“Northern Ontario is very unique and the courses that expose or accentuate the Canadian Shield are truly unique in Golf. The courses around the Muskoka’s are quite different from anything else I have seen.” – Ian Andrew Cutten Fields, 13th and 16th holes under construction. Photo provided by Jeff Mingay.
So what makes a golf course fun, but challenging? Carrick explains that designing a variety of shots, length of holes, use of clubs, hole orientation, and visual patterning make a golf course memorable. Incorporating enough flexibility provides a meaningful challenge to the most skilled golfers and provide the average golfer an enjoyable experience and appropriate level of challenge. For Fraser and Andrew they feel that a course that incorporates a choose-your-own-adventure approach to design can elevate the fun while presenting new challenges. Fraser shares, “A course that offers
the player various possible strategies and routings to get to the pin often captures the interest of the most types of players. This allows them to test both the ground and the air game and challenge the player to make a decision, invite players to be strategic and harness their mind game and course management techniques.” Although Ontario isn’t the home to the oldest club in Canada, that honor goes to the Royal Montreal GC (1873), “Ontario, specifically Toronto, could easily be argued to be the cradle of Canadian Golf,” says Cutten. Golf course architecture in Ontario was born in 1876,
What are your favourite hidden gem courses in Ontario?
Keith Cutten
Christine Fraser
Doug Carrick
Jeff Mingay
Ian Andrew
“ There are so many hidden gem golf courses in Ontario. Having grown up on Ontario’s public golf courses, my fondness always resides with public golf. Strategic but affordable layouts are really the key to growing the game. One of my favorite examples of this is Tarandowah Golfers Club in Springfield.” – Keith Cutten
“ Donald Ross’ Roseland municipal in Windsor is really good. And, most golfers in Ontario probably don’t know about. Lakeview, across the road from The Toronto Golf Club, is really cool too. I also nominate Cherry Hill in Fort Erie. The great Walter Travis worked some magic with that flat piece of ground.” – Jeff Mingay
“ My favourite hidden gem is Tarandowah Golfers Club, in Springfield, Ontario.” – Christine Fraser
“ Norfolk G&CC. The best 9 hole course that few have ever heard of or seen, and Kawartha G&CC. It should be far better known in Canada” – Ian Andrew
“ Cataraqui, Midland, Craigowan, Beverly.” – Doug Carrick.
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