When every golfer is treated like a member it’s no wonder the D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club is a favourite in the Foothills.
“We treat them all like members for the day,” said head pro and general manager Tim Watt of his customers. “Someone greets them and gets their clubs on the cart and washes their clubs for them, we have a locker room so they don’t have to change in the parking lot, just those little personal touches that they get when they come to a high-end golf course, that’s why we’re very popular because people like that treatment.”
The 28-year-old golf course on Okotoks’ quiet north end won Gold for Best Golf Course for the Best of the Foothills Readers’ Choice Awards for 2019.
Okotoks’ Crystal Ridge Golf Club was awarded Silver and the Turner Valley Golf Club Bronze.
Watt attributes the gold status to the course’s outstanding customer service, dedicated staff, picturesque location and course conditions. The golf course is a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf, an award-winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of golf.
Jerry and Patti D’Arcy had the D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club built in 1991 on what was a quarter horse ranch with a racetrack, explained Watt. The D’Arcys had owned the property since 1963.
“(Jerry) wanted to build a golf course that the locals could enjoy and a championship golf course at that,” said Watt. “He wanted to build a golf course for the town of Okotoks, which had been really good to him over the years.”
Jerry passed away in 2001 and the 18-hole golf club is now owned and operated by his children Clyde D’Arcy and Rebecca Wyatt, said Watt.
The seasonal facility is typically open mid-April to the third week in October and offers picturesque view of the mountains and is maintained to the highest of standards, Watt said.
“It’s groomed to the best of our ability and the greens are fast and the rough is long,” he said. “People enjoy coming here. You’re out of town, you’ve got the wildlife and the mountain view.”
Unlike many golf courses that are built on 110 acres of land, D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club boasts 235 acres, said Watt.
“You’re not cramped in here,” he said. “It’s pretty relaxing when you come out here. It’s a short drive from Calgary.”
Watt said D’Arcy Ranch is not only a great place to golf, but also offers a varied menu from its popular prime rib night on Saturdays to a Sunday breakfast buffet.
