'Bear birdie': Golfers tee off with wildlife in Kananaskis
Bears don't need a tee time to get on the green.
When she went to the Kananaskis Country Golf Course to hit the links earlier this month, Calgary golfer Jess Lawson didn't imagine she would be sharing the back nine with a black bear.
"We were very grateful for our partner to be the bear on the last hole," she said. "It was like a nice little homage to golfing in the mountains."
As a 600-acre open space within the heavily-forested Kananaskis Valley, it's no surprise that animals like bears are drawn to the course.
"One of the things that people sometimes forget about is what an incredible environment these golf courses are for all sorts of wildlife," said Darren Robinson, the course's longtime general manager.
In his nearly three decades of living and working at the course, Robinson has seen everything from elk and moose to cougars and coyotes on the green.
Plus more than his fair share of bears.
"There's been days last summer where I literally saw, from in the clubhouse, five different bears," he said. "Some black, some grizzlies, some young, some parents. It's beautiful."
'Automatic bear par'
Golfing in a wildlife hotspot requires special considerations.
"Keeping a safe distance is first and foremost the thing that we encourage the most," said Robinson.
The goal is to minimize and prevent human-wildlife interactions as much as possible.
With that in mind, golfers are welcome to bend the rules a bit in the name of safety.
"If somebody needs to pick up on a hole where there's a bear nearby, and just give themselves a par, that's great," said Robinson. "Pick up your ball and move on to the next hole."
It's called an "automatic bear par" or "bear birdie," said Robinson.
"We're happy to give people the opportunity to take whatever they want on that particular hole just to maintain that safe proximity," he said.
"And who doesn't like getting a par?"
Spotting a bear on the green could be a golfer's lucky day, but Lawson wasn't looking to take any shortcuts.
"It can really up your score if you're kind of a new golfer," she said. "But for us, we had a lot of time, so we were able to just kind of enjoy the bear, soaking in the afternoon and then we could finish on with the course."
What brings bears to the fairway?
Alberta Parks has issued a bear warning for Kananaskis Country Golf Course, effective May 8, due to "multiple grizzly and black bears frequenting the area."
With food scarce at this time of year, spring brings bears closer to developed areas.
At places like the course, they're looking for vegetation like grass and dandelions, said Nick de Ruyter, program director of the BioSphere Institute's WildSmart.
"Golf courses are very nice and green. There's lots of green grass and there's not that much other food available," he said.
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That increase in springtime bear activity goes beyond the golf course and is applicable on other popular destinations like hiking trails and urban centres.
"This time of year, during the springtime, we're all sharing the valley bottoms together," said de Ruyter, a Canmore resident. "There's snow up high, all the available food is down low, and all our recreation is down low in the valley."
Come summer, bears likely won't frequent the course as much.
"July, August is berry season, and that normally takes their focus," de Ruyter said. "And so they will probably move away from golf courses in places like that."
Buffaloberries, a staple of the typical bear diet, grow in human-disturbed areas where more sunlight reaches them due to trees having been cleared.
"That can be around golf courses, around campgrounds, trails, day use areas, picnic areas, playgrounds, parks," said de Ruyter. "And so we do still see them near those areas, but for a different reason."
Those berries grow around the green rather than in it, so bears will likely stay off the fairway and remain on the outskirts of the course in search of food.
"We might not see them in the middle of the golf course as much as we do see them now, but there is a chance you'll still see them," said de Ruyter.
Being bear aware
Seeing a bear anywhere can be a magical moment, but it's important to always exercise caution, said de Ruyter.
"Every group and ideally every person should be carrying bear spray," said de Ruyter, who releases weekly bear reports for the Bow Valley area.
The Kananaskis Country Golf Course doesn't require golfers to bring bear spray, but staffers make sure to provide safety tips and information on bear activity in the area as well as contact information for Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services.
Seated in a golf cart a significant distance from the bear, Lawson said she felt at ease sharing the field with the animal, even without bear spray.
"It's a long walk on the 18 holes, so if you're pushing, maybe bring bear spray. But ultimately, if you're in a golf cart, you're pretty safe if you're 100 yards away," she said.
There have yet to be any harmful interactions with bears at the Kananaskis course in recent history, and golfers have a role to play in keeping it that way.
"What isn't fair is to start scaring bears away with your bear spray because you're playing golf," said de Ruyter.
The course's "bear par" policy helps avoid scenarios like that, but according to de Ruyter, the more likely problem to arise when it comes to bears is food.
"Chips, hot dogs and burgers … that's a lot more calories than some grass for them," said de Ruyter. "They will choose human food over natural foods all the time."
Bears that become conditioned to human food are likely to see humans as a food source, which can create serious problems for both sides.
"They will intentionally start hanging around golf courses hoping that golf carts come by with open food," said de Ruyter. "They'll try and grab the food, and then if they continue that, they'll become even more bold and then potentially start taking food out of people's hands."
"Those bears will get trapped and they'll get most likely killed or relocated," said de Ruyter.
As the saying goes, "a fed bear is a dead bear."
Avoiding human-wildlife conflict is top of mind for Lawson the next time she tees off in K-Country.
"The mountains are so beautiful, but this is technically their home," said Lawson. "So all we can do is really stay safe and make sure that we're prepared before we go out."
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