Despite some difficult years in terms of conditioning and the challenges from upstarts like SilverTip, Fairmont's Banff Springs Golf Club's enduring Stanley Thompson design still deserves a spot on every serious golfer's resume. The par-3, 174-yard 2nd will quickly demonstrate one of the difficulties of playing in the mountains; the fact that they play havoc with your depth perception. On the flip side, the 171-yard 4th, the famous Devil's Cauldron, will demonstrate the joys. Arguably Canada's best-known golf hole, every dedicated golfer deserves to knock one close here. The 578-yard par-5 closer, meanwhile, has long been one of the country's finest finishing holes. From the middle tees, two long knocks can get you there, but with O.B. right, throttle back to better negotiate the bunkers guarding the green, and make sure to keep the ball below the hole.

Total Area: Approx. 7,000

Number of Holes: Stanley Thompson (18 hole course); Cornish and Robinson (9 hole course); 27 total

Après-Golf: After a day on the links, treat your body to the exclusive Golf Performance Treatment at the Willow Stream Spa, a combination of massage, stretching and acupressure. 

Depending on the day, rates at Stanley Thompson are $149 to $219, and $40 to $60 at Tunnel Mountain.