Last year, River Spirit Golf Club played host to Alberta Golf for the first time since the Alberta Match Play in 2019. The course saw the best female golfers in the province competing for one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in amateur golf. In 2025, River Spirit will play host again for one of the oldest and one of the newest trophies at Alberta Golf, as it hosts the 89^th Alberta Open Championship on August 11-13.

 River Spirit Golf Club underwent a rebrand in recent years, trying to put a new spin on the game of golf. Their focus was to separate themselves from the traditional game and focus on creating community, uniqueness, integrity, and most importantly growth within the game of golf. Their 27-hole facility, paired with the scenery at the course, and their charming clubhouse allows everyday patrons to relax and unwind at this one of a kind facility. The course is no cakewalk, and will challenge the best golfers in the province with tight tee shots, a course yardage close to 7,000 yards, and a course rating of over 73.0 from the tips. While the course difficulty is one of the reasons to go back to River Spirit, their focus on growth within the game makes it the perfect host for the 89^th Alberta Open Championship.

 The Alberta Open Championship has been around since 1912 but has had plenty of cancellations throughout its history including sponsorship issues, World War 2, and low registration numbers. Despite this ‘The Open’ has remained a staple for the best male professional and amateur golfers to prove themselves, with the likes of Stan Leonard, Moe Norman, Kirk Triplett, and Wes Heffernan all competing for the trophy. With its storied history, 2025 marks the start of a new chapter with the addition of a professional and amateur women’s division, along with the women’s open component. Females with a Handicap Index of 10.0 or lower will now be able to compete without qualifying, with 40 spots being reserved for the best female golfers in the province. The professionals will be competing for a yet to be announced purse, while amateurs will be competing for a chance to play in the PNGA Women’s Amateur in 2026.

 With River Spirit as the host and the new additions to the Alberta Open, the 89^th playing of this prestigious event will be a new chapter as Alberta Golf and River Spirit continue to focus on growing the game of golf, while preserving the important traditions that lay as foundations for the sport.

Naturally, the best golf holes in the world are, at their essence, exceptional in their design merits. But they almost always have a setting, an ambiance, a natural beauty, that truly makes them worthy of the accolades. In other words, they playbeautifully and they look beautiful! The par-5 11th at Blackhawk is such a hole.

A gorgeous, down-the-hill, par-5 that begins the exceptional stretch of “valley holes” at the private Blackhawk Golf Course near Edmonton, the 11th always serves up one of the most exciting moments of the round.

Of course, “excitement” accompanies the golfer throughout a round at Blackhawk. The routing, which features plenty of perched tees, breathtaking bunkering, cunning contours, and heroic shot options, is, rightfully regarded as one of the top private golf experiences in the country. Last year Blackhawk, which is located just southwest of Edmonton along the pine-coated banks of the North Saskatchewan River, was ranked No. 15 in SCOREGolf’s rankings of the Top 100 Courses in Canada.

Designed by architect Rod Whitman (an Albertan who grew up just an hour, or so, south of Blackhawk near Ponoka), Blackhawk was to some extent, a groundbreaking achievement. Although it boasts similar trademarks of his earlier work at nearby Wolf Creek, this was one of the first courses in the country to embody the contemporary “minimalist” style.

Unquestionably, Whitman gravitated to that style – think heavy use of natural features, non-formulaic and highly-strategic holes, hand-carved bunkers that appear natural, fairways that simply follow the lay of the land, etc. – thanks to his extensive work with arguably the two most important pioneers of the “Golden Age” renaissance. That would be the late Pete Dye and his good friend, Bill Coore.

The “Golden Age” of golf course architecture was, predominantly, the 1920s when great architects such as Alister MacKenzie, A.W. Tillinghast, and Canada’s Stanley Thompson built many of the world’s finest courses.

Not surprisingly, this influence is noticeable throughout Blackhawk, including, of course, the fantastic par-5 11th, which is dubbed “Peninsula.”
“First of all, the setting there is stunning,” says Whitman. “From high on the bench where the tee is situated, you’re treated to a beautiful sight of the valley and the river. The anticipation is always high.”

Indeed, with many pivotal holes yet to come, this is definitely “gut check” time for the golfer. And the 11th is a hole where many things – some good, some bad! – can happen.

“To me, the fact that everything is running away from the golfer on the second shot is ideal,” says Whitman. “When it plays firm and fast, which it’s supposed to, even the average player has a chance of knocking it on the green in two here and making an eagle.”

Fittingly, it’s the low running shot that uses the natural landforms that is the ideal play to the green. However, as Whitman is quick to point out, there is plenty of trouble.

“Having the main hazard behind the green and also to the right of the green presents issues. The good player must control distance. And missing to the right is one of the most common mistakes in golf. So needless to say, there is plenty of trouble, yet there is a great opportunity for a low score on the hole.”

While the hole, which covers 532 yards from the regular member tees, isn’t “short,” the big elevation change and firm-and-fast fairway certainly makes it play much shorter. A clutch of beautiful bunkers (the hole features a massive bunker complex down the right side) and a newly added wood bulkhead around the green (the Pete Dye influence?) are other key aspects of the hole.

“This hole is always a favourite with our members,” says Blackhawk’s Head Golf Professional, Kevin Chow. “It kind of has it all. In my opinion, it’s truly one of the great holes in Alberta.”

Just east of Calgary, lies the stunning Chestermere Lake and the town of Chestermere. The lake draws plenty of visitors every year for a variety of summer activities including waterskiing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. This August however, the last weekend before school starts will have a new focus, the Alberta U13 & U15 Championship, hosted by Lakeside Golf Club.

The U13 & U15 Championship, previously part of the U17, U15, & U13 Championship, is for the youngest generation of golfers in the province looking to compete. Open to both male and female players, the championship is open to players who will be under the age of either 13 or 15 by August 1, 2025. This championship is the first choice for most players to experience golf at the provincial level. The separation of this age group from the U17’s allows for a less pressure filled environment for the kids, a more appropriate yardage range to play, and a clearer path for the younger generation to try their hand in competitive golf as they graduate from club programming and the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour. This move will help build community amongst these young aspiring juniors as they continue to age through the system and begin playing outside tournaments together. In 2024, Camilla Ruesga-Rojas and Sela Ogada won the female U13 and U15 divisions, and Oscar Gosgnach and Bennett Love won the male U13 and U15 divisions.

Lakeside Golf Club is familiar territory for Alberta Golf, last hosting the 2020 Women’s Amateur won by Yeji Kwon, with a multitude of young Albertans finishing just behind her. The course sets up impeccably well to a variety of golfers with large greens, stunning yet difficult water features, and eight different options to tee off from, making it the perfect place to host the young but hungry juniors. The course’s full pro shop will boast plenty of options for the kids to spend their winnings and its proximity to the lake will surely offer a great post-round escape for the youth to enjoy before heading back to school on Monday.

We are excited to be hosting the new U13 & U15 Championship for 2025. We know of one of our junior members for sure will be playing in the event. I’m sure we will have a few more play, but it will depend on the cut off for their date of births. We feel like the U13 and U15’s are going to have a lot of fun playing Lakeside, and we feel that the golf course sets up well, so we are expecting some great scores. The eventual winners will probably have to have a good couple of days with the putter and over the course of two days will have to limit the amount of penalty strokes, as the water penalty areas can come into play quite often at Lakeside, especially on holes 9 & 18.

Tyler Willner, Head Professional

While August is still months away, the youngsters are surely anxious for the snow to melt to get back on the course, to the lake, and out of school. All juniors are welcome to register for this championship, with registration opening on April 1 at 9am. For players looking to try competitive golf before this event, the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour offers one day events throughout the province offering a stress-free environment focused on education and fun for the kids, with top players getting an invite to compete in the newly minted Alberta U13 & U15 Championship.

Nestled in central Alberta just outside of Red Deer is one of the top public golf courses in Alberta, Alberta Springs Golf Resort. Alberta Springs is a course that requires no introduction to the junior golfers in the province, as it has played host to the Alberta U17, U15, & U13 Championship for many years, but in 2025 the course will host the first ever Alberta U17 Championship.

The Alberta U17 Championship is the stand-alone championship for the best juvenile golfers in the province under the age of 17 as of August 1. The event will be open to both male and female golfers, like years previous. It was decided to separate the event after a plethora of feedback was received from players and parents supporting the change to help with competitive development. This new change will include a lengthened yardage to better reflect the ability of Alberta’s top U17 players and serve as a more appropriate step toward the U19 Championship. An additional day will be added allowing the event to become WAGR ranked which helps with college recruiting. The U17 Championship has several well-known winners including Dustin Risdon and Heather Lee in the 90’s, and more recently Katy Rutherford and Ryan Hodgins winning their respective U17 Championships before turning pro. In 2024, it was Patrick McLarty that won the boys division with an impressive 68-66, while Saylar May continued her dominant play on the junior golf scene edging her competition by one stroke.

Alberta Springs has received numerous awards since opening in 1996. With plenty of tee boxes to choose from, superb amenities, and a stunning aquatic driving range, this course offers golfers of every level an enjoyable experience. The membership has proven to be an avid supporter of Alberta Golf with the same host club volunteers consistently offering their support in previous years, with no reason to expect different for 2025.

While the young juniors get ready for a new chance to compete for provincial golfing glory, the course will be anxiously waiting for its chance to show its teeth to the new crop of golfers, and the membership will be ready for the players with a smile and words of encouragement.

For the younger generation in Alberta, summer usually means no school, time with friends, better weather, and trips with family. For the up-and-coming golfers in the province, summer means competition season and this year one of their travel destinations is Water Valley Golf Club, the host of the 2025 U19 Championship.

 The U19 Championship combines the best 140 male and female junior golfers in the province, as they compete for their respective titles. Players must be under the age of 19 as of August 1^st that year. The event has undergone plenty of name and format changes over its history, but what has never changed is the number of great players who have ‘cut their teeth’ at this event. The likes of Jaclyn Lee, Katy Rutherford, Max Sekulic, and Hunter Thomson all won their respective U19 Championships which helped propel them to where they are today including the LPGA Tour, The PGA of Canada, PGA Tour America’s and Michigan University standout. The U19 Championship is no stranger to fireworks and 2024 was much of the same, with a female course record and a hole-in-one on Day 1, and an albatross on Day 2. Ultimately, Ryan Gillis and Sarah Armstrong won the U19 Championships in their divisions. In 2025, two new champions will be crowned as the best young stars descend on Water Valley.

 Water Valley Golf Club has been around since 1994 but has truly cemented themselves as a hidden gem of Alberta in recent years. Only 30 minutes north of Calgary, Water Valley offers a tough layout with tight tree-lined fairways that will make it hard for the juniors to “bomb and gouge” the course. The course’s newly redesigned clubhouse and community of members help the course live up to the ‘Alberta’s Jewel’ tagline. In recent years, Water Valley has played host to a variety of Alberta Golf events, including the last iteration of the Alberta Match Play in 2022 and the 2023 Women’s Amateur won by Jieming Yang. At both previous championships, the membership came out in droves to support the players, help as volunteers, and showed off the welcoming community at the club.

 As the membership anxiously awaits the snow to melt and the arrival of the golf season, the juniors will continue their off-season preparation with their sights set firmly on Water Valley and a chance to propel their golf careers.