As the four year anniversary of the flooding of the Evan Thomas and Kanananskis Rivers approaches, greens and fairways are beginning to emerge on one of the two courses of the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.

Darren Robinson, the course’s general manager, stood proudly on the second hole of the Mount Lorette course on Thursday and admired the progress. The tentative plan is to welcome back golfers to the course for the start of the 2018 season.

“We’ve got a big task ahead of us to try to complete it here by the end of the season,” conceded Robinson. “In order to accomplish that everybody has to be going full on.”

“We’re starting to maintain the holes as if we were open. Grass is being cut daily and it keeps our crew busy.”

The majority of the holes on the Mount Lorette track received sod in the fall of last year and the grass has knit.

Crews from Bos Sod, based in Coaldale, Alberta, continue to lay sod on the remaining holes of Mount Lorette and will move their efforts to the Mount Kidd course in the near future.

According to the company’s CEO, the scope of the project is extensive.  This is a huge job for us,” explained Peter Bos. “This is 60 hectares, 150 acres, of turf which is about 300 super-Bs. That’s a lot of truckloads.”

“The rolls are all 450 sq. ft. each and it’s all mature (the sod has been growing for two years) and ready to roll out.”

Bos says the inch thick rolls are going down fast on the fairways as the ground has been prepared ahead of time. Greens and areas around traps take additional time but the fruits of their labour become immediately apparent. “We’re very proud to be part of the team here.”

Robinson says eager golfers and curious onlookers have stopped by the course to check on the progress of the restoration project and offer their support.

“It’s humbling and it’s just such a tremendous honour to have the interest and the excitement that the public have shared with us,” said Robinson. “Redeveloping these golf courses and bringing them back to Albertans, it’s exciting times.”

To keep their supporters up-to-date in the months leading up to the official reopening, Kananaskis Country Golf Course officials have taken to social media and incorporated drones to provide a birds-eye view of the development.

“Keeping track of the progress of the restoration, documenting the different things that are happening and the progress with the river is all part of the reason we are doing it and why we were given permission,” explained Bob Paley, head professional with the PGA of Canada. “We’re honoured that (the province and TSA) allowed us to do it,”

Combined with aerial footage recording by helicopter in 2006 and 2013, officials been able to illustrate how the course looked pre-flood, immediately after the flood and during the restoration.

“We’re also doing ‘before-and-afters’ to any particular hole showing the different stages,” added Paley. “The rough shaping stages then showing what it looks like once they’ve dug the trenches for irrigation, the fine shaping and what it looks like and then our incredible sod team from Bos Sod and what they’re doing.”

In addition to the course work, crews have been working to renovate the clubhouse, pro shop and snack shack buildings.

To view the restoration progress on the Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd courses, visit Kananaskis Country Golf Course.