I took a triple on hole 9 at Mad, but I still don’t think there’s a bad hole out there. I was on cloud nine the whole time. @baberuth it’s definitely not wide, but I didn’t think it was as tight as everyone made it sound, especially once I remembered how to hit a driver on the backside.
Hole 17 at Copetown was my Snapchat story hole lol, thought it was great.
Hole 18 is kind of stupid but really could be worse. I was 100 out in the fairway and couldn’t have been more pissed at myself when I chunked my wedge about 75 yards lol.
Comparing Copetown to Mad is like comparing apples to oranges though. Not in the same ballpark or even close to it lol.
Side note, and I will probably get flak for this, Colin might not invite me back, but 10 and 11 at Mad are very meh. I can see why SVG doesn’t like 9 as well. It is a layup hole off the tee but those sometimes just fit into the routing that way. Is what it is.
Other than that the course is very excellent. The Mad Mile might be the best or close to the best 3 hole stretch of golf in Ontario (at least that I have played). Gotta try the back tees on 16 and 17 next time I am there.
@alhunter I hope you guys are readers… I am not always the best at summarizing & fear my entire “trip review” could end up being quite lengthy😂
First and foremost I do need to say it’s hard to rate 11 courses that I’ve only played 1 time & I enjoyed the hell out of all of them. I’ll do my best!
I didn’t mind 18, maybe because I was so pissed at the bounce on 17.
I particularly enjoyed 2, I hit my best drive all summer down the left, just off into the fescue, but got a beauty flier lie. 7I 15ft from the pin for a 2 putt par.
3 and 12 were fun as well, 12 I hit my drive into 3 fairway and had a nice little blind wedge shot into the green.
A bit late to reply here, but the more I play Tarandowah the tougher I find it. You stand on every tee thinking ‘this is pretty straightforward’, then walk away with a bogey or double (or worse). There really aren’t many, if any, easy holes out there.
Then the sixth at Paintbrush.
Good drive.
180 to green.
Nice easy five iron in.
Wind blowing left to right.
Green breaks left to right.
I hit a fade 90 per cent of the time.
Line up…swing…hit it well…starts left as always…waiting for fade…
No fade…goes straight…into six foot high fescue.
Unplayable.
I’ve been debating the best way to do this… decided I’ll give a synopsis of each course in the order that I played them, then give a rankings based on what I thought of the course. I’ll run through what stuck out to me from each course, but of the 198 golf holes that I saw within 7 days I can only remember so much. That’s why I want to emphasize again how hard it will be to rate these, and that I enjoyed the shit out of all of them. I’m a 14 handicap so keep that in mind as well.
Without further ado, here is a run through of my golf trip to Ontario:
Sunday, July 3rd:
Roseland Golf & Curling Club (Donald Ross, 1926)
Rosie was a treat. I went with 3 FCF members (@JDGAFFLIN, @Brentdtw, @eatonsb) & I think we were all in agreement that a crossover event needs to happen between our roosts here & Rackham in Detroit. We have 2 Ross muni’s within almost 30 minutes of each other, it would be cool to have a combo event between the courses.
I don’t have a ton to say about the course, but if it was my local muni I would play it no less than twice a month (I don’t frequent the same courses very often). It was tighter off the tee than Rackham, but the greens didn’t seem as penal. There was enough slope to make you think, but nothing insane. For a flat piece of property it was a fun course to play & a very easy walk. Only downside was I heard “FOUR” more times that day than the rest of this year combined probably & even saw a tee ball smoke someone’s windshield… That place was a bomb zone. The rates were great & I plan to visit once per year going forward.
Monday, July 4th
Tarandowah Golfers Club (Martin Hawtree, 2006)
Since Tarandowah is the home of the Duck Club, I already made some comments about it in a prior post:
I will again emphasize how much fun I had here though, and how badly I want another crack at it. Going in July had to be as close to true links as possible because that place was CONCRETE! I seriously laughed at each ball I watched bounce off the green & really want to try hitting 3 wood/5 iron/7 iron punch shots into greens instead of full swing irons since I can’t spin the ball anyway. My real complaint is that all the par 3’s are the same 160-190ish length. I really wish they had a proper penal short 125ish yard hole, a 150 yard hole, and then longer distances for the other two. Maybe it’s just because 170-190 is my worst yardage, but some variance there would be appreciated when I’m playing 2 teeboxes in from the tips. It was a delightful walk though, I teed off at 7:30 and was done before 11. Can’t imagine carting here unless I was hurting!
Whistle Bear Golf Club (John Robinson, 2001) (P)
Whistle Bear was a very nice course that I’m happy to be able to say I’ve tried to play. I was feeling fine after Tarandowah, but I completely forgot how to drive the ball to start this round & as a result I shot my highest 9 hole score of the year (53). I felt better about the back nine 44, but my poor play may have faded my memories of the holes here. For the most part I remember a fairly undulating piece of land that is higher than the surrounding area, giving it the nickname Windy Bear as well. Lots of big waste bunkers that are larger than they need to be, but still a fun course overall. The closing few holes were some of the best on the property & the clubhouse is awesome too. Not a tough walk by any means either, my legs held up for another 18.
Tuesday, July 5th
The Nest Golf Club (Doug Carrick, 2018)
The Nest was my introduction to Doug Carrick, but it was a soggy one. I got absolutely dumped on for the front 9, caught a break for 5-6 holes on the back nine, and then got dumped on for the last little bit before getting out of there. Truthfully, I really enjoyed the course & would love to play it again on a more normal conditions day. I loved all the bunker complexes & my favorite thing was how there was no tall grass surrounding them either. All of the bunkers met up with the fairways & there was not a bunch of rough protecting them. I think it would be a walkable course, but since it was pouring rain I took a cart and got done in 2 hours & 40 minutes. I loved hole 2 the par 3 & there were some great holes out there, but some forgettable ones as well. Someday when I come back to play in the Muskoka region I would love to slide this one in again as it seems like a really fun resort course.
Mad River Golf Club (Bob Cupp, 1991) (P)
I think you guys already have an idea for my feelings of Mad River, but I’ll remind you just in case. There’s a chance I enjoyed this course more than I should have, but Mad was the highlight of my trip. I was on cloud nine the entire time out there & felt lucky just to be able to play the course. Hole 6 is a riot & I’m so lucky it rained earlier that day because my ball should not have held where it did and allowed me to make a fairly easy par. I tripled hole 9, but I still don’t think it’s that bad of a hole; just hit a drive on the fairway, carry your second shot 150-180 yards, and putt for birdie. It’s simple! (/s)
I found the back nine even more enjoyable than the front nine, but that might be because I played better on the back nine also. The real reason is because it’s 3 par 3’s, 3 par 4’s, and 3 par 5’s + the Mad Mile which is a riot. The course is designed to feel tight & get in your head, but it’s really not that bad off the tee as long as you aren’t duck-hooking your drives. The true fun is around the greens, where they’re often shaved much further back than the average course & allows for many interesting short game shots.
I had such a fun day & found so many fun shots on that course. My struggle with private golf (outside of the cost) is that I love to travel & see different courses & often don’t play the same course over and over again. However, Mad River is a place where I think I would have so much fun that I would have no issue playing 80% of my rounds there. Again, maybe it’s just because I birdied 13 and had a nice stretch of golf on the back nine, but Mad River is up there for my all-time favorite courses I’ve played.
Arcadia Bluffs, Tobacco Road, Mad River could actually be my new top 3… I wish I could fully explain it, but I just had such a good time out there & loved the vibe of the club. There aren’t houses on the course, the membership is small, and they all just care about golf. It’s a thing of beauty out there…
Not an easy walk, but I’m still glad we walked it even if I had pants on from the prior rain… Lots of undulation everywhere!
Wednesday, July 6th
Glen Abbey Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus, 1976)
The Abbey was pretty much exactly what I expected, an enjoyable golf course that is entirely too much money. The course itself was fun, I can’t complain about much other than 14 green which was in horrible shape and literally in the middle of being pressure soaked. Somehow I got lucky and chipped in for a sleezy par, but watching my playing partners balls roll 1/5 the normal pace on a $200 course was cool. Hole 11 stands out the most & it was really cool to stand near the bunker on 18 and think about that shot Tiger hit. They said someone stole the plaque (twice) so they aren’t replacing it… Do you guys not have stakes over there?
Non-golf related, what a joke. I had no idea where to go when I got there, they weren’t overly hospitable, no GPS in the carts, & no free goodies that you might expect from such an expensive course. I figured ClubCorp just shot the rates up when the city made them keep the course, but wow they really don’t give a damn. If I had paid the $100 GolfNow rate I saw the day before I might feel differently, but there was nothing to justify the price tag other than “we’ve hosted Canadian Opens and Tiger Woods hit a cool golf shot here!”
Still really glad I went. Again, I enjoyed the course. I stuffed a wedge to 6-7ft on hole 3 and missed the birdie putt & I will sadly never forget that though. Hole 17 was effing sick with all the bunkers & insane green shape + I thought all the par 3’s were fun, 15 is a sneaky good hole.
Thursday, July 7th
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley - Hoot (Doug Carrick, 2001)
As someone who is obsessed with Tobacco Road, Carrick did a great job recreating the feel of Carolina golf. The trees are obviously different, but you can tell what he was going for. One of the best shots of my trip came on hole 13, where I decided to get out the 3 wood and carry all of the water. My pitch mark was within 5 feet from the hole and my ball ended up on the back fringe/rough, where I was able to 3 wood bump one close and convert the birdie for my 2nd bird in 3 holes. My back 9 was the ultimate 14HCP golf as I went bog, bird, bog, bird, bog, par, triple, par, double to close.
Hole 18 may be the worst I played on my trip, though. I hit a drive right down what I thought was the money line, found myself in the right side rough behind some trees, and said “fuck it, I don’t deserve to have to punch” and I decided to try and hit a fade around the trees that nailed them and went in the water. I’m not a “bad golf hole” person very often, but damn that hole was stupid. You have to carry as much water as possible just for a look at the green in regulation. Other than that, I enjoyed the course a lot & thought the other 17 holes were very good. The waterfall on 17 is fine if anyone wants to argue that haha.
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley - Heathlands (Doug Carrick, 1991)
Playing Tarandowah before Heathlands was a mistake, had I not, I would probably think higher of Heathlands. It was by no means a bad course, but it was imitation links, not links. The fairways and greens are the same as Hoot and Toot & it does not play firm and fast at all. They have shaggy rough surrounding fairway bunkers & while that will probably play tougher for the tournament there this month, it still isn’t links. Make the bunkers penal.
Without sounding like more of an ass than I already have, I did enjoy the course still. The holes were fun to play, I just wish it was more links-like than what it played in the middle of July when there has been no rain. The holes don’t stick out in my mind as well as the Hoot, but it was definitely still fun to play.
Both courses were easy to walk as well, not many TPC courses you can say that for.
Friday, July 8th
Rockway Golf Course (Stanley Thompson, 1935)
Like Windsor, Kitchener is spoiled. For a muni, this course was in awesome shape & was so fun to play. I think they need to re-grade the course because a 65.0 from the tips or whatever it was didn’t seem right to me, it played no easier than a normal course! Maybe it’s because I’m not even close to scratch, but it was no cake walk. Crossing the road to holes 4-6 or 7 was neat, but a pedestrian bridge would go a long ways there lol.
Also, did Stanley get to the back 9 and go “Shit! I forgot the par 5’s!” or what? The closing 5,3,5,3,5,4, stretch is super fun, but the 9/12 holes before them being par 4’s is a bit dull. Regardless, I’m really happy to cross a Stanley Thompson course off & look forward to trying to find more. I’ve been tipped off that Ohio has a few public tracks near Cleveland that I need to check out…
Copetown Woods (Dick Kirkpatrick, 2003)
Copetown was fun, I thought playing through the power lines all day was entertaining & actually made for some good photos. We played with a 75 year old man who played the same tee box we did and only drove the ball about 10-25 yards less than I did & could still almost go for some par 5’s in two. Serious life goals!!
I think I had high expectations for Copetown because while it was by no means a bad course, I didn’t feel much after the round compared to my others. The course was in awesome shape, especially for the price, but it just didn’t seem that interesting to me. I loved hole 17 and wished I could have stuck that green. On 18 I was 100 yards out on the right side fairway and chunked the shit out of the ball to leave myself a disappointing 2 putt bogey… Maybe that taste in my mouth was why I didn’t feel a whole lot after Copetown too. Either way, I’m happy I stopped by and checked this place out. If I leaved nearby I would definitely frequent the course as it’s a great value play.
Saturday, July 9th
Deer Ridge Golf Club (Thomas McBroom, 1990) (P)
When I looked at the Google Earth layout for Deer Ridge, I expected to be playing alongside the river all day & while that isn’t false, you would never know it’s there. Being a true out and back course was cool, I’ve only played a handful of them, but I’ve always thought it was cool. A round is 18 holes so don’t ask to tee off on 10 & don’t expect to stop and slow everyone up at the turn, there isn’t one. The course itself was awesome. As Drew would say, “Deer Ridge doesn’t get the rankings credit because it doesn’t have an ocean, or lake, or mountain range” but it doesn’t need that. It’s got a good amount of elevation change, some awesome par 3’s, and fun par 5’s. I was 1 yard short of clearing the shit on 18 and found my ball just in.
The highlight of my round (and putt of my trip) came on the par 3 hole 6. I landed my shot on the back left side of the green, but had a right side pin. I left myself a 35-40 footer that went uphill, downhill, and hard to the right. My last words were “I’ll be happier than a clam if I can 2 putt this bitch” and from there I watched that thing go on the perfect line at the perfect pace and hit the stick dead nuts. After missing a 10 footer for birdie on the par 3 4th, I could not believe my eyes. The par 3 16th was also such an awesome hole, part of me wishes I ripped 3 wood or driver from the tips after our round when we were up there, but c’est la vie. I ended my trip by blasting a 20 foot birdie putt 8 feet by and making the comebacker to go home with a par. It was such a relief to go out on a good note & I couldn’t have asked for a better time!
COURSE RANKINGS
1.) Mad River
2.) Tarandowah
3.) TPC Toronto - Hoot
4.) Deer Ridge
5.) The Nest
6.) Glen Abbey
7.) Whistle Bear
8.) Roseland
9.) TPC Toronto - Heathlands
10.) Rockway
11.) Copetown Woods
In reality, these are all really close together. Mad admittedly stands far above the rest, but 2-7 were all awesome courses that I would love to play again. Roseland and Rockway are great munis, and Heathlands and Copetown were both good courses that just didn’t do a ton for me.
Overall, I had an AMAZING time. I had no idea what to expect hitting the road by myself in a foreign country for a week to go meet up with a bunch of strangers, but damn did I have a great time. The Refuge really is an amazing site, everyone I met was so cool & I had such a great time, + everyone that helped with their kind words and messages on here were so awesome too. I ended up walking 146 holes and riding 54 (Nest, Abbey, Copetown). Legs held up pretty nice!
Special shoutouts @alhunter, @tniloc, @noslenod, @Freedom35@bcorbs, & @jimmay for coming out and tagging along! You guys made this trip for me. Golf isn’t about how well I shoot, how many birdies I make, or how far my drives go. It’s about meeting people, hearing their stories, where they’ve traveled, & what their outlook on life is. Because of you all I had an amazing time & you give me hope about doing many more things like this in the future!
I really want to come back and do the Muskoka region… I have no idea when that will be, but I do know one thing…
I am not surprised at the Glen Abbey post. Place has gone downhill.
Thought the reviews of the courses at Osprey were a little less fair. I think the North (ie the Toot), the Hoot and the Heathlands are all very good courses at a fair price. I particularly like the Heathlands. I like the various humps and bumps and the long grasses. I dont see it as trying to be a “links course” since there are no links courses in Ontario or anywhere else in Canada outside Cabot, and even Cabot is more of a clifftop.
The three Osprey courses can be played in rotation week in week out without getting repetitive. Some very very good holes out there.
