Golf course challenges all

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Beautiful scenery, a challenging course and an incredible day of golf are what you will experience when venturing out to the St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort.

The resort, located just outside Cranbrook in southeastern British Columbia, is nestled in scenic St. Mary Valley, offering golfers a fantastic view of the Rockies while they enjoy their game.

The golf course opened for business in May on the site of the historic St. Eugene Mission, founded by the Roman Catholic church in 1873. The golf course is only one portion of the resort development, with a hotel and casino scheduled to open up on the site next spring.

The original mission buildings have been incorporated into the golf course design. The mission building, completed in 1912, provides an unparalleled back drop for the 18th hole, while a two-storey barn built in 1913 has been refurbished to serve as the golf course's centre of operations.

The barn is home to the 19th hole, where a variety of meals and refreshments are served up. The pro shop is also located in the historic barn, offering a full line of clubs, accessories and clothing, as well as club and power cart rentals.

The second level of the barn has been converted into a tournament centre, with full catering facilities and a seating capacity of 400.

The operations centre also offers club handling and storage, men's and ladies' locker rooms, showers and towel services, as well as rooms for private functions.

The St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort caters to all levels of golfers, offering just the right amount of challenge whatever your playing level.

The golf resort boasts an 18 hole championship course designed by Golf Design Services Ltd. (GDS). Les Furber, president of GDS, has designed a number of renowned courses, both internationally and in Canada. Among the other courses designed by Furber are Trickle Creek in Kimberley, Silver Tip in Canmore, and The Springs in Radium.

One of the unique features of the course is that it has three distinct playing environments - woodlands, river and links - spread out over 327 acres. The first hole and a number of the last holes fall within the links environment, featuring broad, open fairways lined by sand traps, waste bunkers and rough covered with natural fescue grasses.

Next, golfers enter the woodlands section, winding through forested areas, then move on to the river section, bounded on one side by forest and on the other by the St. Mary river. The river section of the course features a number of natural hazards, in the form of ponds and wetlands.

The St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort offers all golfing amenities, including a practice putting green, a half aquatic driving range, and a chipping green. Tee selection on the course ranges from 5,398 to 7,007 yards.

The golf season at the St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort runs from May through October. Bookings are taken for tee times from sunrise to sunset during the season.

For more information about the St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort or to book a tee time, call 250-417-3417, or toll-free at 1-877-417-3133. You can also check out their web site at www.GolfStEugene.com.