Five parkland courses spread across the Calgary region give golfers a grounded alternative to the mountain and foothills layouts that dominate Alberta's tourist circuits. The collection stretches from the city itself out to Okotoks, north to Carstairs, and east as far as Drumheller — a driving range of roughly 140 kilometres end to end. River Spirit Golf Club in Calgary is the longest of the group at 7,096 yards, a par-72 design by Russ Olson that suits players who want a full test without leaving the city limits. South of Calgary in Okotoks, River's Edge Golf Club stretches to 6,967 yards and was designed by Ed Englehardt, making it a natural pairing with the nearby Crystal Ridge Golf Club, a shorter par-70 layout at 6,250 yards that plays more accessibly. The outlier in the group is Dinosaur Trail Golf & Country Club in Drumheller, a Sid Puddicombe design sitting in the badlands at the eastern edge of the trail — worth the 90-minute drive from Calgary for the landscape alone. Golfers based in Calgary can cover the Okotoks courses in a single day trip, while Carstairs and Drumheller each warrant their own excursion.
