Wolf Creek Returning To Its Former Glory
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2025-03-17
By Gord Montgomery, Senior Writer, Inside Golf
PONOKA, Alberta — For the past few years, the Wolf Creek Golf Resort, one of the most renowned courses in central Alberta, was in a state of, shall we say, shedding its reputation as an annual must-play. After a new ownership group took over, the glow is coming back to the layout known as the Old Course.
Speaking to what has taken place since GolfNorth Properties took ownership in a bankruptcy sale, the club’s General Manager Jim Boomer had this to say in regard to the history of these particular 18 holes of what is now a 36-hole facility: “That would have been the 80s and 90s,” he began about the Old Course building its reputation. “They always had the Alberta Open, which was part of the Canadian Tour at that time,” which was held at this rural course from 1987 through 1999. “That certainly put the golf course on a level that’s not that common, to get that kind of ink that’s out in the middle of nowhere. Because the players of that calibre spoke highly of Wolf Creek, it certainly obtained quite a reputation. Obviously, the new owners would like to get that kind of talk back about Wolf Creek and we’ve taken some steps in that direction.”
In speaking to that particular direction, Boomer continued by saying, “I think anybody who’s seen the place in, I’d say the last season, 2022, was when GolfNorth Properties bought the course so they realized right away they needed to put some money back in. Make sure they had a proper source of water, that type of thing. Of course, they know a lot about bringing a golf course back. It just takes a little time.
“Over 2023, with money being put in for fertilizer programs, all that kind of stuff, we could really see a big difference in the place by the end of 2023 and last year (2024), we had a really successful year with a lot of people saying ‘Wolf Creek is back and well worth the money to come play,’ and all that kind of stuff. The deal they (GolfNorth Properties) made was, ‘If you can get the people coming back that every time somebody comes they’ll see something’s improved,’ and they’ve been true to their word. They’ve been true to their word right down the line.”
What players will find here is a lot of reworked areas to bring things back up to par.
One sure sign that things have improved dramatically at The Wolf is the fact Alberta Golf will host a major provincial golf tournament there this year. The Alberta Men’s Senior Championship, a 54-hole competition, will run on this historical course in late July. But remember, this course isn’t a pristine piece of art even given what is coming their way.
“When you look at the maintenance program, especially for an event like that, a lot of the rough edges won’t be there if you played it five years ago,” said Boomer. “I say this a little bit guarded because a links golf course is a rough cut in comparison to a country club type of maintenance program. The fairways are as good as they’ve ever been. We did have the greens a little long for a while because the health was so poor,” but those are now back to the shape they were in during the glory days here. “You tended to lose people but now we’re getting them back.”
“The other course (Links) is a great golf course too, but I think the reputation here was definitely built on the original course,” and thanks to the dollars and work put into restoring this great facility, it is once again worth the drive time and green fee to tee it up and experience one of Alberta’s great golf courses.