favourite golf club/course in Ontario?

[shack]

I've heard lots of good things about Lakeview but haven't been able to get a tee time.

Lakeview's a gem. Score Magazine has it as the best value of all courses in Ontario and The Bogeyman in The Star has it in their top 18 courses along with all the high profile courses.

You're right. It's hard to book. I just played there last week for the first time this season because of that. (Then I got bummed out because the greens had been aerated.)

If you go as a single, they leave 1 tee time per hour (four spots) unbooked for players who show up with no booking. They pencil you in to the first opening, so that's the absolute longest you'll have to wait. If there are any no-shows, which there usually are, everybody on the waiting list gets bumped up.

 

[stever]

The Hoot and Toot courses at Osprey Valley are fun. I liked Woodington Lakes, however the best golf I've played was out west. It just doesnt seem the same. Silver Tip, The Hamptons (private), Eagle Ranch, Heritage Point, Kananaskis, Stewart Creek, Greywolf. If you are a golf fanatic, and want to take a golf trip, you have to go out west. It is expensive, but what an experience.

Do not ever play Banff Springs!!!

 

[JohnC]

Red tail in Ontario was wonderful, just eight of us there..
bob O'Link in Chicago, all male, one set of tees and just 4 of us playing and 4 guys to park my car.

For difficulty the National takes the biscuit, although the Belfry in the England was a bugger as well!!

 

[Master Baiter]

I played The Club At Bond Head a couple weeks ago as well. Awesome service right from the parking lot. Green fees include free Disanni water (we had all you can drink that day so who knows if that's a norm) which was great, access to the driving range and complimentary tees, gift bag which included a hefty divot tool and ball marker, valuables bag and yardage book (one of better ones I've seen). It is a TOUGH course and if you can't control your tee shots, bring LOTS and LOTS of balls 'cause if you get into the fescue, good luck trying to find your ball! I usually shoot in the mid to low 80's and I came out with an ass whoop'n 93 from the Blues. The only thing I didn't like about Bond Head is that there are rocks in the sublayer fill in the middle of the fairways and hidden rocks in the fairway sand bunkers! In one round, I've put more damage to my irons than I've done in 2years playing with them! If you like taking divots, watch out! Scuffed the leading edge of my 9iron and PW and a nice gouge and scrape on a brand new Vokey Spin Mill wedge! My friend got a nasty ding on his 7iron from a fairway bunker. Not a happy camper!

Heathlands, Hoot and Toot are part of the Osprey Valley courses. They've FINALLY got their official clubhouse going and not the garage/trailer that they were using for the L-O-N-G-E-S-T while. A bit pricey during prime-time and their carts are S-L-O-W but really well kept courses. Heathlands is a links style and one of the better ones I've played on.

Black Diamond near Peterborough is another up and coming amazing course. The front nine is Links style and the back nine is Parkland style. The front has nice wide fairways and is relatively flat. The back nine is TIGHT with skinny fairways! Some blind driving holes but there is no such thing as a flat lie on the back nine. There are probably only 2 holes in the back nine that are downhill, all the others are VERY elevated greens!

Play lots people... the season is winding down!

 

[Coach]

Master, a well written review of Bond Head. Osprey's Hoot (aka Wasteland) is a nice track with wide fairways and lots of waste bunkers. Pleanty of trouble there if you want to find it. I played there Friday Aug 19 and got off the course as teh heavy rains hit. Within 1/2 hour entire fairways were under water. They still don't have a liquor licence, no beer sold anywhere on the premises. Heathlands is my favourite course, one of my favourite courses anywhere. It is tough - not as tough as Bond Head - with lots of sand and heather & gorse. I lost 2 balls in the rough on one hole earlier this year!! I could play the 3 Osprey courses all the time, a real pleasure to play.

 

[Preferred]

Played a course almost 10 years ago around the Orangeville area, called Mad River.
Anybody know if it still exists?

 

[JohnC]

Played a course almost 10 years ago around the Orangeville area, called Mad River.
Anybody know if it still exists?

Mad River is in Creemore, and yes it's still there. Private I believe, and a tough track.

 

[Preferred]

Yes, a very tough track. Glad i played it when it was public.

 

[bigdik]

Osprey Valley

I live about 15 minutes from here, and as far as golf goes the three tracks are all superb. As far as anything other than the golf, it's poor. It's a joke that they have no liquor license as of Aug 17th, when I played Toot. Imagine the lost revenue! The course signage is a joke and there's no yardage book, or even hole maps on the card. The "Official" clubhouse has a snack bar, no bar, no restaurant. I love playing all 3 courses but the rest of the operation is Mickey Mouse. For the Greens fees charged the service level is pitiful, there's no bag drop, no cart kid to load you up, the snack bar staff was surly... I could go on and on. With 54 holes of excellent golf they should be making a killing on the corporate stuff, but they're not because they have no facilities. The bev cart girl however was absolutely outstanding. Beautiful and sweet. Too bad she didn't have a beer for us.

 

[JohnC]

This Osprey Valley conundrum, great golf, shitty service, has been going on for years!! I am amazed the Club Link mafia haven't been sniffing around!!

 

[The Doctor]

Yes, a very tough track. Glad i played it when it was public.

It may be public again as I've heard there is unrest with the membership about paying for a new clubhouse. A disgruntled staff member drove their car through the front doors last year and the plce burnt to the ground. Last I heard there was still no plans to replace it and that's pissing off the members who are dead set against any assessment resulting from a new building.

 

[Preferred]

Another potential takeover by Clublink then. If Clublink can stay in business, it is the best deal around.

 

[Coach]

Hopefully Clublink will keep it's grubby paws off Osprey. The courses are too nice to be swallowed up. Interesting that Bond Head has cut their prices for the rest of the year.It's $150 before noon and $80 after noon effective immediately. Obviously they priced them selves out of the market and are trying to recover. I predict there will be more courses following suit. Too many higher end courses for this area.

 

[spiff]

Another potential takeover by Clublink then. If Clublink can stay in business, it is the best deal around.

Nope....

Try booking at a higher level club, they look down at you and act like they are doing you a favor by letting you play the more prestigious courses...

Private is the way to go, but then some idiot that couldn't run a baskeball team in Toronto will sell everyone out to Clublink anyway...

May be you are right....

 

[Mudd Stuffin]

Overrated: Osprey - Hoot, St.Andrews Valley, Kleinberg, National Pines, Ballantre

Underrated: Oakridge, Lakeridge, Silver Lakes, Shawnekee

Best Course - Copper Creek

Hidden gem: Port Hope Golf &Country Club (smaller course, but a true gem - par 65 or so)

 

[Pargolfer]

Mad River Update and other Great Courses

Mad River in Creemore/Stayner is a Bob Cupp Course (same architect as Beacon Hall) and their new clubhouse is open and the membership is basically very pleased with the result.No chance that it will become public or even be taken over by ClubLink.. My two new favorites are the Georgian Bay Club which recently opened near Collingwood and Ovinbird near Footes Bay in Muskoka.One to watch is the new Fazio course Coppinwood which is in Uxbridge and is slated to open in June 2006.

 

[canucklehead]

Whitevale ......... I have been a member since i was a kid and i still love the course.
www.whitevalegolfclub.com/

 

[Preferred]

Nope....

Try booking at a higher level club, they look down at you and act like they are doing you a favor by letting you play the more prestigious courses...

Private is the way to go, but then some idiot that couldn't run a baskeball team in Toronto will sell everyone out to Clublink anyway...

May be you are right....

I don't know what you mean by "higher level club". The highest i have played is Oakdale. Not a good track. Quite boring actually. Considering the initiation was $150,000 when i played in the mid-90s. But luckily never experienced any snobbishness. The only excitement was the fact that it is in the Jane/Finch area.

IMHO, the best deal these days is definitely Clublinks. I am not trying to sell memberships, i am not even a member. The low level clubs are around $6500 to join with an annual fee of approx. $2500. Considering the vast variety of courses available to play, though some at a premium, but still a golfers dream.

Unfortunately i do not play enough these days to justify the membership. Luckily a few friends are members.

 

[blopar]

.One to watch is the new Fazio course Coppinwood which is in Uxbridge and is slated to open in June 2006.

Agreed. It will be Fazio's first course in Canada (the National was really his uncle's course, and Tom joined in during the construction phase---not a knock against the National, as it is a great course, but it is often mistakenly described as a Tom Fazio course). Fazio has developed a reputation for courses with remarkably high standards for conditioning and construction details.

As for Oviinbyrd, what's the initiation? Heard that it is $150K (for a course in Muskoka and therefore would only get played by NHL types, I guess).

 

[Pargolfer]

Blopar,thanks for the endorsement...

on Coppinwood..We were talking about it tonight at my club and it should be a player's golf course...I understan Oviinbyrd is almost full at $120k..It is a good course but nevertheless in Muskoka.They are looking at 3000 rounds of play in 2005...Not much..