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Course: Lakeridge Links
Date: Friday, 30th May, 2008

Weather: Light rain, 15C.

Tees used: White (6405 yards) Rating 71.4 Slope 125

Score Shot: 79

Tee time intervals: 9 minutes

Time taken: 3 hours, 55 minutes

The Course

Quality of service:
No complaints. I asked about the rain check policy, in case the rain got heavier and was told – up to 3 holes is a full refund, then up to 9 holes is 50% – that’s fair!
Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise:
Lakeridge Links is a good test of golf, with lots of variety. Some holes suit the big hitters and others demand a more strategic approach.
How the rock rolls:
Chipping and putting at Lakeridge is a severe test. Good putters will enjoy the challenge, but the less talented among us will struggle. You won’t find many straight putts here and be very careful if you’re above the hole because these greens are fast. The surfaces are similar to near neighbor Cherry Downs, without being as brutal – a well struck iron will hold the green.

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Conditioning:
For a low to medium budget course, I thought the golf course was in good condition. While there was nothing about the tees, fairways or bunkers that I could describe as pristine, everything was at a more than acceptable level. My only minor criticism would be that the cart paths were full of holes and badly in need of repair.

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Making the Cut:
I like the variety of Lakeridge Links. While many holes are tree lined and demand accuracy, there are also a few visually appealing tee shots that encourage the big hitters to have a go. I was impressed by the quality of the clubhouse, a modern, spacious facility that wouldn’t have been out of place at a more up market course.

Hacker’s Highlights:
I particularly liked the closing 5 holes. To comfortably reach the 14th, a right to left tee shot is required, leaving a medium iron approach over a ravine to a well protected green. Take the safe option off the tee and you’re looking at a daunting 200+ yard 2nd shot – it’s not surprising that this is rated the toughest hole on the golf course.
Find the fairway on 15 and you should be looking at a birdie opportunity, followed by a shortish, inviting par 5 – certainly within the reach of the longer hitters.
The 17th is a par 3 over water that demands a good golf shot and the 18th is a long, uphill par 4 to a treacherous green, where the priority is to stay below the hole. So there are plenty of opportunities to make or break your score in this particular closing stretch!

Hit To Your Pocketbook:
With the rising cost of gas, I’m sure I’m not alone in looking to save money on green fees. I took advantage of a twilight time deal, my round cost me 50 dollars, including cart. Also very surprised to receive a food voucher, which entitled me to a chicken and fries dinner at the end of the round, a real bonus as I was hungry by the time we finished!

Hacking Away: 133%
This was my first visit to Lakeridge Links but it certainly won’t be my last. Great twilight value at 36 dollars (walking) but I’m not so sure I’d be paying the weekend prime time fee of 70 dollars.

(Final rating is an indication of what the course is worth versus the green fee charged. According to the Hacker, a poor course could be worth less than the green fee charged, while a strong course that offers value might actually be underpriced.)

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Course: Wolf Run (Janetville,Ont)
Date: Wednesday, 11th June, 2008

Weather: About 22C, with a nice breeze – perfect for golf!

Tees used: White (6250 yards) Rating 69.8 Slope 124

Score Shot: 74

Tee time intervals: 9 minutes

Time taken: 3 hours, 40 minutes

The Course

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Quality of service:
Wolf Run has a small club, friendly feel to it. The two young guys in the pro shop were polite and attentive and the cart girl and marshal were equally pleasant as they did their rounds.
Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise:
Wolf Run is a fun golf course. There’s nothing too difficult about the place and as long as you’re not wild off the tee, there’s every chance to score well. Off the White tees, there’s only one par 4 over 400 yards so if you’re hitting your irons well, you should have quite a few birdie opportunities.

How the rock rolls:
The greens were medium paced and putted quite well. The surfaces were quite smooth and receptive – no really scary putts here, so feel free to attack the pin!

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Conditioning:
I thought the course was in fairly good condition. Everything was tidy and the first cut of rough was only a couple of inches high so there wasn’t a huge penalty for just missing a fairway.

Making the Cut:
This was a really enjoyable round of golf. It’s an easy walk, with no major elevation changes and no huge walks between greens and tees. The notice on the 1st tee suggests that a round should take 4 hours 30 minutes or less (which is ridiculous for such a compact course) but thankfully we only waited 3 or 4 times and were round comfortably in 3 hours 40 minutes. There are a few visually intimidating tee shots at Wolf Run, but usually there is more room than you think as the fairway opens up on one side or other, so a little local knowledge can be beneficial.
Hacker’s Highlights:
The opening hole is a tough slightly uphill par 5, measuring 574 yards so there’s no easy start here, indeed, it’s the no.1 stroke hole on the course.
The 8th is the only “Mickey Mouse” hole on the course. It’s a 240 yard par 4, severe dog leg to the left, with tall trees preventing a direct shot at the green. The only sensible option is a mid to short iron to the corner, then a wedge to the tricky green.
The 16th is my favourite hole, where an accurate tee shot is required to leave a short iron over water to the green. Too far left and you’re playing out of semi rough, miss the fairway on the right and you‘ll be blocked out by the trees.

Hit To Your Pocketbook:
Teeing off after 1pm, the green fee was $36 plus tax. Weekend prime time is $50 plus tax.

Hacking Away: 125%

I know Wolf Run is a bit out of the way, but it’s well worth the effort. Even a bottle of water from the beverage cart was only 75 cents, so there’s no rip off here, just a lot of friendly faces to make you feel welcome.

(Final rating is an indication of what the course is worth versus the green fee charged. According to the Hacker, a poor course could be worth less than the green fee charged, while a strong course that offers value might actually be underpriced.)

Course: Ironwood Golf Club, Exeter, Ont. (public)

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Date: Saturday, May 10th

Weather: Sunny & Clear 16 deg F with very little breeze

Green fees: $45 (inc. single cart rider fee & taxes.)

Tees used: Blue – 6179 yards (Whites are 5686)

Score Shot: 86

The Course

Called up as a single wanting to be paired. Got there around 1:20 in the afternoon and paid. One of the girls behind the counter took me out and introduced me to the group (nice touch). Welcomed warmly by a father out for a round with his two sons. A nicer group would be tough to find. This neck of cottage country is an area I frequent. Visitors come from all around as it is less than 40 min. from Masonville Mall in London to course, 20 min from sun & fun of Grand Bend. Originally a 9 hole designed by Dave Fergusson, a former assistant to Stanley Thompson. Those original holes opened in 1965. A redesign including adding 9 more holes occurred in 1990 by John F. Robinson.

Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise?: Ironwood is a relative short course playing only 6179 from the blues but with a respectable 120 slope. The fairways are generally separated by pine trees so some challenge comes from these as wayward shots will likely involve hacking out sideways. However straight hitters will find the fairways wide and receptive. The entire course is bordered by a beautiful conservation area complete with hiking trails. Cart riders can double check yardage in free Goflogix GPS units.

Consider the first hole and tee shot a driving range warm up. Yes there is a pond and trees to the left but the width of fairway is so wide and the hole so short (308 yards) that you can whale away.

If the first hole has loosened you up and left you all warm and fuzzy the 335 yard par 4 second hole will wake you up. Common lay ups will fall close to a crossing creek (at 225 yards) so remember when your going to lay up…lay up. It is the green though that challenges. It is a forbearer of the course and what’s to come. The greens are multi-leveled with undulations all over. Although fairly slow, 3 putts are a distinct challenge.

The third hole completes the warm up with a challenging par 4. Out of bounds for you slicers along the right, you need a good drive as a hilly creek crosses the fairway for your approach.

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A few holes later you are rewarded with a par 3 over a wide pond on the 7^th hole. By this point in the round I had moved to the white tees from the blues to match up with my playing partners (strictly for their convenience and not my rough game…sticking to that story). This change in tees took the hole down from my 3wd/driver territory 226 to hybrid/long iron range of 177 yards. The hole is slightly uphill so factor that in.

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This is quickly followed by the 8^th hole. My partners being regulars gave me some great course management advice. The hole goes over water that only those aqua phobic will worry about as it is only 50 yards to cross, but the hole dog legs left. The tree they aimed me at to cut the corner left me with a short iron in and an easy par.

A convenient phone with menu board ensured that some inexpensive yet tasty burgers & crispy onion rings awaited us at the turn. Food was ready to go but still hot so some care goes into the process. Other members enjoyed a small yet well positioned patio. How many of you have gone to a higher priced course that features an ornate patio with absolutely nothing of value to watch? Not here. You can choose to watch the 1^st hole tee shots or the incoming par 3 7^th hole shots (pay attention, may need to duck between sips!)

The 10^th opens up fairly benign which is nice since you need to loosen up again after a quick bite. The following 11^th hole requires you pay more attention again as accuracy is a necessity. There is an out of bounds farmer’s field on left, trees right and the green in distance appears as a tight ‘chute’.

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Throughout the round the cart girls were frequent visitors. No need to remain parched as they came often, remembered your favorite beverage and prices were very inexpensive. In keeping with the folksy atmosphere they wear a flowered protective pit helmet.

The 15^th hole is a par 3 completely surrounded by pine trees and although a huge green it is set up to scare slicers with not one, but two bunkers on the right side. From the whites it was 186 a reasonable challenge. From the blues at 214 even the course website acknowledges its difficult to hit. At a previous tourney they offered free beer and nachos to each of the 100 players who hit the green. Unfortunately for the tourney players (fortunate for the course) only fifteen of the players met the task.
How the Rock Rolls: Ironwood features average length fairways with above average size greens. Just making the green is not a reason to celebrate. You could be as much as 60 feet away and with the undulations and elevations, I found it very refreshing. The speed is a little on the slow side, but I was informed that in mid summer it quickens.

Conditioning: Tees were generally good although a little spotty. Fairways and greens were nice and green, crosscut clearly. Good this early in spring. Rough was generally thick. Balls had a definite habit of sitting down as the grass stands straight up. This leads to fat shots or fliers. There were nice touches of gardening and flowers. With the surrounding farmer’s fields and conservation grounds the only sounds were birds chirping and laughter from the easy going groups on bordering fairways..

Making the Cut: Ironwood is a very enjoyable course. Low handicappers should leave with a great score but will enjoy the multi leveled undulating greens. From the right tees there is enough bail out areas for the high handicapper to ensure they do not leave their round demoralized. I judge equivalent to $$$ spent. With these low prices my expectations were low but it was a surprisingly fun track.

Hacker’s Highlights: If you have played everything in London make the trek up. If you are spending time at your cottage in Grand Bend or camping at the pinery, drive down and enjoy the day. Â Hint: Have your mate meet you after the round and reward them with a bite in the nicely finished dining room, complete with stone fireplace. Menu and specials were surprisingly broad.

Overall Value: At $45 for a prime rate including cart I easily give Ironwood a 110% rating.

(Final rating is an indication of what the course is worth versus the green fee charged. According to the Hacker, a poor course could be worth less than the green fee charged, while a strong course that offers value might actually be underpriced.)

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Course: Kedron Dells

Date: Friday, 16th May, 2008

Weather: Cool to begin, with but a nice day to play golf

Tees used: White (6405 yards) Rating 71.4 Slope 125

Score Shot: 82

Tee time intervals: 9 minutes

Time taken: 3 hours, 35 minutes

The Course

Quality of service:
Pretty much as expected at a low budget golf course. The guy behind the desk was busy, dealing with cart rentals and swiping credit cards so there was no time for any small talk.

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Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise:
Kedron Dells is a very good test of golf. It’s ideally suited for long hitters, with three genuine par 5’s and three shorts holes that play in excess of 200 yards.

How the rock rolls:
The greens were very patchy. A few were quite good and okay to putt on but about half a dozen greens were awful – as hard as a rock with little or no grass. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a course where I’ve repaired a pitch mark on one green and seen a well struck pitching wedge run about 10 yards through the green on the following hole.

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Conditioning:
I know it’s still relatively early in the season, but this course is in a mess (see photo of the 11th green above). The tees were as scabby as anything I’ve ever seen and at least six of the greens weren’t much better. On the plus side, the fairways were okay and the bunkers were reasonably well maintained.

Making the Cut:
This was a hugely disappointing day. Kedron is an excellent layout with many demanding holes and plenty of variety. It’s a tough golf course and anyone playing to their handicap here has played very well. Hopefully, their green keeper can work some magic but at the moment, it’s a definite thumbs-down.

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Hacker’s Highlights:
A par 5 is a nice easy way to start, right? Not at Kedron, where the tree-lined opener plays every one of its 572 yards. Not much time it get going here, as holes 3, 4 & 5 are all demanding pars, with the 4th quite rightly being the no.1 stroke hole on the course. A long straight drive is required to have any chance of hitting the green and although the large pond on the right is well short of the green, I’m fairly sure a lot of hackers are very familiar with it.
One the back nine, holes 11 through 14 are equally difficult. In fact, the 232 yards 14th might be a little too tough for most hackers and the smart play would be to play short left and hope to pitch and putt to save par.
One disappointment is the rather tame 18th, a straight away par 3 of 148 yards. Nothing wrong with the hole, I just think that it’s reasonable to expect something more challenging to finish the round.

Hit To Your Pocketbook:
I walked, and paid 44 dollars.

Hacking Away: 90%
I fully expected to be reporting that Kedron Dells is one of the best value courses in the GTA, but sadly that’s not the case. Because I really like the layout, I’ll be generous and say the course is currently worth 40 bucks.

(Final rating is an indication of what the course is worth versus the green fee charged. According to the Hacker, a poor course could be worth less than the green fee charged, while a strong course that offers value might actually be underpriced.)