hangs" the spectacular Angel Glacier and at your feet lies Edith Cavell Basin, filled with ice floes and yet another small glacier. Don't mix up this Edith Cavell Basin with Cavell Lake, which is located close by but lies closer to the main road in the valley.
1. I love how perverted this Thompson guy is
ReplyDelete2. That canoe picture looks like a painting
3. Do we get a refund for holes closed due to bear inhabitance?
a. Yea I think back in the 20's when nobody got laid b/c of that f'ing prohibition shit, with chicks making rational decisions and "saving themselves for marriage", perversion was the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteb. I painted it last night, color by numbers
c. Also, if one hole is closed, what makes them think I'm willing to play the adjacent 17 holes? Last I checked bears don't hibernate during summer...therefore the possibility of going out for an afternoon stroll and saying hi to me on the next green...not cool.