First look: Piper’s Heath Golf Club
By Jeff Lancaster
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I had the opportunity to play the eagerly anticipated new Piper’s Heath Golf Club  in Milton this morning in advance of its official opening this weekend. Designed by noted Canadian architect Graham Cooke – Piper’s Heath is a faux-links style course with tight fairways, extensivebunkering and fescue lined fairways as you can see from the 3rd hole (above). The course is built of relatively flat ground (and is open to the wind) with very little water, but environmentally sensitive scrub areas abound throughout the property.
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Cooke has used an interesting ‘steeply-sloped’ bunkering style throughout the course that uses a consistent angled-shape around many of the bunkers around the course. See example from the 1st hole above. It’s a different look using this angled approach rather than something a little bit more flowing, but it seems to work well in the context of this design.
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One of the more interesting holes is the 14th hole (above). The risk/reward tee shot tempts the better player to try to cut the corner to set up a shorter approach to the elevated green. But one thing I thought was odd was the front-to-back sloping green (see below) that was not very receptive to approach shots. Overcooked balls will wind up in a collection area behind the green – but the collection area has long rough between it and the green – rather than it being closely mown all the way to the green edge, which cuts down on the options you are left with to get your ball on the green.
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As with any brand-new course the course will need time to grow in – a few fairways were still a little rough, but in general the green sites were in very good shape (as were the bunkers). You can also an example below of the 13th hole (below)which still will need some time to mature.
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All in all Piper’s Heath should grow into quite a fun course as it matures, and if rates stay reasonable (green fee is above $70 plus cart at current) it will be a welcome addition to the local course rotation.
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August 14th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Golf with cart, at over $100.00, is too much for a course this young and, in spots, quite immature. There is free pickup from the car park to the pro shop. Didn’t happen to us. We walked in. There is free transportation from the pro shop back to the parking lot. Didn’t happen to us. We walked out. Very sparse around some greens. Some holes had not been moved for several days as grass was growing down into the hole. Lots of fairways needed to grow in. Fills a void in the area. Try driving one hour and you’ll get better value and more mature courses.
Will be a nice test in the future. Right now it is overpriced and not in as great shape as some would have you believe.
TOO MUCH MONEY FOR THE CONDITION IT IS IN.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Its a golf course. Its close. Nothing spectacular but has potential in time to be a nice local track. Worth about $60.00 w/cart. Not $100. The only benefit to a higher price is that with there being so few public courses in the area, the high ticket might keep away hackers which would hopefully translate to quicker play
September 16th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Played there once – front 9 took 2 hrs 50mins, for a 2 ball of decent golfers starting at 2pm. So much for quicker golf….
We went back out on the front 9 and did it in 1 hr 25 with no other players on the course.
So can’t comment on back 9, but front will be interesting once it grows. Some very poor fairways, and a couple of average greens. Not worth $100, but they are trying the extra touches of pick up in the car park etc.
Playing again tomorrow…