Located a few miles west of Calgary, a new golf course development was born in 2003 and the idea resurrected in 2014 by the Windmill Golf Group. Together with five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, that long-awaited vision will come to fruition this Spring. The fairways tumble and roll throughout the entire course. Phil is an enthusiastic driver of the ball and the design of this course allows players to demonstrate their driving abilities (or lack of) and “hit bombs” on every hole but the par 3’s. A wonderful collection of blowout style bunkering is found everywhere and the placement of these hazards are as strategic as they are aesthetic. These well shaped bunkers are either filled with tan colored or brilliant white sand. Shots finding the rough appeared to come out with some predictability but if you found the tall thick fescue, you were in a world of hurt. Water can be found on the course but the fairways should be easier targets to hit.
Plenty of thought went into the making of the greens and green complexes. Most are protected by stout bunkering and slopes that will bump missed approach shots away from the putting surfaces. The greens are large and well contoured.
A decade in the making their dream is about to become a reality. The golf course is being built to bring families and community together, allow businesses a platform for relationship building and to host major and local national golf tournaments.
For additional information on the Mickelson National Golf Club visit; www.mickelsonnational.com. For memberships go to: memberships@mickelsonnational.com.
