During the summer of 2004, I was given the privilege of serving the members and guests of the Waterton Lakes Golf Course in the capacity of Marshall.  The job was identified as being one of "assisting the patrons in having an enjoyable golfing experience as much as possible while enforcing the rules of the course."  The animals that occupy the course and call the area home provide additional challenges.  The safety of the golfers and the well being of the wildlife living in the National Park sometimes present seemingly opposing goals. 

My favourite animals are the bears.  I have enjoyed over 50 years of marvelous memories of encounters with the wildlife and people who live and frequent the park, and the bears have always been the most prolific memory creators.  The bears on the Waterton Lakes Golf Course are a major attraction in that many of the golfers coming in hope of encountering one of these impressive animals while on the course. 

I would like to use this page to share a few of the views and movies that I have collected with you.  Please feel free to have a look at the videos and pictures that I will post here.  I intend to change the content here quite frequently to make it more interesting for you.  Another function for this page will be to help you with the expectations we have for you on the course.  In order to clarify what the marshal will expect you to do on the course, select the following link to "How To Get Along With Your Local Course Marshall"

The following pictures were taken by Mr. Dennis Burton during his time on the golf course.  The first shows a coyote searching for his ball on the second hole.

A Good Day For Golf

A picture of a local inhabitant by Dennis Burton.




"Do you think the marshal will notice we are a group of 7??"

A picture of geese on nine by Dennis Burton.

Sometimes just going to work can be a wildlife adventure.  I am always examining the bush for bear and other large animals.  One morning, my daughter pointed out a moose crossing the Waterton River just after we had passed through the park gates.  I quickly jumped out of the van and ran across the road just in time to take the following video.

    

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Just click on the moose to see the video
Close the video window to return here.

After getting to work, it is common to interact with a great variety of animals on the course.  The signature animal is, of course, the black bear that provide a great number of memorable interactions for both the golfers and staff at Waterton Lakes Golf Course.  One young bear provided quite a few interesting moments during his two weeks on the course.  One warm afternoon, he decided to relax on the 14th tee box after a hard morning of foraging for food.  I drove my cart up on the path below him and looked up at the bear to let him know that his presence was not appreciated with the course full of golfers. 

"You are not supposed to be here."  I proclaimed, not really expecting the statement to have any positive effect. 

The young bear stood up on all fours and looked inquisitively at me. 

I repeated my request, this time with more clarity "You are not supposed to be here and you will have to go!"

The bear turned around and ambled to the back of the tee box through the trees and up over the ridge behind the tee box.  The golfers on the 13th green were nearly as amazed as I at the sequence of events.

Check back from time to time, as I will change the shots on the website to give you a look at a variety of views of the Waterton Lakes Golf Course and the Waterton area.  Thank you for visiting.  Click on the bear paw wherever you might see it to return to the "GolfWaterton Main Page".

It is important for all of us to understand how to interact with the bears as safely as is possible so that we all, bears and golfers, can share the course without nasty incident.  Select the following link to go to a page dealing with how to interact with the animals on the course and elsewhere in the park.

Select this link to visit a page dealing with Bears on Waterton Golf Course