Banff Springs is golf inside a national park. Stanley Thompson laid the original 18 holes in 1928 for the Canadian Pacific Railway, threading them through the narrow valley where the Spray River meets the Bow. Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain frame the round, and the castle-like hotel watches from above. You can book a tee time without staying at the hotel, which makes this one of the easiest great mountain courses in North America to add to a Rockies trip.
Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course green fees and tee times.
Tee times are open to the public and are booked online through the course’s booking engine or by calling the golf shop on +1 403 762 6801. You do not need to be a hotel guest. Green fees vary by date and season rather than following a fixed published table, so check the live price when you book. Every rate includes a shared power cart and use of the range before your round, with 5% GST added. Alberta residents get a separate discounted rate if they book at least seven days ahead and show proof of residency. The hotel’s Banff Golf Vacation package bundles a room with a round for two. The dress code asks for collared or mock-neck shirts, and no denim, joggers or board shorts.
The courses at Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course.
Stanley Thompson 18
The championship course: par 71, 6,938 yards, running along the Bow River beneath Sulphur Mountain and Mount Rundle. Expect firm mountain air that adds carry, elevated tees, and greens with more movement than they first suggest. The 4th, Devil’s Cauldron, and the long par-three 13th, Sulphur, are the holes most visitors remember.
Tunnel Mountain 9
A par-36 nine designed by Cornish and Robinson and added in 1989, giving the property 27 holes. It is the quicker option for an evening loop, for a family round, or for the opening weeks of the season, when it often opens before the full 18. Club rental for nine holes costs C$50–55.
The round, in perspective.
The Stanley Thompson 18 is a par-71 of 6,938 yards from the back. When it opened it was reported to be the most expensive course yet built, and the money shows in Thompson’s bunkering, which mirrors the peaks behind. The famous hole is the par-three 4th, Devil’s Cauldron, played across a glacial pond to a bowl-shaped green that feeds balls towards the middle; the club says it yields more aces than any other hole on the course. The 12th, Big Bow, was once rated Canada’s best par four by leading players, and its green narrows to about 10 yards at the back. The routing changed when the 1989 clubhouse was built, so today’s 9th was originally the 13th. Elk graze across the fairways, and you play around them.
Make the trip work.
For the 2026 season, Tunnel Mountain and the back nine of the Thompson course opened on 8 May, with all 27 holes running from 15 May. Book early morning slots if you want firmer, quieter conditions. You will need a Parks Canada pass for any time you spend inside Banff National Park, even if you are only driving in for golf. Rental clubs cost C$85 for 18 holes and shoes C$25. A non-golfing companion can ride along for C$120 for 18 holes, including a blanket, hand warmers and a hot drink.
Calgary International (YYC) is the gateway, roughly 130 km and an hour and a half east by the Trans-Canada Highway. The course is on Golf Course Road, a few minutes below the hotel and about 2 km from Banff Avenue. Airport shuttles run to Banff hotels, though a hire car makes it easier to add Canmore and Kananaskis rounds.
Fairmont Banff Springs is the obvious base: the 1888 railway hotel sits above the course, and its Fairmont Gold floor and The Gatehouse offer quieter upgrades. Golf club storage is included in the hotel’s golf package. In town, Banff Avenue has a wide spread of lodges and inns within a short drive. Canmore, 25 minutes east and just outside the park, is usually cheaper and puts you closer to Silvertip, Stewart Creek and Kananaskis.
Make a trip of it.
Canmore’s Silvertip and Stewart Creek are 25 minutes away, and the two courses at Kananaskis Country Golf Course, Mt. Kidd and Mt. Lorette, lie about an hour south-east. For a longer trip, Thompson’s other railway course at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is about four hours north along the Icefields Parkway, one of the great mountain drives. Off the course, ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain, or drive 45 minutes to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
Find your season.
The course closes for winter and reopens in May, weather depending. The hotel’s 2026 golf package ran from 15 May to 26 September, a good guide to the core season. July and August are busiest in the town. Late August and September bring cooler, settled days and rutting elk on the fairways, so keep your distance.
Can non-guests play Fairmont Banff Springs golf course?
Yes. The course is open to the public, and anyone can book online or through the golf shop. Hotel guests can bundle golf into the Banff Golf Vacation package, but staying at the hotel is not required.
How much are green fees at Banff Springs?
Rates change by date and season, and the club doesn’t publish a fixed table, so the live online price is the one to trust. Fees include a shared power cart and range balls. GST at 5% is added, and Alberta residents booking seven days ahead pay less.
What is the Devil’s Cauldron at Banff Springs?
It is the par-three 4th on the Stanley Thompson 18. You play over a glacial pond to a bowl-shaped green under Mount Rundle. The slopes feed balls towards the centre, and the club says no hole on the course has produced more holes-in-one.
Do I need a park pass to play golf in Banff?
Yes. The course is inside Banff National Park, so you need a valid Parks Canada pass to stop anywhere in the park, including for golf. Day passes and annual Discovery Passes are both sold at the park gates and online.
Last checked 4 October 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
