Blackhawk plans nine more holes in Alberta: Rod Whitman's 27-hole vision targets summer 2028

A new chapter for a private Canadian course

Blackhawk Golf Club, southwest of Edmonton in Alberta, is planning to expand its established 18-hole course to 27 holes. The club's official project page confirms that its membership voted to amend the limited-partnership agreement to support the expansion. Blackhawk is targeting summer 2028 for the additional nine holes, although that remains an anticipated opening rather than a completed or guaranteed one.

The existing club is located at 51111 Range Road 255, Spruce Grove, Alberta T7Y 1A8, Canada, near the North Saskatchewan River valley. Its original 18 holes were designed by Alberta-born architect Rod Whitman and opened in 2003. They are known for broad fairways, rugged bunkers and strategic green complexes that work with the river-valley terrain. Whitman is now involved again through Whitman, Axland & Cutten (WAC Golf), the practice designing the addition.

The architecture: 3,706 yards, par 36

Details published in the October 2026 edition of Golf Course Architecture describe a new nine-hole routing measuring 3,706 yards at par 36. The planned mix is two par fives, five par fours and two par threes. Rather than replicate the original holes, WAC Golf aims to extend Blackhawk's design approach onto a different parcel of sandy, undulating ground.

The architects intend to preserve natural ridges and folds wherever practicable. Wide landing areas should create decisions rather than merely offer a single safest line. Angles into greens, the positioning of strategic bunkers and slopes around the putting surfaces are expected to reward thoughtful placement. Certain approaches may allow a running ground shot, while others will require a player to take on a hazard to gain a better angle.

The ambition is to make the new nine recognisably part of Blackhawk while giving it its own routing rhythm. Architectural interest should come from the contours already on site, not from manufacturing artificial difficulty across every hole.

Construction timetable and planning context

The design team reported site clearing under way in autumn 2026 and preliminary earth shaping planned for that season. Main construction is envisaged through 2027, followed by a grow-in period before the anticipated summer 2028 opening. Weather, course establishment and regulatory steps can still affect the schedule.

A separate planning process remains important. Parkland County's council agenda of 13 October 2026 included a conceptual scheme for the Blackhawk expansion. The accompanying documents reference the nine new holes alongside a proposal for approximately 55 country-residential lots, and an associated request to rezone around 44.08 hectares of land. A public hearing concerning the land-use amendment was scheduled for 24 November 2026. The published agenda must not be mistaken for proof that every required approval has already been granted.

Who will be able to play?

Blackhawk identifies itself as a private golf club. The additional nine holes are intended for members and their guests; there is no confirmed announcement that the expansion will offer ordinary public tee-time bookings. For members, 27 holes could make it easier to rotate playing routes, undertake maintenance and stage events without relying on a single 18-hole configuration.

Sources: Blackhawk's official expansion page; Golf Course Architecture, October 2026, issue 86; Parkland County council materials.

Illustrative archival photograph: Victoria Golf Course in Edmonton, 2005. The image does not show Blackhawk or its proposed new holes.