Located on Red Deer’s blossoming east side you will find Balmoral Golf Course. This parkland styled layout has been a staple in the city since 1963, and is a great course for all types of golfers.
When Scottish settlers established homes here, they thought it looked so much like the Balmoral region in Scotland that they chose to name this district after the region. Later when the Herder family decided to build a golf course on this land “Balmoral Golf Course” was the obvious name for the course. Fast forward almost 60 years and Balmoral is still owned and operated by the same family.
Favourite Holes...
Par-3: There is a nice set of par-3’s out at Balmoral that play a variety of distances; 88, 152, 175, & 187 yards. We could not decide which one was our favourite between the fun 88 yard second
over water or the tougher 152-yard 15th that plays over a ravine and is guarded by a bunker on the left side of the green. The later many would argue is a better hole than the second, however it is kind of fun to see something a little different, and it’s a nice feeling to have a wedge in your hand on the second hole when you are still trying to get a feel of your round.
Par-4: With tree lined fairways and slightly smaller greens this mature layout has a number of good par-4’s like, the challenging two hole stretch at 13 & 14, 415 & 430 yards respectively. Hole 5 is a nice “shorter” hole with bunkers coming into play on the tee shot and around the green including the dreaded pot bunker that pays homage to the Scottish roots of this course. 3 is a challenging dog-leg left hole again with a green guarded by sand. With all that said, our favourite
par-4 is the 404 yard eighth. It may be because off the tee we can hit our preferred booming fade which then sets up a short iron to a well protected green. The approach is both fun and challenging as this hole boasts a sloping green and a large bunker short that really swallows up
a lot of balls.
Par-5: We like the 511 yard home hole, many of a match has come down to the 18th. As a shorter par-5 birdies and eagles are a possibility but you must hit 2 great shots to set that up. Off the tee the fairway is guarded by a set of bunkers and a stream which cuts across the hole. If you manage to find the fairway you can go for this green in two. Bunkers however guard the left side of this smallish sloping green.
All and all, when you play Balmoral you can expect a family friendly atmosphere and a fun round of golf no matter if you are new to the game or an experienced pro.
Quick Facts
•Opened in 1963
•18 Holes, par 72
•5487-6517 yards
•$49 weekday / $55 weekend
•Putting green, restaurant with a great patio, fully stocked Pro-Shop
•Located on the east side of Red Deer just off HWY 11(55 Street)
•403.347.6263
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