Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/78601
30 NEW COURSE PROFILE DIAMOND In nature, diamonds emerge from coal so it should come as no surprise the latest golf gem in north central Alberta is surfacing from the dust of a coal mine. closed on Mondays and Tuesdays will help the course recover, plus give our maintenance team more time for projects." The course has "grown in as well as could be expected and in some areas, better than expected," Rasmuson said. "There is still more bunker work that needs to be done and we will continue throughout the summer to improve the golf course." The unused part of the coal patch, worked for the past three generations by the Kudrowich and Bowal families and which is still partially operational, was land that had to be reclaimed as its natural resources finally came to an end. The question from that however was what was the best way in which to reclaim the land to make the best investment for the owners? Coal Creek Golf Resort, located about 45 minutes east of Edmonton, is a family business that is taking the place of their former enterprise, the Dodds Coal Mine. With the course having wintered well, the hope is it will be open in its entirety by the June 8 weekend this season, some infrastructure aside. That being said, it won't be a full-bore onslaught on the course once the doors do swing open, Jason Rasmuson, the course's general manager explained. "We will have a conservative opening, and being The answer came from one of those things that when one looks back, seems almost too simple to have happened. "Probably about six years ago we knew the coal mine was coming to an end and we knew we had a pretty big project to reclaim it just for agricultural land which really wasn't worth a whole bunch," Corey Kudrowich the project coordinator, explained of the blossoming beauty in his parents' backyard. "Really, it was just a conversation around the dinner table among family members," he commented on the idea springing to life. Thus exploration began in regard to turning the reclaimed land into recreational reserve rather than agricultural. It wasn't an easy process but they got through it and hooked up with a well- known Edmonton family to develop the property. Coal Creek Is A Golfing Designed and built by Puddicombe Golf out of Nisku, Coal Creek's original façade had the company facing some tough challenges when looking at laying down green grass where black coal had reigned supreme for years. "The concerns we had were, will we have enough topsoil to recap the course once the earthwork was complete; will we be able to find enough suitable quality water for irrigation purposes and will the old buried slack from past coal mining operations hinder our ability to achieve our desired grades, which in some cases it did and we had to make adjustments," Grant Puddicombe explained. What they ended up with, however, when the problems were overcome is an outstanding design in a unique setting. Coal Creek Golf Resort is broken down into three segments and each is a delight to lay a club upon. "I think just the uniqueness of the land really appealed to them, the three different styles of golf," Kudrowich said of Puddicombe Golf coming on board. "There's the hills (where he used to ride his dirt bike as a kid and still has the scars to show), the quarry which shows the original scars of coal mining from the turn of the century, and a links component. "You'll have an appreciation for what was here. You're going to know you're golfing on an old coal mine – it's going to be around you, you'll see it - IMAGE CREDIT GORD MONTGOMERY