FEATURE
Partnership
for the Course
Golf and country clubs are
forming partnerships with
Nordic ski clubs to increase
the usage of their grounds
throughout the year
By Paul Adair
Across Canada, golf and country clubs are con-tinuing
to find ways to increase the usage of their
property throughout the year, particularly dur-ing
the long winter months when the course sits
blanketed with snow. One of the ways they are doing this is
by seeking out mutually beneficial partnerships with outside
associations or groups, such as Nordic ski clubs.
When Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alta., closed its
cross-country ski trails to make way for a tube park four years
ago, Foothills Nordic Ski Club agreed to partner with the City
of Calgary to groom approximately seven kilometers of recre-ational
ski trails at Confederation Park Golf Course. The ski-ing
at Confederation Park is open to the general public, free of
charge and well-attended throughout the ski season with the
nearby parking lot filled to capacity most snowy weekends.
The City of Calgary views this partnership as a way to
improve opportunities at Confederation Park because it
provides year-round usage of city property for recreational
purposes, which is great for the city to promote health and
wellness opportunities for all Calgarians.
“And while there is an occasional conflict where our skiers
may want to go longer while snow is on the ground, and the
golf course wants to start getting ready for spring operations,
the relationship we share is very positive and we can easily
work things out,” said Jamie Grant, grooming operations di-rector
for Foothills Nordic Ski Club.
The topography of Confederation Park Golf Course is very
level, which provides an exemplary cross-country skiing ex-perience
for all skill levels. The evenness of the grounds also
means that the amount of snow required to groom and track-set
ski trails tends to be much less than it would be in other
ski locations, where additional snow might be needed to cov-er
rougher terrain.
Skiers enjoying the trails at
Confederation Park Golf Course
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE GRANT
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