Don Seable says his family’s Riverside Golf Resort at Fairmont is just what he envisioned when he started sketching out the course on horseback 20 years ago, after his wife Carol had lured him from his home at the wide end of the Columbia River in Origon to meet her family at the headwaters.
He vowed then that guests would always be able to drink the water right out of the Columbia at its source, and they still can. He hoped he could keep the resort and the residential community surrounding it as environmentally friendly as it was personally friendly, and has succeeded on that dream as well.
Riverside Golf Resort celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2007 with the same stunning Kootenay Rockies backdrop and the climatological magic that allows skiing on the upper slopes of Fairmont’s ski hill on spring mornings, and golf at its marvelously manicured championship course in the afternoon.
Located in the small town of Fairmont Hot Springs, about an hour north of Cranbrook and three hours west of Calgary, but with its own landing strip for private pilots (like Seable), Riverside is a recreationally-oriented community-within-a-community, with a 140-room lodge, timeshare villas that entertain up to 3,000 guests weekly, and homes and condos that have sprung up around the resort.
But golf is still the centerpiece. The course that began as Seable’s doodling over two decades ago has aged like a fine Canadian wine under the leadership of Superintendent Dale Wilder, who’s been there since Day-1. Nowhere else do you play across one of the world’s mightiest rivers TWICE on the same par-3 than at Riverside’s famed fifth hole.
But for sheer shot-making challenge, Seable loves the par-5 14th. The “Horseshoe”, as he calls it, plays with the Columbia on its right hand side, bending away to tease the long hitter into trying to clear the river and reach the green in two. Like any passionate player, Seable remembers both times he’s eagled the hole in all the years he’s played it.
But golf isn’t the only passionate pursuit at Riverside. There’s swimming, windsurfing and fishing in the pristine waters, horseback riding and hiking, and those therapeutic odourless hot springs that brought visitors to the valley in the first place. The beautiful clubhouse above it all features a fully-equipped pro shop named “best in the business” by the local business magazine, the Atrium Restaurant with its sumptuous menu and spectacular views from its high-arched windows and the cozy Sportsman’s Lounge for after-round celebrations.
Attractive golf packages are featured at the Spruce Grove Resort, located adjacent to Riverside Golf Course, with 22 newly renovated rooms and wireless internet now available as well as an RV Park and Campground.
Come enjoy the dream on the warm side of the BC Rockies at Riverside Golf Resort at Fairmont.
For more information about Riverside Golf Resort, visit them online at www.golfriverside.com or call toll-free (800) 665-2112.