Fesuce, sand highlight Heathlands and Eagles Nest courses

By Gord Montgomery (iG)

In the third and final part of his golf in Ontario adventure series, Inside Golf’s Gord Montgomery heads back towards Toronto, again finding golfing gems all along the way. Two courses in particular were chosen, extremely different from each other but each offered a true test of creativity from all sorts of varying lies and troubles.

Central Counties Region

CALEDON/MAPLE, ON — To the east of Toronto lays Osprey Valley, a spot where renowned Canadian architect Doug Carrick crafted some of his finest work in setting down three 18-hole playgrounds, the Heathlands along with Hoot and Toot.

The non-rhyming playground, Heathlands, was the one chosen to play and for good reason: Driving into the property, located in Caledon, several holes parallel the roadway and the images of good ol’ fashioned Scottish links-style golf pop into your mind. The fescue grasses are deep and wave a friendly “hello” as you pass by, likely knowing you’re going to get up close and friendly with a few of them before the day is over. Meanwhile, the pot bunkers sit there quietly, not wanting to ruin the surprises they hold in store.

Pot bunkers play a huge part of the game at Heathlands, where a lie like this while uncommon, is certainly a possibility on just about every approach shot that doesn't fly quite far enough.

The starting hole on Heathlands is a perfect example of what’s ahead: rolling terrain, that fescue, deep, deep, deep pot bunkering, and large, rolling greens. A par 5, its a demanding 538 yards from the blue tees and every one of those steps is well earned. Top that off with an elevated green protected by a few of those pot bunkers, where sometimes hitting backwards is the only shot available, and a par here is a great start to a more than interesting day.

Not overly long, the course plays to slightly more than 6,400 yards from the blue tees (under 6,100 from the white) and while neither of those measurements sound overwhelming, they can be if you’re game isn’t up to par out here.

Robert McClure, the director of golf at Osprey Valley, agreed that you need to be ready for the demands Heathlands asks of your game. “You’ve got to keep it on the short grass,” he stated simply about taming this beast.

One thing that people need to keep in mind when playing here, he added, is that a variety of shots can and should be used to score well.

“You can use the bump-and-run on many holes,” to take away the difficulty of trying to fly those massive sandpits that await a mishit shot and to add to the authenticity of playing a course that pays tribute to its Scottish ancestors.

As for the other two offerings here, they both play longer than their sister with the Hoot at 6,800 off the blue tees and Toot at about 100 yards shorter. The difference is, they don’t swallow up stray shots like Heathlands with its tangly fescue. Rather, the Hoot bares its teeth with waste bunkering throughout while Toot is a more placid parkland style featuring wide fairways and rolling terrain.

In all, Osprey Valley is a great threesome, looking for you to make up a foursome that is the hunt for a variety of challenges all in one spot.

The final stop was in Maple, where another Doug Carrick design, Eagles Nest, awaited. This is a gorgeous facility right from the magnificent clubhouse out to the playing area. And what a playpen it is. Topping out at almost 7,500 yards, it is more than advisable to start each hole from the correct distance. And if you find yourself overwhelmed by distance, move up to ensure you enjoy the round here as much as you should.

The opening hole, a par 5 running at 500 yards off the white tees (playing to a total yardage of 6,225), is a jaw-dropper given the narrow landing areas that are flanked by native grasses and protected with huge bunkers in the middle of the fairway.

Simply put, this is a course where you need to keep your wits about you because if you get frustrated with an off-line shot the day can get awfully long really quickly. Ranked as the 28th best track in the country, this is another of those Ontario layout that is challenging, but fun.

There is no denying that of all the holes on this trip around Ontario, this one from the 3rd tee box at Eagles Nest was one of the most jaw-dropping sights there was.

This is another course where the holes never repeat themselves and there are no up-and-back scenarios although there are a lot of ups and downs thanks to wonderful elevation changes throughout. A perfect example of that is the 6th hole, known as “dinna router” (Don’t Mess About) an uphill par 4 that is less than 300 yards. However, miss the fairway on this uphill hole and you’re in big trouble with trees, hillocks, sand and all other sorts of nasties in  your way. A fun risk/reward hole where you don’t feel too badly making bogey if you miss your tee or approach shot.

The eighth hole, a par 3 of 122 yards is well guarded front and left by huge bunkers below the green but that isn’t the main characteristic here. This hole is actually more memorable for its camera shot rather than its tee shot, as you overlook the skyline of Toronto from the elevated teeing area.

Eagles Nest is another course that makes heading east a great idea because the golf here in Ontario, especially in the cool fall weather, is a drive well taken.

More information on Heathlands, Hoot and Toot is available online at ospreyvalley.com while more on Eagles Nest can be found on their website at eaglesnestgolf.com.

About the writer: Gord Montgomery is a retired sports editor of two weekly newspapers in the Edmonton area and is a member of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his ninth year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at noraltagolf@gmail.com. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf and on Instagram at gordinsidegolf2.

Black Bear Ridge bares its teeth in Canada's Top 100

By Gord Montgomery (iG)

Belleville, ON — In the second part of his series on golf in Ontario, Inside Golf writer Gord Montgomery travelled east past Toronto to the community of Belleville, where he found a wonderful surprise awaiting him — Black Bear Ridge.

The fall coulours are outstanding at Black Bear.

The Great Waterway Region

This area is known not only for its great golf facilities, but also to a secondary hobby of many golfers, great fishing. Trophy walleye can be found on the Bay of Quinte in spring and fall and awesome trout and salmon fishing in the summer.

This trip though was about golf and we got more than our fill of that at our single stop in the Great Waterway Region at Black Bear Ridge. Situated mere minutes outside of Belleville, the natural beauty starts as soon as you walk up to the clubhouse. From there you can see the stunning downhill tee shot required on No. 1 and the beautiful uphill approach shot needed on the final test of the day.

While the beauty of this area was stunning what was even better were the course conditions. Even though we played here in early October the fairway and greens grasses were second to none making one think it was July 15th rather than October 5th.

The course’s longtime head professional, Bill Kerr Jr., a third generation golf pro whose grandfather teed it up in The Masters back in the day, said a lot of pride and professionalism goes into maintaining the standards of this beautiful facility.

“It’s a parkland style with a bit of a feel of a Muskoka golf course,” he began. “They didn’t move a lot of earth when they built this golf course. They used the land that was here.”

And they used it well. From the stunningly beautiful tee shot that starts your day off on this assignment that measures just over 6,700 yards from the blue tees and 6,300 from the whites, you’re challenged to a variety of shots to test your skill. The tree lined fairways add to the accuracy quotient out here while greens with false fronts and well placed bunkering add even more to that equation.

The course changes somewhat from front to back, where the fairways are more open but there are more elevation changes than you see on the front. A great design feature here is that no two holes are the same, especially the par 4s, where the 8th green invites the big hitter to go for broke in clearing a water hazard seeking the green at “only” 289 yards from the white tees.

Black Bear Ridge GC is most certainly one you’ll want to put on your itinerary because it’s a wonderful play. Making the list of Canada’s Top 100 at No. 68 hasn’t been a bad thing at all, Kerr noted, saying it helps draw visitors from far and wide in to have a look at why this particular course is among this country’s elite playgrounds.

“”When we first opened 90 per cent of our play was local but now that’s down to about 50 per cent,” as those from outside the Belleville area find out about one of Ontario’s great golf getaway spots. “This golf course can stand on its own. There are quite a few good golf courses around,” and Black Bear Ridge certainly fits easily into that category.

For more on this great course with its phenomenal turf conditions, go to their website at blackbearridge.ca. Their toll free phone number is 1-866-811-BEAR.

The closing hole at this great track is a stern test, running uphill with a hazard guarding the fairway.

About the writer: Gord Montgomery is a retired sports editor of two weekly newspapers in the Edmonton area and is a member of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his eighth year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at noraltagolf@gmail.com. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf and Instagram at gordinsidegolf2.

Cobble Beach, Cranberry Resort two great Ontario golfing tests

By Gord Montgomery

Owen Sound, ON — If you think the driving in Ontario in the fall is spectacular given the rainbow collage of colours of the changing leaves .. you’ll find the chipping and putting isn’t too bad either. And with over 80 courses in the BruceGreySimcoe area alone, there’s lots to discover about your game and the beauty of the area.

In all, Canada’s largest province has an overwhelming number of golf courses to choose from to test your skills - over 800 - ranging from the small mom-and-pop 9-hole venues to private 18-hole assignments to a memorable and challenging 54-hole public track.

While it’s hard to get a feel for everything this great golfing market has to offer, Inside Golf took a swing at it. Over five days in early October they travelled through three tourism areas and drove hundreds of kilometres to offer you a smorgasbord of delicious tracks. Of the five courses played, four of them landed in the recent Top 100 in Canada. Following, to begin this journey, is the first of a three-part series detailing this golfing destination.

The BruceGreySimcoe Region

The first tee shot came at the spectacular Cobble Beach Golf Links, just minutes north of Owen Sound. Set hard on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, a place often referred to as the “Sixth Great Lake,” this golf course and its water body backdrop are eye-candy.

The course opens its arms in a warm embrace to visitors on the front nine before suddenly squeezing them in a bear hug so tight on the inward nine you can hardly breathe.

“It is a little tighter on the back nine,” head pro Warren Thomas understated about his track that landed at No. 62 on Canada’s Top 100 courses. “It is a little easier at the start. You’re free and easy off the tee … then you get to the back nine,” where you find tee shots become tougher with narrower landing areas.

With the clubhouse int he distance, and Georgian Bay beyond that, the scenery at Cobble Beach Golf Links is as good as the golf course itself.

Then, to top all that off, there’s the putting surfaces that add to the challenge, the host pro added. “The greens are definitely the main characteristic here though. The chipping and the putting are the hard parts of Cobble.”

Playing to a far-reaching 7,179 from the tips this is a big course and since it’s playing at only 182m above sea level, for us Westerners that distance is magnified due the lack of altitude. If you aren’t up to that lengthy challenge, the other tees range from 5,100 to just under 6,700 yards. This layout has well defined fairways but be warned: they are littered with large, steep-faced bunkers to add even more adversity, and beauty, to this course.

In lending a word of advice - which maybe for me came too late - Thomas offers this wisdom, “I would say hit it a little closer than outside of 40 feet (to the pin). If you’re 40, 50 feet, you’re going to be 3-putting all day!” and even though the scenery is spectacular, 3-jacking a green is anything but.

Next on the tee was the Cranberry Golf Course set right in the community of Collingwood. While this track may look somewhat vanilla from the outset don’t let that appearance lull you into a false sense of security - this is a difficult challenge.

Playing to 6,600 yards off the back blocks one would think it would be easy to overpower the course but that’s far from true. The first three holes, all par 4s, remind you quickly of that as the shortest of them is 375 yards off the blue tees. Followed by holes of 410 and 408 yards there is nothing easy about the opening trio especially since trees creep in upon you as they guard the fairways and the rough is thick.

And to top that off, it doesn’t really get any easier from there on in.

There are a couple of memorable holes here, including the ninth, a 386 yard test that has a massive waste bunker stretching across the fairway that definitely comes into play on the tee shot. While a strong drive can carry you over that hazard, it’s likely a wiser decision to lay up in front and hit a longer iron or hybrid into the large green.

The most memorable hole at Cranberry Resort, and there were a few of them, had to be the 16th, a tough test that requires accuracy off the tee as well as all your following shots to a green that is well protected by a pond and tall native grasses.

Another wonderful hole here is the 16th, a par 4/5 that plays to 431 yards but there is a very good reason for that rating - hazards. And more hazards. There is water. There is sand. There are trees. There is that rough. And top that all off with a green tucked behind a pond full of reeds, mayhem is never far away on this assignment. So all of a sudden,  what appeared to be a God-send hole becomes a tougher than expected task.

So while this may not be the course one dreams of playing given its initial appearance it does wake you up in a hurry with its challenges.

For more on Cobble Beach, head to their website at cobblebeach.com and for Cranberry Golf Course at cranberrygolf.com.

About the writer: Gord Montgomery is a retired sports editor of two weekly newspapers in the Edmonton area and is a member of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his ninth year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at noraltagolf@gmail.com. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf and Instagram at gordinsidegolf2.