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INTRODUCTION The massive provinces of British Columbia and Alberta encompass some of the most diverse and photogenic topography not only in Canada but in the entire world. From the Pacific Ocean-splashed West Coast of Vancouver Island to the edge of the vast prairies in eastern Alberta, the terrain traverses saltwater marshes and freshwater meadows, rainforests and parklands, and rugged peaks and rolling hills, not to mention deep canyons and shallow arroyos, lush greenbelts and true deserts, table-flat plains and the soaring Rocky Mountains. Home to cacti and towering Douglas firs, rattlesnakes and grizzly bears, wheat fields and vineyards, British Columbia and Alberta have long been an irresistible lure to photographers, painters, adventurers, dreamers, and golfers alike. For well over a century, the region's dramatic beauty has provided an incomparable canvas for the most artistic and celebrated golf course designers. Spectacular Golf Western Canada is a passport to a compelling journey through some of the premier golf destinations in the world. This collection of brilliantly designed and exquisitely photographed golf holes is eloquent testimony to why thousands of golfers from around the globe come to BC and Alberta each year to experience the magnificence for themselves. And it's not just recreational golfers who are drawn to the area. Over the years, some of the finest players in the game have competed here, from Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Greg Norman, and Fred Couples to Jack Nicklaus—who has also designed exceptional courses here, including Nicklaus North in Whistler, BC—and current-era superstars like Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Rickie Fowler. The PGA Tour's RBC Canadian Open has been contested three times at Vancouver's Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, and the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, the Nationwide Tour, and LPGA's Canadian Open make regular stops in these provinces as well. Inside are holes familiar not only to locals but also to international audiences that have enjoyed the men's and women's opens, Air Canada championships, and the popular Skins Games. Some lesser-known but just as outstanding gems are also waiting for you to discover within these pages. The magnificent golf courses featured in Spectacular Golf Western Canada have been created by a veritable who's who of the game's finest designers like Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, Doug Carrick, Thomas McBroom, A.V. Macan, Rod Whitman, Richard Zokol, Wayne Carleton, Graham Cooke, Gary Browning, Norman Woods, Les Furber, Bill Newis, and Canadian golf legend Stan Leonard. Without question, from the Pacific to the prairies, from the US border to the Rockies, "super-natural" BC and Alberta's Wild Rose Country, as the provinces are known to locals, are incredible regions for spectacular golf.

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