One of the most beautiful golf facilities in the Canadian Rockies is calling it quits for this year after flood waters damaged many of its greens and fairways.

The Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd courses are considered among the premier golf destinations in the country and were covered in silt and debris in the wake of the floods.

The course operators say they will remain closed for the rest of the season and their first priority is to help find new jobs for over 140 displaced employees.

“The people side of it is the thing that really tears at you emotionally and has got the heartache, and heartbreak associated with it,” said Darren Robinson from the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.

They are also in the process of refunding 100 percent of prepaid green fees and deposits that were already paid and are moving sequentially through the tee sheets from June up to the end of the season on October 6 to provide the refunds.

Rick Baker and Wayne Gayford came from Edmonton and Lethbridge to see the damage with their own eyes

The pair had two tee times booked this week and knew the courses suffered flood damage

“Oh, it's uglier than what I expected, Lorette isn't quite as bad as Kidd, but oh look at this,” said Baker.

“There’s a new river flowing through the course,” said Gayford.

Bob Paley is the Head Professional of PGA Canada and says even long time staff have a hard time recognizing the courses after the river cut a new path.

“Calvin's been here 24 years, Darren and I for 16, and we're looking at this and we have no idea, we're going okay, where's that? And he's like, uh, I'm not really sure. So we couldn't identify where some of these places were, so ya it's overwhelming,” said Paley.

Thousands of people from around the world have offered their support.

“It’s not just a business and it's not just a place for people to come and spend a few hours and walk away from, it's a place that creates memories and changes lives, and it's very, very special to all of us,” said Robinson.

The Kananaskis Country Golf Course issued a statement on its website on July 4th saying:

Dear Friends:

On behalf of all of us at Kananaskis Country Golf Course, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of you who have reached out to us to give us your support and ask about our well being. We are grateful to report that everyone in our golf course family is safe and all of our buildings & homes have made it through the terrible flooding.

In the days following the flooding and the subsequent closure of the golf courses, our team has been busy helping our 140+ displaced staff find new homes and jobs, while handling all urgent issues that a crisis of this nature brings along with it. 

As we move past the immediate crisis, we intend to shift our focus back to operational issues. We want to emphasize to all our individual guests and corporate partners that we are in the process of making arrangements to refund 100% of the monies you have committed in the way of deposits and prepaid green fees. This is a considerable undertaking that we are committed to completing as efficiently as possible. Once the process has started we will be moving sequentially through our tee sheets starting with guests on June 20th and working our way through to the end of the season with those booked on October 6th. 

As it relates to all of you wishing to redeem gift cards for merchandise or have Proshop vouchers for the 2013 season or simply want to take advantage of some outstanding deals; shortly, we will be announcing an exclusive clearance sale of all Pro Shop merchandise. 

We remain grateful for your patience, support and understanding during a very unsettling time for all of us here at Kananaskis Country Golf Course and everyone in Southern Alberta. 

Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd.

Of the 36 holes on the two golf courses, only four were untouched by the floods, and officials say it's still too early to say when golfers will be able to return to the links at the world class facility.

(With files from Kevin Fleming)