Let's Chat

Bill’s mandate is to improve and maintain 15 buildings associated with golf course operations – with a steady stream of quips and jokes along the way.

While his work history has taken him all over the world, he says Kananaskis is simply unbeatable. He has been here for over half a decade and has learned to love the unlovable sport of golf along the way.

Bill stays busy throughout the year maintaining the buildings and equipment, and tries to take advantage of the running trails and ski hill when he can. In his down time he is watching the Oilers and F1 and generally whitling his precious life on this planet away on the internet. He also loves his dog Squirrel.

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Michael Nutt is the Head Golf Professional here at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. Originally from Ingersoll Ontario, Michael moved out west to Jasper in 2017. He had never seen a mountain until this moment! In 2019, Michael became our Assistant Professional and has not looked back since!

Michael has been in the golf industry since he was 13 starting at the Ingersoll Golf and Country Club. He took Professional Golf Management and Business at Fanshawe College.

Michael’s passion for golf is next level. If you can’t find him in the office, go to the putting green. This is mostly because his favourite sports team will be done playing hockey (Ottawa Senators). Not to do a double whammy, but he is also a Cincinnati Bengals fan!!! Other passions involve his cats Bengie and Cinci, music and the first chip out of the bag.

“My goal is to make people proud of playing/visiting Kananaskis. This incredible place means a lot to me and I want to share this feeling with everyone! I am honoured to be the Head Golf Professional at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.” - Mike

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Our former Head Professional and now Director of Little Things (D.O.L.T.), Bob Paley has well over 30 years of experience in the Golf industry including a career that started in 1998 at Kananaskis Country Golf Course. In 1998 Bob and his incredible wife, Tracy, came out to Kananaskis to join the K-team family and also to have a family of their own. Literally 3 weeks after moving out to the valley the two had their first of two sons, Matthew in April of 1998, followed closely by his younger brother Sam who arrived 19 months later in November of 1999. The four Paley’s have had an incredible life growing up together at Kananaskis Country Golf Course with all of the “brothers and sisters” that the two young boys got to meet every year that the golf course was open; many of which remain very close with the boys to this day. When they say “it takes a village to raise a family”, there literally could be no greater village for their boys than the K-team that formed every year that we opened for business.

Besides his family, the thing that Bob is most proud of is the Kananaskis family that is assembled every year since they arrived in 1998 and the culture of this special place that pervades all they do. Within the thousands of people that he has had the opportunity to work with over the years out at Kananaskis, he is proud to call them all friends and family and still be involved in many of their lives today. They are fantastic people who are selected to join our family because they are givers and not takers, and are always looking for ways to create fun, unique, and special experiences for each person that comes to spend time with our team.

In addition to our team, he is also incredibly proud of the two courses and facilities that everyone gets a chance to play on year in and year out. Particularly since the flood of 2013 that wiped out the facility for five years, every square inch of the 605 acres is cherished by Bob and knows how much love, care, and attention went into bringing the courses and buildings back from the devastation of the flood. There is a certain “magic” that people talk about when coming out to Kananaskis as they drive on Highway 40 towards the course and feel the stress and anxiety of their lives just peel away as they get closer to their favorite mountain retreat. It is that gift of people “making the time” to join our team every year to Decompress, Reconnect and Enjoy time with family and friends that truly makes Kananaskis special to Bob and his family and team.

One final thing to note is something Bob has always believed in and shares with our team every year. Guests could choose to go ANYWHERE and do ANYTHING with their valuable discretionary income and they have chosen to spend that time and resources with our team and family. THAT IS AN HONOR AND SOMETHING THAT WE ARE ALL SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL FOR AND HUMBLED BY…and something we will never…ever…take for granted.

Bob and the entire Kananaskis team are very much looking forward to seeing you this season! Thanks for making the time for us!

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When sitting across from a guidance counsellor at the age of 18, Steve needed to consider what the next step in his education looked like. He realized he wanted to travel and experience the world, so hospitality was where he needed to be.

Originally from Penetanguishene, Ontario, Steve studied at the University of Guelph getting a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Hotel and Food Administration. He started his career with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts at the Chateau Lake Louise and fell in love with the west and the mountains. After taking courses with the International Sommelier Guild, Steve was responsible for the 300-label wine list and all staff wine training and guest functions.

Once deciding to move to Calgary, he worked with the Joey Restaurant Group and Creative Restaurants managing and opening new concepts. This lead him to the world of consulting where he helped restaurants across Western Canada. When the opportunity arose to get back to the mountains at a world class golf course, he jumped right on it.

Steve has four daughters which are his world. When he is not with them you will likely see him trying to get in as many rounds of golf as possible.

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Originally from Ontario, Yves achieved his Culinary Management degree at Algonquin College and then left home for the first time to work at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Shortly thereafter, he realized that this cooking degree could be used as a passport to work and travel the world!

His career has taken him across Canada to Scotland, the Cayman Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Middle East! This has allowed him to gain experience in working with different cuisines and cultures to create his own culinary style. Having lived in Alberta since 2019, he was excited about the opportunity to have his next chapter be at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.

“My first drive up to Kananaskis would have been in 2000 when I spent my first summer in the mountains. At that time, I never thought I would end up living and working here as it seemed secluded, however, this is exactly what has attracted me here! I am truly excited to work with such an inspiring group of people in this mountain paradise that offers world class golf, food and beverage. I look forward to meeting with our local suppliers and farmers to discover and showcase their products in everything we do here; whether in the Summit restaurant, the snack shacks or in our events” – Yves

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Meet Calvin, Kananaskis Country Golf Course’s Superintendent since 1993. If you’ve ever wondered who’s most responsible for the pristine-perfect presentation of the course, Calvin is your man.

They say that true mastery of a skill requires at least 10,000 hours of practice. Since his first day on the green 27 years ago, Calvin has accumulated well over 50,000 hours of service at Kananaskis alone – so you could say his craft is as finely tuned as the course itself.

Calvin started his golf career early, dedicating nearly every summer throughout his high school days to training in the turf industry. After graduating with honours from Olds College, achieving a Diploma in Horticulture for Turf Management in 1990, he joined the Kananaskis Country Golf Course team as Assistant Superintendent in 1990, before progressing to Superintendent in 1993.

Calvin says the opportunity to join the team at Kananaskis was a “dream come true”, and maintaining the course to the standard of its “must-play” reputation continues to bring him just as much satisfaction as it did when he started in 1990.

While asking a Golf Course Superintendent to choose his favourite home-course hole could be likened to choosing a favourite child, Calvin has shared his most-cherished spots at Kananaskis Country Golf Course. On the Lorette course, he names Hole #2 as the cream of the crop for its jaw-dropping views towards Mt Lorette. Over on the Kidd course, he says nothing beats Hole #3 for its incredible south-facing view off the tee towards Fortress Mountain.

When he’s not golfing or surveying the course with characteristic attention to detail, Calvin’s favourite thing to do in Kananaskis Country is to take in the world-class views by while hiking and biking with family and friends. Further afield, you’ll find him camping and fishing in summer, or playing hockey and skiing in winter.

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They say a good leader is one who not only leads by example, but also creates more leaders – and this describes Darren, spirited head of Kananaskis, to a tee. Leading the vision for Kananaskis to be one of the most sought-after golf destinations in North America, Darren equips and empowers his staff each day to make every guest experience unforgettable. You feel warmly welcomed, at home and at ease within moments of entering the golf course – and that’s because excellent service starts at the top.

Having lived and worked at the golf course since 1998, and raising his young family here, Kananaskis is both Darren’s passion and his home. Born and raised in Canmore and completing studies in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, and Golf Course Management and Operations at Selkirk College in BC, he can’t keep himself away from the mountains – and especially from golf heaven in Kananaskis. Counting former General Manager Brian Bygrave among his own personal heroes, Darren was honoured to take over the management reins at Kananaskis in 2001.

Among Darren’s most memorable highlights as General Manager include leading the team when Kananaskis hosted the G8 Summit in 2002; countless too-perfect-to-be-true days managing golf-heaven, and witnessing one of his particularly dedicated employees go above and beyond to recover a lost wedding ring for a guest (a true needle in a haystack) – searching for hours, and triumphantly succeeding. For Darren, every day in Kananaskis is a good day.

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The ultimate people-person and an exceptional start-to-finish project manager, Tracy has the ability to apply a warm sensitivity to all she does.

As our dedicated Reservations & Events Manager, Tracy’s the kind of person that makes you feel at ease in an instant, and we promise you she’ll be considering all the details that no-one else has thought of. She’s meticulously thorough in all she does, and can keep a schedule organized to the second.

Flawlessly able to bring a team together, Tracy brings over 25 years of customer-facing experience and office management to her role. Having held a long-time position in dentistry, multi-tasking, meeting clients’ needs, and managing a busy schedule comes as second-nature to Tracy.

As a life-long Kananaskis resident, Tracy has always considered Kananaskis Country Golf Course home. Back in 1989, Tracy began serving at the course’s snack shacks, dining room and lounge – and it was during this time (in 1991) that she crossed paths with Bob, Kananaskis PGA Head of Golf Professional – and by 1995, they were engaged at the valet stand.

From there, Tracy’s connection to the course was firmly set. Living close by, Tracy has had the pleasure of seeing her two now-grown sons develop their own love of golf – playing often with Mom and Dad, right here at Kananaskis Country Golf Course.

In 2018, she is excited for the opportunity to put her varied skillset to great use; employing her event coordination expertise to ensure the reservations department is running like clockwork, as well as organizing all the arrangements for all special events, conferences and weddings.

“It’s wonderful to be part of such a special place. We have so much to offer out here, with an incredible atmosphere and team, we’re going to make all Kananaskis Country Golf Course events truly memorable.”

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From a very young age, Trevor has been hooked on golf – and the passion he brings to Kananaskis is unreal. Trevor counts completing his Playing Ability test with CPGA, and being named Rookie of the Year with Kananaskis among his proudest achievements.

Responsible for business development and outreach to attract golf tournaments, golf outings, and corporate events, and as a charismatic emcee and detail-driven supervisor, he ensures all aspects of each event are delivered to a top-shelf standard.

“I fell in love with #3 on Mt Kidd the first time I played it. Picturesque background, elevated tee box, undulated fairway – and absolutely beautiful. I held the role Assistant Golf Professional at Kananaskis during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, and I was heartbroken to hear of the flood of 2013. When the restoration was announced, I knew exactly where I wanted to go next in my career with experience in both golf and sales – returning home to Kananaskis.”

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Originally from Ontario, Jake moved out west to Calgary with his family in 2006. After graduating high school, he went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in accounting.

Jake has been in the golf industry for many years, working at courses including the Country Club of the Hamptons, Heritage Point Golf Club, and Silver Springs Golf & Country Club. He has been an integral part of the K-Team and Kananaskis community since the golf course’s re-opening in 2018. Jake’s energy and positive attitude is contagious, this helps motivate and excite those around him on a day-to-day basis.

Jake’s passion for fishing can only be matched with his love of dancing. The contrast between the methodical execution of fishing, and the instinctual flailing of dancing, describes Jake’s adaptable nature perfect.

Recently, Jake has gone full “Dog Dad”. He and his trusted partner, Dr. Rupert Giles the Sheepadoodle, can be found roaming the rivers, lakes, and hiking trails around the Kananaskis Valley. Please make sure to give Rupert all the love and good boy pets when you see him around!

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Max MacKenzie is the Golf Course Superintendent here at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. Born and raised in Victoria B.C., he joined the team at Kananaskis in 2019. During the winter, you can find Max out on any one of the of the many ski hills in the Rockies. In the Summer, when Max is not on the golf course, he spends his time Mountain Biking, Camping, or hiking with his Fiancé Michelle and their dog Nimbus.

Max has been working on golf courses since the age of 16 and graduated from Olds College with a Degree in Turfgrass Management. Max has been lucky enough to work on some world-renowned golf courses, including the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National and The Old Course in Scotland! But nothing compares to the beauty of Kananaskis!

“My goal has always been to work at a golf course that people dream of someday playing. I get a huge amount of satisfaction knowing that people come from all around the world to play the property that I look after. It also gives me a sense of pride to know that when guests leave this place, it will be a lifelong memory for them.”

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