Wolf Creek Old Course – Hole-by-Hole
In late August 2025 Alison and I embarked on a mini-golf tour of Alberta which started with the Wolf Creek Links course just outside of Ponoka. As I explained in my hole-by-hole post, avoiding the bunkers at all costs is the only way to score well on this Rod Whitman layout that is quite wide open, but peppered with at least 100 traps, some monstrously large, others deviously deep. In this post we’ll return to play the Wolf Creek Old course which was also designed by Rod Whitman, the man behind Cabot Links, the #3 course in the SCOREgolf Top 100 courses in Canada as well as two other courses in the top 20 – Sagebrush and Blackhawk. Once again it is a beautiful calm morning for golf so please join us as we take on the Wolf Creek Old course.
The Wolf Creek Old course opened in 1984 and was immediately praised for the minimalist approach that incorporated Wolf Creek and the small winding valley it has carved in the prairie landscape, into many of the holes. This recognition led to it hosting the prestigious Canadian Tour Alberta Open in 1987 and thereafter for 12 more straight years. Winners here have included Kirk Triplett, three time winner on the PGA and eight times on the Champions Tour. It is currently rated the #86 course in the SCOREgolf Top 100.
The Wolf Creek Old course is much shorter than its sister course, playing to a par 70 6,624 yards from the tips. That’s still way too much for me and I will be playing the Silver tees which are a much more manageable 5,996 yards. All the phots are taken from that tee box, unless otherwise noted.
Wolf Creek Old #1 Spruce Bend – 349 Yard Par Four
The very first thing I note standing on the first tee is that this fairway is probably tighter than any I saw on the Links course. It’s also much greener looking, the bent grass fairways being in great condition. This is a dogleg right and one could challenge the corner and risk ending up in the prairie grass, but I’d rather not start off with a shitty score so I’m simply aiming straight ahead.
Reaching the end of the dogleg leaves this six or seven iron into as smallish angled green guarded by three bunkers. It’s a very pretty looking approach, but a lot could go wrong and I opt to hit a low runner that lands well short of the green and struggles to get onto the fringe.
Photographing greens is tricky and I don’t usually include many photos of them, but this shot of the first green illustrates a number of things that will be consistent throughout the round. First the bent grass greens are in excellent condition. Second, they are much smaller than the Links greens and have more contouring. Third, this shot is a good example of the fairway, the green and the light rough.
It’s a tricky little pitch shot and having failed to reach the green in two, bogey is the consequence. Still, I’m quite happy with the result on this starting hole which is a very fair, but has some teeth to it.
BTW, those are Pete Dye like railway ties at the back of the right side bunker.
#2 Sod Wall – 358 Yard Par Four
This is the first of what will be a number of challenging drives where your ball must cross Wolf Creek to reach the fairway. It’s quite downhill off the tee and the fairway opens up quite nicely once you reach it. The fairway bunker on the right will definitely be in play for many right handers, but with my right to left ball flight it’s not, thank goodness. Visually this is a very attractive, if somewhat daunting, hole.
This is a truly frightening approach shot with the green almost completely surrounded by bunkers and the flag hidden behind the lip of one of them. The sensible play is to try to hit the left side opening with what for me will be a mid-iron and hope for a two putt. Somehow, it works.
So far Rod Whitman is two for two in his design of this Wolf Creek Old course.
Wolf Creek Old #3 Camel Back – 177 Yard Par Three
This first par three is another very pleasing visual with native prairie grass almost all the way to the fringe of the hump back green, which is much larger than the first two. Today’s pin placement is a no go for me and I opt instead to aim a hybrid to the centre of the green and as it turns out, a nice 20 foot two putt for par.
No. 4 Hawk’s Alley – 336 Yard Par Four
Alley is certainly the correct description of this ridiculously tight fairway on what is the #1 stroke hole at the Wolf Creek Old course. Put the driver away and use any club that will keep you in play. You have to give yourself a shot at the green and you won’t have one if you end up in Wolf Creek which winds its way up the entire right side of the fairway.
This hole is more generous to lefties than righties as the fairway opens up a bit to the left once you cross Wolf Creek. I have this shot left to a green that is surrounded by water on three sides on a hole that like #1, has some likeness to a Pete Dye design, particularly some of the holes at Harbor Town.
By some miracle my seven iron goes dead straight and stops 10 feet behind the pin for my first and only birdie on the Wolf Creek Old course. This is a memorable hole and one of a few on this course that could qualify as the signature hole.
Wolf Creek Old #5 The Tunnel – 369 Yard Par Four
After#4 you emerge from the woods for several holes that are more akin to the Links course holes than most at the Wolf Creek Old course. This is another tough driving hole that does require distance off the tee to a fairway that slants at a 45° angle from the tee box. Visually it looks like if you make to the the fairway that your ball will probably go all the way through to the rough on the other side. To top it off, the line that would leave the best approach shot is guarded by a hideously deep bunker that could put paid to an entire round if you land in it. Even though it’s technically not an overly long par four, I opted to play it as safe as possible and stayed well to the left of the bunker.
In this photo you can see the bunker to the right and realize just how far back this approach shot is. There are bunkers to the right and left of the green, but also a backstop behind the green so taking one extra club to take the bunkers out of play makes sense. Frankly, bogey is a very acceptable score on this hole. Collectively holes 4 and 5 could definitely be described as round wreckers.
#6 Wasteland – 496 Yard Par Five
The first of the two par fives at the Wolf Creek Old course has a plethora of bunkers down both the left and right sides of the fairway. However, they peter out about halfway to the green so that if you avoid them off the tee you should be OK. You can see from this photo that the fairway snakes around to the right for the second shot so you need to decide the best place to land your drive to set up that second shot. Remembering that this will play as a three shot hole there’s not a lot to gain by hitting driver.
Using a three wood off the tee left this second shot which gives me plenty of room to clear the trouble on the right.
The final hurdle is staying on what is a minuscule green with severe contouring, but I’m close enough that an attack wedge does the job. The bunker on the right should not be in play.
This photo is another example of the type of greens that Rod Whitman has created at the Wolf Creek Old course – challenging to say the least, but also a lot of fun in trying to read them correctly.
This hole, to me, has everything that a great par five should have.
Wolf Creek Old #7 Mirage – 105 Yard Par Three
Whenever you have a hole name like mirage or illusion, you have to suspect something is up. At 105 yards to a large green this should be an easy wedge shot. The pin is not behind the left side bunker which would cause some trepidation, but rather in a very gettable position to the right. This is the easiest stroke hole on the front and plays like it. It comes as a welcome relief after three holes that require both skill and imagination.
#8 Prairie Dunes – 329 Yard Par Four
This short uphill par four does not present the difficulty off the tee that the previous par fours have. For me, with my right to left ball flight and a fairway that slants that way, the test will be to land the drive far enough up the right side to take the bunkers out of play. Fortunately there’s a ton of room out there and that makes the drive less stressful.
The second shot requires more club than the distance would suggest. You must take that front left bunker out of play as well as the one on the back left. That suggests playing well to the right and avoiding taking on the pin. Do that and a two putts will reward you with a fairly easy par.
Wolf Creek Old #9 Deception – 408 Yard Par Four
Recall what I said a few holes ago about names like mirage and illusion? Well that applies in spades to deception as well and it’s a perfect name for this very confounding par four. From the tee you can just get a peek at the green which is on the other side of a huge ravine which you are going to have to cross to get there. The problem is that the hole is over 400 yards and will require both a great drive and an even better second shot to arrive at a GIR. I concluded that this was unlikely to happen and accepted that it would take three shots to get there – a short drive followed by a layup and the third over the ravine to the green. Let’s see how that worked out.
So here I am well positioned to layup as close to the edge of the ravine as possible without going over into what I presume will be Wolf Creek.
I’m still a hell of a long way away. The ravine is way wider than I thought and here’s where the deception came in – there was a lot of room at the bottom of the ravine to land my second shot. I could have hit driver and and a hybrid to get down into the ravine and leave a comfortable uphill wedge shot for the approach. After all, this was never going to be a two shot hole for me and most golfers.
Instead I have left myself this extremely iffy, but admittedly very pretty looking, third shot. Deception is the perfect name for this most difficult of holes and although I ended up with a double, was not too put out by that score.
# 10 Dan’s Revenge – 175 Yard Par Three
I don’t know who Dan is and why he’s looking for revenge, but maybe it’s putting up a three after carding a six on #9. However, that’s easier said than done on this hole that plays more like 190 yards. The one good thing is that there are no bunkers so you can be a bit errant and still keep par in the equation. Although this is the #18 stroke hole at Wolf Creek Old it is not an easy par three by any means, but still a relief after #9.
Wolf Creek Old #11 Buffalo Jump – 484 Yard Par Five
The sole par five on the back at Wolf Creek Old is a long left curving hole that is actually perfectly suited to my right to left ball flight. I just aimed at the trees and let gravity do the rest.
Now in my experience a buffalo jump is a place where the Indigenous people drove buffalo over a cliff in a rather scattershot approach to killing. The most famous example is the UNESCO World Heritage site Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta. So I am expecting something dramatic to occur on this hole.
Approaching my drive I can see that there’s trouble ahead and a full wood here will probably end up with the ball getting its head smashed in. The issue is, what can I hit that will give me the shortest approach shot and still stay out of the buffalo jump? I go with a four hybrid and while I could use another 10 yards, the result is acceptable.
Now this is just about the wildest approach shot to a par five as I’ve seen anywhere. By wild I mean that it looks like a small green just popped up out of the middle of the prairie on the other side of Wolf Creek. There really is no room for error on this shot, but long is a hell of a lot better than short. This is a world class par five and bogey is a good score. I am betting there are a lot of snowmen carded here.
#12 The Gorge – 398 Yard Par Four
Other than #10, the last few holes at Wolf Creek Old have involved crossing Wolf Creek at one point or another, but now it has come to extremes. This is a carry I simply cannot make. It’s a good 190 yards and with no tail wind all but impossible for most senior golfers. I try and fail.
This is looking back to the tee from the other side of the aptly named gorge which I am sure gorges on dozens of balls every day.
From here I can see that not only is the carry ridiculously long, but it’s uphill as well. If I played this hole again, I would swallow my pride and play it from the forward tees.
But let’s assume you did make it over the gorge. Then you’re looking at an uphill semi-blind second shot to a green that you can’t reach.
Coming up short leaves this shot that brings a sigh of relief. It’s a straight in shot to a relatively flat green with no bunkers to worry about. Assuming you did clear the gorge there’s still a half-ass chance you can make par.
I called holes 4 and 5 potential round wreckers. Well they now look positively benign compared to 11 and 12.
I can certainly see by this stage of the round why the Wolf Creek Old course was a suitable venue for the Alberta Open for so many years. From the championship tees there are holes here that would test even the best in the game.
Wolf Creek Old #13 The Shoot – 326 Yard Par Four
This is another left curving hole that once again suits my ball flight perfectly. God knows I need a break after #12. Big hitters would just go over the trees and shorten the approach shot considerably, but I’m happy just to let my drive go with the flow of the hole.
That leaves this uphill approach where the only trouble is the bunker in front. By taking two more clubs than the distance requires I take both the uphill factor and the bunker out of play. Two putts from the back of the green gets me back on the par train. It feels great.
#14 Hager – 352 Yard Par Four
We are now back into open country once again and have a grip and rip it opportunity on this downhill par four. It does have two fairway bunkers on the left side, but by aiming my drive down the right edge of the fairway I take them out of play.
The result is by far my longest drive of the round leaving this wedge shot into a saddle-back green. This is a sucker pin placement and I don’t even think of taking it on. I aim at the high point of the green and strangely it stays right there without rolling down either side. This leaves a downhill putt for birdie, which I miss and settle for a second par in a row.
BTW the greens at Wolf Creek Old are only moderately fast so I was not too concerned about being above the hole as I would be if the greens were lightning fast. This course is enough of a challenge with having to deal with tricked up greens.
Wolf Creek Old #15 Bunny – 377 Yard Par Four
Thank you Rod Whitman for including at least one bowled fairway on the Wolf Creek Old course. With no bunkers to worry about this is another hole where you can let loose with your best shot and unless you are really wild off the tee, you should be in good shape for the approach.
Once again I have some decent istance off the tee leaving this absolutely gorgeous looking approach shot. I’m still about 155 yards out, but it’s downhill to an elevated green. I’m not going to try to stick it because I’m not sure if it will hold or not so my target is just right front edge. The traps shouldn’t be in play unless you are way off with your approach.
My ball does come up just short of the green, but it’s still an easy two putt for par. I love this course!
#16 Deer Track – 327 Yard Par Four
This is a semi-blind tee shot. You can see a large bunker just to the right of the green and for me its a good target with a three wood. No need for driver on this hole.
As you can see I’m well short of the bunker and with only a partial look at the green. Maybe I should have hit driver after all. My par streak comes to an end here as I fail to reach the green by playing a conservative approach shot that takes both the bunkers and the trees out of play, but leaves me 10 yards short.
Wolf Creek Old #17 Necklace – 197 Yard Par Three
The very large green on the final par three at Wolf Creek Olds makes for an inviting target with the right club which for me is a five wood. It does stay on, but I have my first three putt of the day. Oh well, it did wait 17 holes to make an appearance.
#18 The Whit – 432 Yard Par Four
After giving us a break between 13 and 17, The Whit as I presume Mr. Whitman is sometimes called, ends with this achingly long par of which there is no way I’ll reach in two. There’s trouble all down the right side, presaging what he was later to do on many of the holes on the Links course. That’s not an issue for me; I just need to stay on the fairway to a least have a shot at getting as close as possible to the green in two.
While it doesn’t look like it, I’m still well over 200 yards out and given those bunkers around the green I’m quite happy to come up short, but safe and then chip on for a two putt bogey. I consider that a par in my books.
Well this has been one very memorable round on a course that has some holes I will never forget. This, along with the Links course, is more than enough reason to go out of your way to come to this region of central Alberta to play golf.
After the round be sure to check out Barney’s Lounge upstairs in the log clubhouse.
Along with the two wolves, it has dozens of flags from some of the most famous golf courses in the world. I was pleasantly surprised to note that I had played about half of them.
In the next post Alison and I will head to Cochrane, just outside of Calgary, to take on The Links of Gleneagles. I hope you’ll join us there.