It was a summer day in 1999 and Ryan DenBraber was 12 years old. He and some buddies were trying their hand at golf at Fort In View Golf Course, just northeast of Edmonton. And they were acting like kids. As he puts it, “We were spraying balls across the course.” But the staff was friendly and encouraging to the group, and two years later, DenBraber had started playing golf competitively. Now, 25 years later, he’s the director of competitions for the Edmonton Golf Association
“Golf is for everyone,” he says. “My big ask is if you see a kid learning, be patient with them.”
“We want parents to get their kids into it,” DenBraber says, adding, “I don’t know where I’d be without golf.” He met his wife playing a course where she worked and got his day job through connections he made at the golf course. All his friends golf, and if they didn’t before they met he says he was able to convert them all to players of the sport. “The opportunities it can bring people — it’s something I really wish more and more people could get into,” he says.
Golf has a long history, going back more than 500 years. The Edmonton Golf Club was founded in 1896, just four years after Edmonton was incorporated as a town, and the first course was located where the Alberta legislature is now. The Municipal Golf Course was moved in 1910 and renamed the Victoria Golf Course in 1957. Now there are more than 80 golf courses in the Edmonton region, catering to players of all ages and skill levels.
Edmonton’s river valley is one of the largest urban green spaces in North America, and many of the city’s courses can be found along it. Golf’s growing popularity and the relatively short season means Edmonton has some of the busiest municipal golf courses in the world. “The public courses are full, if you want a tee time you have to be prepared to book it,” says DenBraber. “It’s great for the sport, but you have to plan seven to eight days in advance.”
The Edmonton Golf Association makes sure there’s an option for parents looking to get their kids into golf or who want more family-friendly courses too. The association hosts junior days with its members where they provide clubs and kids can hit balls at the driving range, free of charge. There are also golf pros around to offer advice and lessons for first-timers. “We want to provide that entry level, because going to a golf course can be scary for a lot of people,” DenBraber says, explaining that there’s still a preconception that it caters only to an exclusive group.
Part of getting more people to golf and opening the sport up is removing some of the barriers, and courses like the city-owned Rundle Park Golf Course in the river valley are accomplishing this by removing dress codes and encouraging a welcoming culture. DenBraber says the city-owned courses are a great starting point for newcomers, and the city accommodates them by keeping the prices low.
Riverside Golf Course, also in the river valley and owned by the city, is another option for people getting into the game. It offers a summer deal where couples pay $99 for a Sunday Date Night. Riverside is a more challenging course than the other two city-owned options, Rundle and Victoria.
Dragons Head Par 3 Golf Course, located in Edmonton’s northwest, is billed as a good course for beginners or more experienced players looking for a quick round. All its green fee prices are below $50, and annual memberships range from $765 for single adults to $1,470 for families.
Finally, for those golfers with experience looking to get onto a championship-style course but still looking for public options, there’s The Quarry, located in Edmonton’s northeast. The course opened in 2012, has 27 holes, yardages ranging from 5,100 to 7,600 yards, two putting greens, a chipping green and three decks of grass teeing area.
If you do go golfing this summer and find yourself behind a group of kids (or other beginners for that matter) just remember DenBraber playing as a kid at Fort In View. Everyone has to start playing somewhere, and the more people play the better it is. After all, golf is for everyone.
