A handful of the world’s best golfers will converge on Banff this summer for a return of the Telus Skins Game at the Fairmont Banff Springs, however, some environmentalists are still teed off about the event.
IMG Worldwide announced Monday, April 18 the Telus Skins game will take place July 25-26 on the Stanley Thompson course.
Lori Cote, spokesperson for the Fairmont Banff Springs, said the tournament is a great showcase for the town.
“It puts Banff in the forefront with golf enthusiasts and is a great showcase for the destination. We made no secret we wanted it to return after the 2006 event,” Cote said.
Cote said organizers expect the event to sell out.
“We’re in the planning stages to ensure as minimal an impact as possible on Banff residents and visitors,” Cote said.
In 2006, about 4,500 tickets were sold for the event, which saw Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Stephen Ames, John Daly and Sergio Garcia compete for cash prizes. No announcement has been made on which golfers will participate this year.
“As one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet, featuring some of the best players of the game with fans that have an unrivaled passion for golf, the Fairmont Banff Springs will once again be the perfect host for the TELUS World Skins Game,” said Monty Carter, senior vice-president, TELUS Enterprise Solutions.
The golf tournament isn’t popular with all sides, as environmentalists believe the event is more double bogey than birdie.
CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) Senior Conservation Planner Sarah Elmeligi questions the appropriateness of hosting a golf tournament in the national park.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of new activities and CPAWS has not been supportive of all of them. Banff National Park is an iconic park and we want to encourage events that foster an appreciation of the heritage of the park,” Elmeligi said. “Skins games aren’t necessarily going to increase an appreciation of Banff National Park… It’s not about the number of people the event attracts. It’s around a visitor’s expectations of what a park is.”
Events such as the skins game can occur on most large-scale golf courses across the country, so there is little need to host one in a national park, she said. CPAWS wants to see a measurable means to prove events such as the skins game improves the public’s connectivity to the park.
“Just because it’s in the park doesn’t mean it helps people connect with the park,” Elmeligi said. “Is this a place to develop a deeper connection to nature or go to a golf tournament?”
She wants to see the event improve so more people learn something about the park.
“People have to be taught something. There needs to be outreach to foster an appreciation of the park,” she said.
Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen praised the event, noting it provides great exposure for the community.
“I was delighted to see that news arrive today. It’s excellent exposure for Banff to showcase itself. Hopefully it will be as popular as it was in 2006,” Sorensen said.
The town of Banff will work with Fairmont to create a parking and transportation plan, Sorensen said. The town was not involved in the bidding process.
As for environmental concerns, Sorensen said those decisions fall to Parks Canada.
“Parks Canada has a process. They decided it was an acceptable event,” she said.
