golf course reviews

[pudubny]

I hope I am not boring everyone with something they already know, but Toronto Life Magazine publishes an annual Golf Guide for the GTA, Muskoka and surrounding areas every year as part of the City Guides program. It is available only to subscribers, it is not available to people who purchase the magazine in stores. But considering the subscription is less than $20.00 I have been a subscriber for years.
This is not like the golf guides that the Sun and Star put out, it is actually pretty detailed reviews of about 200 courses in the GTA. Some of the writing seems to come from the Bogeyman who writes reviews in the Saturday Star. Overall, while nobody will agree with all the reviews, it does provide a great framework for what the courses are like. We eagerly await the new edition every year. Oddly enough most of the info is also available free on the Toronto Life website. See link:
http://www.torontolife.com/cityguide/category.cfm?category_id=13

I offer this as informational only. I do not work for Toronto Life. But people here are always asking opinions of golf courses. This guide offers up some interesting insights. Hope this is helpful. I have many copies of 2003 and 2004, if someone wanted to borrow one, I may be able to make a couple available. Let me know.

[Mok]

thanks for the link pudubny!

i checked the link you provided, so the magazine is much more indepth than the webpage?

[pudubny]

Mok,
I have not been through the website lately but as I recall the website does not have the star ratings, the book does. The write-ups appear to be the same.
Again, you may not agree with all of the reviews, but it provides quite a bit of information.
Books are published annually with different feature stories and asides. 2003 had some features on cheap courses, PEI getaways, best courses for women, and 18 must play layouts (again, I think this is the Bogeymans list).
I think 2002 had a great writeup on the citiy's best private courses which was interesting. Always full of info.
Hope you get something from it.

Pud.

[mikejb]

I was just flipping through the list and thought I would add my $0.02 about some courses I have not seen talked about here.

Batteaux Creek (http://www.torontolife.com/cityguide/listing.cfm?category_id=13&listing_id=2191) - I am looking forward to making it back on this course again. I played it when it was just a nine and was impressed. It is located in a nice area of collingwood that you will not be effected by the escrapment at the end of the which effects Monterra.

Now Monterra, I will not return to every again. The layout and pace of play is so slow it is almost insane. The last round I played there we teed off at 4:00 on June 24th or somewhere around there and did not finish the round due to a 5 some that was let off in front of us. Now this was not two groups that meet up on the 2nd hole. The marshall sent off a 5 SOME!!!

I would also recommened a round at Cranberry if you are going to be up in Collingwood. It is a nice course and well taken care of except for the 7th hole over the last few years.

Of those three you should be able to have a nice weekend of golf in Collingwood.

[Focker Singh]

I was just flipping through the list and thought I would add my $0.02 about some courses I have not seen talked about here.

Batteaux Creek (http://www.torontolife.com/cityguide/listing.cfm?category_id=13&listing_id=2191) - I am looking forward to making it back on this course again. I played it when it was just a nine and was impressed. It is located in a nice area of collingwood that you will not be effected by the escrapment at the end of the which effects Monterra.

Now Monterra, I will not return to every again. The layout and pace of play is so slow it is almost insane. The last round I played there we teed off at 4:00 on June 24th or somewhere around there and did not finish the round due to a 5 some that was let off in front of us. Now this was not two groups that meet up on the 2nd hole. The marshall sent off a 5 SOME!!!

I would also recommened a round at Cranberry if you are going to be up in Collingwood. It is a nice course and well taken care of except for the 7th hole over the last few years.

Of those three you should be able to have a nice weekend of golf in Collingwood.
Maybe it was just a bad day to play Monterra. I went there near the end of summer last year and it was pretty good. Nobody ahead of us, just a 2 some and another group behind us. Layout wise, pretty nice. I just don't like all the condo's next to the fairway. Conditions were pretty good too. It poured rain on us on the 7th hole and we got drenched. The marshall drove up to us with fresh, dry towels for the rest of our round. I wouldn't pay full price for this course though. I had a 2 for 1 coupon.

[pudubny]

MikeJB,
I think Collingwood is just starting to catch up to Muskoka in terms of golf offerings. In the next year or so they will have Georgian Bay Club, Raven at Lora Bay, Silver Creek and Oslerbrook open as well.
My parents have retired in Collingwood so we visit a few times a year.
I have been to Georgian Bay Club which is a Hurdzan/Fry project (Devil's Pulpit). It is private. A different look than the Pulpit in that the fairways are quite generous, the greens and bunkering are fantastic. It has some spectacular views of Georgian Bay.
I understand that Greg Norman's company is designing Silver Creek. Having played a couple of Greg Norman's designs I think I can safely say it will play and look different than other Ontario courses. It will not be similar to anything you recognize from Muylaert, Carrick or McBroom. He loves bunkers to shape a hole. Anybody who has been to Doral Resort will know what I am talking about.
As for Monterra and Cranberry. I feel the opposite. I preferred Monterra for a variety of reasons. Both courses were empty when we played, so no issues on pace of play. I think Monterra is a very strategic course, you should carefully plan your way around to score. Cranberry is a nice layout which we enjoyed but I think it has a few weaknesses, it is unbelieveably flat, more so than even Silver Lakes and many of the holes are really straight forward. Not much risk/reward or strategy involved. Not to mention the bunkering is extremely friendly. I must admit I am a sucker for elevation changes on golf courses. Flat courses just do not visually appeal to me as much.
I have no love for condos next to the fairways either but we are going to have to get used to it because courses are not going to let that property just sit there anymore.
Have not been to Batteaux Creek, opted instead to go to Hawk Ridge in Orillia and that is a great deal.
Anybody been to Wildfire on Stoney Lake?
Pud.

[pudubny]

Another great course I got to play in 2004 was Wildfire on Stoney Lake, not far from Peterborough.
Visually it is beautiful. Kind of a Kawartha's version of the Muskoka courses. The layout reminds me in some ways of Lake Joseph Club. Both were done by Tom McBroom and both very good. The routing has a few ackward spots but overall the good use of the land and use of subtle doglegs throughout the course make for a very interesting round. The great thing about doglegs is that you must make a decision about how you are going to handle them from the tee. Choose your line, bite off as much as you can chew or play safe. If you can draw and fade the ball it is a advantage but not necesasary to execute a good stategy.
I will try to attach a couple of pictures so you can see some of the beauty of this course. While not as photogenic as it's Muskoka cousins, I think this is the kind of course I could play every day and never get bored.
Number 10 is absolutely stunning, a long par 5 from an elevated tee. After a good drive your next decison is whether or not to go for the green in two. The green has water all around and looks small but is actually quite large and tilted to be receptive to the long iron or fairway wood.
McBroom built wonderful par 3's on this course and one of them is an optical illusion over a rock shelf. When you stand on the tee you can't believe the hole plays as long as the yardage on the card, but it does. Because of the rock ledge you cannot see all the grass between the tee and the green. Brilliant.
Overall a very enjoyable round of golf and I highly recommend it. As I recall the round was approx. $100.00 including cart. The course plays to go completely private when the memberships sell out, so it will only be available to the public for a while.
See website:
Wildfire Golf & Country Club (http://www.golfwildfire.com/)
No real clubhouse as yet but the temporary one is fine unless your plannig a wedding.
Sorry about the size of the pics, have no idea how to resize them.

[mikejb]

Okay, too much to quote.

I have played almost as many times in Collingwood as Muskoka, which is a tonne. So my opinion on Monterra was not a one off. I have played that course so many times and tried to enjoy it from beginning to end and have not been able to once.

Cranberry on the other hand, for the same price is much better of an experience.

I am very aware of all the course going in up north. I am waiting for the Oslerbrook Golf Club to open its first nine holes this summer and looking to get on too the Georgian Bay club also. There are many fantastic clubs up in Collingwood, but for the price, Monterra is not one of them.

[Big Shooter]

Reviving an older thread...and giving a BIG THUMBS-UP for Batteaux Creek!:)