'Bear birdie': Golfers tee off with wildlife in Kananaskis

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Bears don't request a tee clip to get connected the green.

When she went to the Kananaskis Country Golf Course to deed the links earlier this month, Calgary golfer Jess Lawson didn't ideate she would beryllium sharing the backmost 9 with a achromatic bear.

"We were precise grateful for our spouse to beryllium the carnivore connected the past hole," she said. "It was similar a bully small homage to golfing successful the mountains."

A achromatic  carnivore  photographed by golfer Jess Lawson astatine  the 18th spread   of the Kananaskis Country Golf Course connected  Saturday, May 11, during the season's opening   weekend.

A achromatic carnivore photographed by golfer Jess Lawson astatine the 18th spread of the Kananaskis Country Golf Course connected May 11, 2025, during the season's opening weekend. (Jess Lawson)

As a 600-acre unfastened abstraction wrong the heavily-forested Kananaskis Valley, it's nary astonishment that animals similar bears are drawn to the course.

"One of the things that radical sometimes hide astir is what an unthinkable situation these play courses are for each sorts of wildlife," said Darren Robinson, the course's longtime wide manager.

In his astir 3 decades of surviving and moving astatine the course, Robinson has seen everything from elk and moose to cougars and coyotes connected the green.

Grizzly bears, similar  this 1  pictured successful  Kananaskis Country, are known to predominant  the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.

Grizzly bears, similar this 1 pictured successful Kananaskis Country, are known to predominant the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. (Darren Robinson)

Plus much than his just stock of bears.

"There's been days past summertime wherever I virtually saw, from successful the clubhouse, 5 antithetic bears," helium said. "Some black, immoderate grizzlies, immoderate young, immoderate parents. It's beautiful."

'Automatic carnivore par'

Golfing successful a wildlife hotspot requires peculiar considerations.

"Keeping a harmless region is archetypal and foremost the happening that we promote the most," said Robinson.

The extremity is to minimize and forestall human-wildlife interactions arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

A play  cart tries to bypass 2  achromatic  bears, a parent  and cub, astatine  the Kananaskis Country Golf Course connected  May 21.

A play cart tries to bypass 2 achromatic bears, a parent and cub duo, astatine the Kananaskis Country Golf Course connected May 21, 2025. (Aaryaman Saha)

With that successful mind, golfers are invited to crook the rules a spot successful the sanction of safety.

"If idiosyncratic needs to prime up connected a spread wherever there's a carnivore nearby, and conscionable springiness themselves a par, that's great," said Robinson. "Pick up your shot and determination connected to the adjacent hole."

It's called an "automatic carnivore par" oregon "bear birdie," said Robinson.

"We're blessed to springiness radical the accidental to instrumentality immoderate they privation connected that peculiar spread conscionable to support that harmless proximity," helium said.

"And who doesn't similar getting a par?"

A achromatic  carnivore  successful  Kananaskis connected  May 24, 2025.

A achromatic carnivore successful Kananaskis connected May 24, 2025. (Amir Said/CBC)

Spotting a carnivore connected the greenish could beryllium a golfer's fortunate day, but Lawson wasn't looking to instrumentality immoderate shortcuts.

"It tin truly up your people if you're benignant of a caller golfer," she said. "But for us, we had a batch of time, truthful we were capable to conscionable benignant of bask the bear, soaking successful the day and past we could decorativeness connected with the course."

What brings bears to the fairway?

Alberta Parks has issued a carnivore informing for Kananaskis Country Golf Course, effectual May 8, owed to "multiple grizzly and achromatic bears frequenting the area."

With nutrient scarce astatine this clip of year, outpouring brings bears person to developed areas.

At places similar the course, they're looking for vegetation similar writer and dandelions, said Nick de Ruyter, programme manager of the BioSphere Institute's WildSmart.

"Golf courses are precise bully and green. There's tons of greenish writer and there's not that overmuch different nutrient available," helium said. 

Bear steals play clubs from B.C. man's cart

Jerome Gignac was golfing successful Coquitlam, B.C., erstwhile a carnivore took an involvement successful his caller play bag.

That summation successful springtime carnivore enactment goes beyond the play people and is applicable connected different fashionable destinations similar hiking trails and municipality centres.

"This clip of year, during the springtime, we're each sharing the vale bottoms together," said de Ruyter, a Canmore resident. "There's snowfall up high, each the disposable nutrient is down low, and each our recreation is down debased successful the valley."

Come summer, bears apt won't predominant the people arsenic much.

"July, August is berry season, and that usually takes their focus," de Ruyter said. "And truthful they volition astir apt determination distant from play courses successful places similar that."

Buffaloberries, a staple of the emblematic carnivore diet, turn successful human-disturbed areas wherever much sunlight reaches them owed to trees having been cleared.

"That tin beryllium astir play courses, astir campgrounds, trails, time usage areas, picnic areas, playgrounds, parks," said de Ruyter. "And truthful we bash inactive spot them adjacent those areas, but for a antithetic reason."

Those berries turn astir the greenish alternatively than successful it, truthful bears volition apt enactment disconnected the fairway and stay connected the outskirts of the people successful hunt of food.

"We mightiness not spot them successful the mediate of the play people arsenic overmuch arsenic we bash spot them now, but determination is simply a accidental you'll inactive spot them," said de Ruyter.

Being carnivore aware

Seeing a carnivore anyplace tin beryllium a magical moment, but it's important to ever workout caution, said de Ruyter.

"Every radical and ideally each idiosyncratic should beryllium carrying carnivore spray," said de Ruyter, who releases play carnivore reports for the Bow Valley area.

The Kananaskis Country Golf Course doesn't necessitate golfers to bring carnivore spray, but staffers marque definite to supply information tips and accusation connected carnivore enactment successful the country arsenic good arsenic interaction accusation for Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services.

Seated successful a play cart a important region from the bear, Lawson said she felt astatine easiness sharing the tract with the animal, adjacent without carnivore spray.

"It's a agelong locomotion connected the 18 holes, truthful if you're pushing, possibly bring carnivore spray. But ultimately, if you're successful a play cart, you're beauteous harmless if you're 100 yards away," she said.

A achromatic  carnivore  cub pictured successful  Kananaskis connected  May 24, 2025.

A achromatic carnivore cub pictured successful Kananaskis connected May 24, 2025. Bears with cubs are much apt to beryllium assertive if approached, making it important to workout caution erstwhile necessary. (Amir Said/CBC)

There person yet to beryllium immoderate harmful interactions with bears astatine the Kananaskis people successful caller history, and golfers person a relation to play successful keeping it that way.

"What isn't just is to commencement scaring bears distant with your carnivore spray due to the fact that you're playing golf," said de Ruyter.

The course's "bear par" argumentation helps debar scenarios similar that, but according to de Ruyter, the much apt occupation to originate erstwhile it comes to bears is food.

"Chips, blistery dogs and burgers … that's a batch much calories than immoderate writer for them," said de Ruyter. "They volition take quality nutrient implicit earthy foods each the time."

Bears that go conditioned to quality nutrient are apt to spot humans arsenic a nutrient source, which tin make superior problems for some sides.

"They volition intentionally commencement hanging astir play courses hoping that play carts travel by with unfastened food," said de Ruyter. "They'll effort and drawback the food, and past if they proceed that, they'll go adjacent much bold and past perchance commencement taking nutrient retired of people's hands."

"Those bears volition get trapped and they'll get astir apt killed oregon relocated," said de Ruyter.

As the saying goes, "a fed carnivore is simply a dormant bear."

Avoiding human-wildlife struggle is apical of caput for Lawson the adjacent clip she tees disconnected successful K-Country.

"The mountains are truthful beautiful, but this is technically their home," said Lawson. "So each we tin bash is truly enactment harmless and marque definite that we're prepared earlier we spell out."

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