Newer, Shorter Golf Course Lets Everyone Squeeze a Game In
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2019-06-04
By GORD MONTGOMERY, Inside Golf
SPRUCE GROVE, Alberta — Sometimes the smallest of golf courses come though in the biggest ways. Such is the case with Putting Horse Ranch, an 18-hole putting course just outside of Edmonton, which has now been teamed up with a 3-hole loop.
Speaking to the why’s of putting such a tiny track into operation, owner Chris Poburan said he and his wife, Liz, saw a need for such amenities given the speed of today’s world.
“We wanted to develop an activity for the whole family. The 18-hole putting course, everyone can play that. People enjoy it, little kids up to avid golfers,” and that facility has now been running, successfully, for the past decade.
So to top off that playground, the little course was added, featuring a par-3 starting hole; a par-5 second hole and then a par-4 test to wrap the loop up.
“The three holes of golf gave us the chance to allow everyone to use all the clubs in their bag,” said Poburan. “In this hectic world of ours, we don’t seem to always have five hours to go play a round of golf. Here, you can use all the clubs in your bag. You have two excellent driving holes,” as the par-5 stretches out to 500 yards (with a second tee being built that will boost it up to “580 to 600 yards”) and the par-4 that is 385 yards, with water on both sides of the fairway, “But it’s a big landing area out there,” Poburan said of that challenge off the tee. “The nice thing is, you can play the three holes in 20 minutes, a half hour.”
The One Thing Putting Horse Ranch Prides Itself On Is That Anyone, No Matter Their Skill Level, Can Come Out And Enjoy A Round On Their 18-Hole Putting Course. (Photo/Gord Montgomery)
Poburan said his newest layout is still an undiscovered treasure in the countryside. He noted that it’s just now reaching maturity and eager to welcome new players. The fairways are quite lush and with onsite water from a creek, the large liquid hazard is always full and the grass lush.
“Last fall, the blue grass popped, and now the fairways are good,” he sated of the new addition.
The cost of the little course wasn’t inexpensive but the opportunity to do this was just too good to pass up, said the owner. “This was just a perfect setting for it, so we went ahead and did it. It’s pretty cool.”
Poburan said this mini-track plays just like any other course, even despite the fact it’s missing the other holes that make up the usual nine or 18-hole course.
“Yeah, it does. Some days you can have a great round of golf and some days, it’s just as embarrassing as everywhere else!”
Putting Horse Ranch, and its two “courses” are located just four kilometres north of Spruce Grove on Century Road.
About the Writer
Gord Montgomery is a member in good standing of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his 10th year of writing for Inside Golf. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf and on Instagram at gordinsidegolf2.