Several months ago, as the warm summer weather had just begun penetrating into Southern Ontario, I shared with you three of my favourite green-side indulgences. Now, as the impending winter chill threatens to swap golf cleats for ski boots, I bring you a selection of mid-priced courses in and around the GTA where duffers and pros alike can enjoy the last gasps of the Canadian golf season.
As always, prices noted are full-price premium tee-times. Particularly as the season winds down, there are great deals to be had on reduced-price green fees so be sure to ask the pro shop about special rates.
Pheasant Run ($89)
Pheasant Run consists of three separate 9-hole courses, allowing players to mix and match to form a complete round. On my visit I played my front nine on Midlands, closing out my round with a back nine on the Highlands course.
Both courses create challenging holes by carving narrow approaches along tall tree-lined fairways to greens that are often slightly elevated and protected by unforgiving bunkers.
If you’re a long ball hitter with decent control and nerves of steel, Midlands boasts two par 5s that will tempt you to go for the green in two — but will punish you mercilessly should you come up short. My one complaint is the consistent sideways slope of many of the fairways (particularly on the Midlands course). Even decent drives often suffer difficult second shots as the angled landing zone shepherds balls from the middle of the fairway down into the first cut of rough, leaving a tough angle to the hole.
Red Crest at Cardinal ($77)
Cardinal has long been the destination of choice for large corporate tournaments in the GTA. Boasting three complete 18-hole courses, the club has stepped up its game considerably with the introduction in 2009 of the championship Red Crest course.
Red Crest enjoys a distinctly upscale feel compared to its older cousins, boasting its own separate entrance complete with clubhouse and practice green. The course does, however, suffer from the absence of an on-site driving range — so pack a first-hole mulligan in your bag to account for the cold start.
Once you actually hit the course, prepare to be pleasantly surprised by well-groomed sand traps, varied fairways, an abundance of water and excellently maintained greens that far surpass what one might expect from a mid-priced course. Although some holes are stacked together tightly, allowing you to overhear curses from nearby tee-boxes, Red Crest offers a superb course that offers exceptional value.
The Masters at Lionhead ($112.50)
The Masters at Lionhead is considered to be the more forgiving of the club’s two courses, but you’d be hard-pressed to convince me of that after my round on a rainy day in September. Every course’s guidebook glibly advises you to be “accurate off the tee,” but the Masters really means it, presciently positioning fairway bunkers, ponds and rivers directly in line with my wayward drives.
Unlike so many courses that peak early, The Masters provides a thoroughly enjoyable round that improves with each hole, culminating in the remarkable par 5 16th. It plays only 440 yards from the whites to a dogleg fairway with a right-side green that is not visible from the tee box. The scorecard describes the green as being guarded by a “pond,” but it would be more accurate to refer to it as a “terror-inducing island”; only a narrow strip of land connects the green to the cart path. Even with a good high approach shot it is difficult to get the ball to sit down and grip the undulating grass. Keep an extra ball or two in your pocket and fire away.
The Club at Bond Head ($165)
Although now a member of the ClubLink family, Bond Head retains a semi-public status and, at least for the time being, still accepts public bookings when availability permits. Bond Head enjoys two full courses that offer radically different golf experiences.
The older North Course is a traditional layout relying on dramatic elevation changes, forested rough and punitive bunkers to create a significant challenge. The par 4 2nd hole encompasses everything that is so delightful about this course, starting out with a drive over badlands and requiring a steep uphill approach into a green imprisoned by seven separate sand traps. Keep your eyes peeled on #17 where on two separate occasions I have come across a red fox curling up beside my ball which inevitably has found it was into the right-side fairway bunker.
Bond Head’s South Course is evocative of classic links-style architecture boasting deep treacherous pot bunkers and lined with punishing golden fescue. The South really shines on its front nine where tall woodlands mingle with treacherous elevation changes and the occasional water hazard to create a visually stunning challenge. Sadly, though the back nine enjoys similar fescue and sand, it lacks the sweeping drama and visual pizzazz of the earlier nine holes.
As a frequent destination of my foursome, the club has matured for me much like a fine wine. My early preference for the unique drama of the South Course has tempered and faded while the design of the North Course has steadily increased its hold on my imagination. As with two of any good thing, I would urge you to solve the selection dilemma by trying both and coming to your own conclusions.
When not jetting around the world as his alter ego, The Crime Traveller, Edward Prutschi is a Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer. Follow Ed’s criminal law commentary (@prutschi) and The Crime Traveller’s adventures (@crimetraveller) on Twitter, read his Crime Traveller blog, or email ed@thecrimetraveller.com.