Few private clubs in Western Canada carry the weight of history that Elbow Springs does. Established in the early 1900s and set against the southwestern edge of Calgary, the club has long been considered one of the city's most prestigious — a place where serious golfers have gathered for generations, and where membership is a genuine mark of standing in the local golf community.
The setting does a lot of the work. This part of Calgary sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountain foothills, and the course reflects that transitional landscape — open prairie giving way to rolling, sculpted terrain, with the distant peaks providing a backdrop that reminds you exactly where you are. The Chinook winds that sweep through Calgary are a genuine factor here, capable of turning a calm round into something far more demanding in the space of a few holes.
As a private members' club, Elbow Springs rewards those who learn its rhythms. It is not a course that gives itself up easily on a first visit, which is precisely what its membership expects.
