Darren Robinson had some very important news to tell U.S. president George Bush and José María Aznar, the prime minister of Spain: the pro shop was open.
Aznar had told Robinson, general manager of the Kananaskis Country Golf Club in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, that he wanted to visit it.
True to his word, Robinson walked over to the two world leaders on a patio and interrupted their conversation.
“What was probably only 10 seconds felt like 10 minutes,” Robinson recalled of the G8 leaders’ summit in 2002 in Kananaskis.
He said the pair paused their discussion, and Bush waved over British prime minister Tony Blair. The four then talked about golf, running, the mountains, as the other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, chatted ahead of a dinner at the golf club.
“I’m like, somebody pinch me. It’s really happening,” Robinson said.
Twenty-three years later, Robinson is again teeing up to possibly host some of the world’s most powerful people for the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis set for June 15-17.
The golf club is included in the tightly controlled perimeter that will be closed to public access during the summit and is one of two primary locations the leaders could use.
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The summit is being hosted by the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, a short drive from the course.
There’s speculation U.S. President Donald Trump, with his known affection for golf, could tee off on the scenic course that sits at the foot of Mount Kidd.
Trump even owns Kananaskis Country Golf Club merchandise. Prime Minister Mark Carney gifted the president a hat and gear from the club during his first White House visit in early May.
Requests for comment to the White House and the Prime Minister’s Office about whether Trump or Carney would get in a golf game at the summit were not returned.
The summit’s itinerary hasn’t been shared publicly. And if history informs Robinson’s expectations, any activities involving leaders at the course would be spontaneous.
Robinson remembers one afternoon in 2002, when he mentioned to Jean Chrétien, touring the club before an upcoming dinner, that it was a shame the prime minister didn’t have time to play.
“(Chrétien) says, ‘Who says I don’t have time?’ And he starts taking off his tie and jacket,” said Robinson, mimicking Chrétien’s French accent.
Chrétien hit two clean shots on his way to the putting green, said Robinson. But on the third shot, a short chip to get on the green, the prime minister accidentally nicked a divot out of the grass before making contact with the ball.
“Before the ball even stops rolling, he reaches into his pocket, drops another one, hits that nicely onto the green,” Robinson said.
“And then he looks at me and says, ‘I call that a Clinton.’”
Chrétien, after dropping the reference to former U.S. president Bill Clinton, played three more holes before getting back to work, said Robinson.
He added that several interactions he had with Bush were personal highlights of the summit. It was a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
U.S. staffers asked Robinson to draw up a five-kilometre loop the president could run the next morning.
When Bush arrived early the next day in his sneakers, he asked if a woman at the club dressed in athletic gear would jog with him, said Robinson.
“Now I’m filming the two of them walking up. And president Bush says to me, ‘You set me up with an Olympic runner.’”
Months later, Robinson received a manila envelope in the mail from the White House with a letter signed by Bush thanking him for the stay and a photo of the two of them talking on the club patio.
This year, Robinson said he’ll be on the course waiting to help, but isn’t expecting a 2002 repeat.
“You hope that there’s any opportunity to have some similar and memorable experiences,” he said while standing at a tee box overlooking the 16th hole on the course.
“If they happen, great. That would be wonderful. And if they don’t, they don’t.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
