There’s something special about the feeling you get when you pass through the elegant timber and stonework gate welcoming you to the Speargrass Golf Course Community, about 45 minutes from downtown Calgary.

It’s suggestive of fresh beginnings, bold new horizons and the anticipation of what tomorrow might bring.

It’s a feeling that combines the pleasures of life in an immaculate new home with a yen for outdoor adventures, abundant good times and old-fashioned fun.

“To me, that beautiful gate is symbolic. It’s a symbol of a new way of living. Country living accompanied by the full range of services you find in the city,” says James Goodbrand, president of Speargrass Golf Course Community.

Lisa Goodbrand, below, will be happy to take you on a tour of Speargrass's spectacular golf course and outstanding properties.

Goodbrand is a Western-based land developer and subdivision servicing contractor who has compiled a distinguished track record throughout B.C. and Alberta.

He’s a well-respected veteran of the business who’s been around the block several times. Yet he can’t recall ever being as enthusiastic about a project as he is about Speargrass, the rural golf course community that’s rising on the banks of the Bow River, not far from Carseland.

The first phase of the Speargrass Golf Course Community features single-family and villa-style dwellings with frontage facing the riverbank.



These homes back on to the 10th fairway of this picturesque and challenging championship course.

Designed with the comfort of residents in mind, these stunning homes are custom-designed, rambling, ranch-style bungalows featuring full ground-level walkouts to the rear (prices range from $200,000 to $350,000, with lots also available starting at $40,000). It’s an architecturally controlled community, creating its own unique ambiance of hospitality and relaxed informality.

In short, Speargrass is a true neighbourhood, in the good old-fashioned sense.

On a clear morning – and most mornings are clear in Wheatland County – Goodbrand enjoys standing in front of one of these new homes and gazing west to the blue-grey horizon.

“I love to look at those mountains,” he’ll tell you. He’ll also point out how well situated this beautiful new community is for compulsive travellers: the kind of folks who love loading up the RV and heading out.

“Waterton Lake is only three hours away, Banff two-and-a-half hours, Lethbridge a bit more than an hour away. You couldn’t ask for a better spot for empty nesters,” he continued.

Then he’s bound to cite many more of the attractions this glorious and unblemished countryside has to offer.

This particular section of the beautiful Bow attracts thousands of pelicans that swirl lazily above its pools and eddies. Prairie wildlife is everywhere – almost as plentiful as the opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Of course, the Bow is a world-famous trout stream that routinely attracts anglers from around the globe. And this stretch of the river is an especially fruitful destination for fly-fishers.

“We’re only minutes away from fishing lodges with professional guides,” Goodbrand points out.

In winter, there is curling and cross-country skiing. And summer? Golf and more golf – on one of the most appealing new golf courses in Southern Alberta.

At the moment, this breathtakingly scenic course, which made an instant hit with Southern Alberta aficionados of the game, is operating as a public facility. But as the young community grows, it is likely to go private, with Speargrass residents retaining first dibs on membership.

Meanwhile, a fully equipped clubhouse will take the place of the current temporary structure before 2006 runs its course.

“When we started this project, our thinking was to build a closely knit community from the ground up,” explains Goodbrand, who set out to attract retirees and empty nesters now enjoying their first real taste of freedom since completing the all-important job of raising a family.

Plans are in place for an RV storage facility with ready access to the community. In addition, landscapers from the golf course will be free to contract their services to the significant number of community residents who’ll enjoy travelling south for the winter.

“We’ll also make sure members of our team at the golf course will be available through the winter to keep an eye on homes while their snowbird owners are on the road,” Goodbrand adds.

From a service standpoint, the community has constructed a state-of-the-art water-treatment plant in a joint venture with Wheatland County as well as a modern sanitary sewage system that is up and running.

“We’re trying to get the word out to seniors and empty nesters who are interested in helping to build a wonderful community in the country,” said Goodbrand.

Those interested in viewing these beautiful, fully serviced homes are urged to contact the Speargrass Sales Centre at 403.901.1154. And please visit the Speargrass Golf Course Community website at www.speargrass.ca.