Getting To Know: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

An Insightful Interview With Gregg Lown, Director of Golf at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Gregg Lown, who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Celebrating 90 years in 2015, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club is a Stanley Thompson design. As incredible a golf experience it is for players of all abilities, you are even more amazed when you reflect on the fact that the course was built in the early 1920's by 50 teams of horses and 200 men. The soil to cap the course was brought in from Edmonton by train to cover the rocky ground typical to the region. The most striking feature of the course, with credit going to Mr. Thompson again, is how he framed so many holes with mountain backdrops. The views of all sides of the valley are unique to the course and if you visit Jasper without playing the course you will miss out on some of its most incredible sightlines.

In 2014 we celebrated out 18th consecutive season as the #1 Golf Resort in Canada. The golf course aside, a resort wouldn't be complete without a unique accommodation experience and warm service throughout the property. The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge prides itself on offering the Unique Rocky Mountain Lodge Experience. 60 Log Cabins spread throughout the sprawling grounds surrounding Lac Beauvert offer a variety of room types and views. Many regular guests refer to their favorite room or cabin as their own. Of course all modern amenities are on site. A Spa, 2 Restaurants, Lobby Lounge, Coffee Shop and Recreational activities all make the Lodge a special place.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
While not long, this course has holes to take advantage of and holes to be respected. While the Par 5s offer a good opportunity to score early on, the final Par 5 - the 13th - offers one of the bigger tests with your approach to the green not clear until you reach it. At 3500 feet of elevation you will find a slight advantage in distance, but only a half a club which is difficult to accommodate for.

Make sure to bring your camera. You will certainly want to return, but make sure you take lots of pictures of your day here.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
The course has been awarded the #1 Public Course in 2013 and #1 Golf Resort in Canada since 1996.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
There are differing opinions, however the 14th Hole will stand out in everyone's mind and will certainly win most photographed. A Par 4 measuring only 361 from the back tees, doesn't seem very imposing on the scorecard...until you stand on tee. Built out into Lac Beauvert, your ideal tee shot is only 220 yards, however it is nearly all carry over the lake. Once you find the fairway, your approach is again all carry, and uphill to a challenging green with no forgiveness on the left hand side by the lake. It is straightforward, should you be able to keep your mind clear of the distractions.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Oddly, my favorite is the shortest, but one of the most difficult. A Par 3 named Bad Baby, for good reason. If ever you find yourself on the putting surface off the tee, count yourself fortunate. A dramatic false front, drop off to the left side to a bunker, runoff on the right to a collection area and an unseen dropoff behind the green all provide visual distractions that can make even a confident golfer steer the short 140 yard shot. Focus on the middle of the green and try to tune out all of the hazards.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 71
Yardage: 6663
Slope: 130
Rating: 71.6

More Information
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
1 Old Lodge Rd Jasper,
Alberta, TOE 1EO
1-780-852-6090
www.fairmont.com/jasper/golf/

Revised: 12/17/2014 - Article Viewed 31,095 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.