Week 1: Emerald Links Golf & Country Club (Ottawa, Ontario)

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Photo: No. 7 West at Emerald Links

The Details: Emerald Links Golf & Country Club (Manotic, Ontario)

Date: May 1, 2008

Weather: Overcast and a bit cool and calm.

Green Fees: $48.00 regular $54 weekends, reduced rates starting at 2 P.M.

Tees used: Blue, 6425 yards.

Score shot: A consistent 76 with no birdies.

The Course

Emerald Links Golf & Country Club golf club is located about 35 minutes from downtown Ottawa. I took advantage of their twilight special. Golf is relatively inexpensive in the Ottawa area compared to the GTA and Emerald Links is considered on the high-end of green fees as far as Ottawa courses go.
I was excited to open up my season on one of the area’s best condition courses. The course, a 27-hole facility, is located in an estate-type housing development and quite pleasing to the eye as you drive in. An understated but functional clubhouse greets you as you walk in. The course developed in 1990 and designed by architect Graham Cooke looks inviting, and I arrived a little early for my 2:03 pm entered the proshop, received excellent service got some range balls and headed out to warm up.

A bent grass driving range with some decent targets I was shocked! I have not found many good practice facilities in Ottawa so far. The practice area also includes a large putting green and chipping green.

II was playing the South / West combination, and I had been told it was Emerald’ s best combination, so I was pleased. I arrived to a deserted tee, waited a few moments and decided to tee off. Half way up the first hole the course marshal greeted me and he suggested I would catch a single on the next hole in no time. So after an opening par on the par 5 first, I met my playing companion for the rest of the round, a visitor from the Niagara Falls region. Nice fellow and was also playing the back tee, so a good match for both of us.
I met the Marshal three times through out the round and the beverage cart was out on the course with friendly staff.

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Photo: No. 3 at Emerald Links South

Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise? : Emerald Links is a well-designed bent grass facility. It features a medium length parkland style golf course with interesting holes that include many hidden ponds; the landing areas are generous from the tee, even though visually the holes seem tight. From the back tees, this course is a decent test of golf. The course was a bit damp, but quite playable, and I am told that the course is kept in a lush type condition through out the season and not to expect much roll. It played to exactly to these early reports.

The south nine features more water than the west and the best hole on the south, in my opinion was the 3rd a 186 yard par-3 over water a good hole and very pleasing to the eye as well. On the West the 2nd hole a par-4 at 435 yards required a very long second shot and was by far the toughest hole on the course as well as the 5th hole an elevated 202 yard par-3 over water required a well struck shot.

How the Rock Rolls: Emerald has medium sized undulating greens that require precise shots, the greens are very receptive. The speed was at 7 to 8 on the stimp, and I am told they do not speed up for the regular season. Too bad as that is a real drawback. My only real criticism of the course was its setup, and specifically the location makers on the pins. They were incorrect on quite a few holes and as a first time visitor this was a frustration to be quite a bit short or long on a pin with slower greens.
Conditioning: Tees and fairways were mostly bent grass and in good early season condition. I have mentioned that the course is a bit moist so don’t expect large roll, but with its medium length the course is quite playable for all skill levels
Making the Cut: Emerald Links is a good parkland layout with very playable course conditions. My understanding is that pace of play can be slow on weekends with the narrow east nine playing tough. Pace of play for today was 3:45 for a twosome excellent! So remember weekdays might play faster.
Overall Value: At $45.00/54.00 a bit pricey, but if you can take advantage of the Twilight special this course is an eight out of ten value. Check out their wed site @ http://www.emeraldlinks.com/, for more details.

Rating: 85% of green fee.

Course: Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay

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Date: Monday 20^th August

Weather: A little breezy and cold for August but perfect for golf at around 15C.

Tees used: Silver (6664 yards) Rating 71.9 Slope 135

Score Shot: 78

Tee time intervals: 10 minutes

Time taken: 4 hours, 50 minutes

The Course

Quality of service:

As could be expected at a resort course, the service was of a high level. The girls in the pro shop accepted our credit cards with a smile on their faces! The Starter wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs, but gave us our instructions clearly and precisely. Service in the clubhouse after our round was excellent, but as it was almost dark when we finished, there weren’t many people around.

Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise:

I’m making no apologies, this is my type of golf course. Pleasing to the eye, Raven has a natural feel to it. While length is obviously an advantage, this is definitely a shot-makers course where the ability to shape your shots will pay dividends. Course architects Tom Lehman and Tom McBroom have created a “hidden gem” that will only grow in popularity. Quite simply, it’s a fun golf course. It’s a good test of golf with plenty of variety and risk/reward options and a distinct lack of “Mickey Mouse” holes.[photopress:IMG_0064.JPG,full,centered]

How the rock rolls:

It’s hard to believe Raven only opened last summer. The putting surfaces were superb, running very true at medium/fast pace. I found the greens to be deceptively large, possibly because of the size of the bunkers, none of which could be confused with a Scottish style pot bunker.

Thankfully, the lightning fast practice green bore no resemblance to the greens on the course – at that speed with the wind and slopes it would have been impossible to putt on some greens.

Conditioning:

It’s hard to criticise anything about the setup at Raven. It has a great practice facility, with unlimited balls included in the green fee. Everything about the place was tidy, even the green garbage bins were sunk into the ground, adding to the natural feel of the course. Apart from a couple of fairways that have required some attention, there is nothing to suggest that the course is only a year old. It’s in great condition and there’s no doubt that the greenkeeping staff have pride in their golf course.

Making the Cut:

Don’t let the fact that there are only around 65 bunkers at Raven fool you, it seems like there are 165! Most are large, some are quite simply huge and all are well positioned, so I’d say it’s quite an achievement if you manage to avoid them for 18 holes.

My only criticism of the golf course would be that without studying the yardage book, there are a few holes which seem to lack definition from the tee as I wasn’t entirely sure of the correct line to take. Of course, a little local knowledge would be a big help and I’d love the opportunity to play Raven at Lora Bay again.

The suggested pace of play was 4 hours, 20 minutes but thanks to a couple of slow groups ahead of us, the round took considerably longer. After 5 holes, the marshal spoke to the people concerned and the pace quickened, but he wasn’t around on the back nine when things returned to a crawl. If only an enterprising course owner was bold enough to market his course as a 4 hour maximum facility and politely ask slow players to stay away…

Hacker’s Highlights:

The picturesque 1st hole sets the tone for the course – a par 4 of around 400 yards. Played from an elevated tee with a bunker on the left and trees on the right, a bold tee shot is rewarded with a short iron approach, but anything missing the fairway brings a water hazard about 50 yards short of the green, into play.

The approach shot to the 9th green offers a stunning view of Georgian Bay. Don’t get too distracted, as anything short or right will find the stream protecting the green.

The 13th, at 570 yards, is the longest hole on the course. It’s a genuine three shot hole which forces you to play to the left of the fairway off the tee, as the bunker on the right is almost 100 yards long!

All good courses have at least one good short par 4 and the Raven is no exception. The 14th hole is only 310 yards and it’s tempting to have a go with the driver to get as close to the green as possible. The smart play however, might be to lay up and avoid the bunkers – you have to decide if it’s worth the risk.[photopress:IMG_0068.JPG,full,centered]

The course is walkable, but be prepared for a severe climb from the 16th green to the 17th tee. It’s a tough one on a hot day, even for the enthusiastic walker.

Hit To Your Pocketbook:

Rates for a peak morning time are 150 dollars but decrease as the day goes on. It’s $120 at 11am, dropping to $99 at 1pm. After 3pm, it’s only $59 (+ tax) . All prices include a cart.

Hacking Away: 160%

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Raven is a 100+ dollar facility, so it’s twilight rate is tremendous value for money. It’s as good a deal as I’ve found all season and it’s a course that will be on my “must play” list for next season.

(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 under priced.)

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The Details: Stratford Golf and Country Club, Stratford, Ont. (semi-private)

Date: Tuesday, July 24

Weather: Overcast, 24 degrees with very little breeze

Green fees: $55

Tees used: White – 6038 yards

Score Shot: 4 over par – through 16 holes (long story)

The Course

Walked on shortly after noon, with great help from the pro shop staff to find me some members with an open spot. I don’t think I could have been paired with a friendlier set of playing partners. There was no hint of “anti-outsider” sentiment at all. Food and drink service at the turn was very quick and the course also features a fully stocked parked cart that you pass four times during the round. There were no marshalls to be found (not surprising considering most golfers were members) but it did become an issue when we ran into five groups on the 6th hole. A quick cell phone call into the pro-shop by concerned members seemed to solve that problem after a fairly lengthy delay.

Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise?: Stratford features many mature trees from start to finish that accounts for much of the challenge. Fairways aren’t particularly tight on most holes like the par 4 opener but a drive too far to the left will leave you overhanging leaves to deal with on your approach. The second hole features an elevated tee shot that again demands you keep it fairly close to the middle of the fairway to avoid the trees that pinch the opening to the elevated green site from spoiling your approach.

Starting on the par 5 third the course opens up a bit and offers more room for error as the fourth and fifth also afford the golfer more open spaces which can lull you into a false sense of security. If you’re feeling secure walking off the fifth green it can quickly dissipate at the tees of the aptly named “Double Cross” sixth. The long par 4 (442 yards from the back tees) features a creek that runs from the right of the tee decks to the left of the landing area and then returns to guard the right and front of the green site on the second shot. Be too aggressive with the line for your drive and you can easily find the creek, bail out too far right and you have a much longer second into a sprawling undulating green. After a short but tight par 4 seventh, you find the tricky uphill 170 yard par 3 eighth where the green is mostly a rumour for the first time golfer. Where ever the flag resides a shot that seems short and right of the target will be your best option.

The 367 yard par 4 11th again brings the mature Willows into play as [photopress:Approach_to_the_11th.jpg,full,alignright] they narrow the opening into the heavily guarded green with trees all along the right and hidden water catching anything left. The 12th (below) is another tester that seems short in length (436 yards) for a par 5 but requires great shot making ability to have a chance to realistically get home in two. The tee shot requires a long draw from a right hander, to find the fairway between the thick bush on the right of the fairway and large overhanging Willows on the left where you’re then faced with a long shot that needs to carry over a creek that fronts the strongly back to front sloped green.

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If you are able to reach it in two if you’re above the hole a three putt is easy to find. The par 3 thirteenth and par 4 14th (named “Tunnel Vision” for good reason — see photo below) continue to call on your ability to “hit’em straight”.

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Again the course opens up for the long par 5 15th with a dog leg left that runs uphill for the last 175 yards and ends with a huge green with many slippery slopes to make your putter earn it’s keep. The par 4 16th plays back down the hill as a dog leg right into another tricky green site that will undoubtedly be easier the second time around. That brings you to the quirky 335 yard par 4 17th, a short dog leg right that can easily smash the daylights out of a good round. Off the tees it’s pretty straight forward, hit a ball about 200 yards without messing with the trees on the right. Then all that remains is a short iron into the elevated green. However much to many golfers dismay the green seems plucked from the Hilarious House of Frightenstein’s mini golf course. It is so severely sloped from back to front that depending on the speed of the green on a particular day it is impossible to keep the ball from rolling off the front…..again and again. Just tweaking the green’s slope a bit would greatly enhance the playability, but I think perhaps the members have an affinity to the hole the way it is.
How the Rock Rolls: Stratford does not have trademark small greens of a mature semi-private golf course. There are some small greens, but there is great variety in the sizes and undulations. On the day I played the speed was very playable. Downhill putts ran but not excessively and uphill putts needed to be struck with authourity to reach their target. I was also quite impressed with how receptive they were despite indications that much of the course was in need of water. As I have seen in many instances of semi-private clubs lately, the members are doing a great job of making sure that ball marks are repaired properly.
Conditioning: Tees, fairways and greens were nice and green if not lush. However the rough, especially on hilled areas, showed signs of burning out in many instances. Some spots seemed so far gone that I wondered if they would recover even with a thorough and consistant drenching. There were many signs on this day of some aggressive pruning of the mature trees on numerous holes. Most of the trimming seemed more for asthetics than to effect playability although it could be argued that any removal of foliage would make a course more playable.
Making the Cut: Stratford offers a beautiful setting for golf while being quite playable for high handicappers and offering a fine test of golf for the lower end players as well. There is a very good mix of holes without many that could be thought of as weak or boring. It is very walkable despite a few longer strolls past the beverage cart, as there isn’t really any terrain that would be considered steep. In amongst some of the tree-lined holes it can get quite steamy on humid days as the breezes are held at bay. I will say again though that the 17th can leave a sour taste in your mouth depending on your luck and the mood of the pin setter for the day.
Hacker’s Highlights: If you’re planning a weekend at the Stratford Festival, I highly recommend you pack the clubs and get a time at the club. It’s a beautiful course within a beautiful city and at a price that should suit any budget. Hint: there is a fairly large membership so don’t expect much in the way of weekend morning tee times, but I have heard that afternoon times are not too overly difficult to find.
Overall Value: At $55 for a prime rate I give Stratford a 110% rating without hesitation.

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The Details: River Road Golf Club, London, Ont.

Date: Tuesday, July 10th

Weather: Hot and humid, 32 degrees with threatening clouds and strong winds

Green fees: $33

Tees used: Black – 6480 yards

Score Shot: 84

The Course

Quality of service: I may be biased since I knew it was a city of London municipal course before I arrived, but it struck me as one that was truly being run by city employees. Anyone who’s been to Grey Silo (another muni of much better quality) know’s that the service there is not typical of a muni, but River Road unfortunately seemed to be quite typical. The young lady running the snack bar at least seemed to enjoy her job but I guess she was just young enough to not have been affected by the rest of the staff. I saw the on course refreshment cart no less than five times, yet never was able to get her to stop and ask me if I wanted something! Perhaps she was getting paid by the number of trips around the course. No starter or marshall to be seen. The fact that a threesome just magically appeared in front of me on the tenth hole suggests nobody really cared who played where or when.
Goat Track or Weekend in Paradise?: Since it was my first experience at River Road I was a bit leary of playing a course with a $33 green fee. I had heard conflicting reports from other golfers on my travels about the value, and since I have had some other very good experiences with London golf (Forest City National and FireRock in particular) with very reasonable prices, I was expecting an enjoyable round without hoping for spectacular. Oh well….maybe next time.

The course opens up along River Road with the first four holes on the very flat and uninspiring “highlands”. The mounds of ground that marked the routing of the holes were all badly burnt because of the near drought conditions that have been plaguing South-western Ontario lately. The fairways and greens were in decent condition but it was “back and forth” golf at it’s worst.

The fifth hole takes you down to the “valley” which is a blessing in disguise. It’s nice to have some scenery around but it quickly becomes tiresome. More on that later. The 567 yard par 5 fifth starts with an elevated tee shot to a fairly narrow landing area, followed by a lay-up down the narrow tree lined fairway, with your third needing to carry the creek and marsh that runs in front of the heavily treed green. The sixth hole a 206 yard par 3 presents you with another narrow line towards the green that has at least a third of the right side of it blocked out by overhanging trees. A back right pin placement would require the shot making ability of a young Bobby Jones to get to it. After years of working on it, I now play a fairly constant draw and I found myself many times wishing I had my old fade to rely on.

After the seventh, another long par 5 that shares a split green with #17 (in a scary way) the course heads up top again for the nice par 3 eighth. A solid 181 yard one shotter that has a creek along the right and around the back which features tall bullrushes that serve as a beautiful frame for the green. After the forgettable ninth with the last 150 yards playing directly alongside of the driveway into the club, the back nine starts with an elevated par 3 of 202 yards that takes you back down to the valley.

This is where the trees go from simply trying to tiresome. The eleventh is a tight par 5 of 473 yards but is rarely more than 30 yards wide at any point with trees lining the entire length. Then if that wasn’t enough at the 100 yard mark there is a tree in the middle of the fairway just in case you are able to hit it straight and need another obstacle. But even that pales in comparison to the difficulty of the par 4 twelth (below).

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A 365 yarder that features two tall overhanging trees about 180 yards off the tees. I took a moment to pace off the gap between the leaves of the two beasts and found that there was a space of 17 yards to drive your ball through. Ridiculous. The fairway opens up after that bottleneck but once again the green front has a huge willow tree knocking down anything headed for the right side of the green. Only the wide open 134 yard par 3 14th (yes, the one hole in the valley that doesn’t have trees coming out the wazoo is the shortest on the course?!?) gives you a break from the terrible timber until you once again arrive “up top” for the straight forward par 4 18th.
How the Rock Rolls: Other than the result of the rubble from the foliage being strewn on the greens due to the high winds there really wasn’t much wrong with the dance floors….except that they were so hard to get to. They were a very playable speed and quite receptive to the few iron shots I could hit into them.

Conditioning: As I mentioned earlier the upper section was quite browned out in the rough but the tees, fairways and greens were obviously watered adequately. Down in the valley along the Thames everything was quite green with only a few spots could be noticed where it seemed a challenge to keep the grass growing. Not from lack of moisture but likely from lack of sunlight.

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Making the Cut: If you can enjoy golf at River Road you must be anxiously awaiting Gigli II to hit the big screens, or looking for the REO Speedwagon reunion tour. Maybe you’ll go for the double double and have a root canal performed in the morning before you golf it in the afternoon. Look, the course is not all bad and certainly has some potential (something that some good old clear cutting, err “responsible and environmentally friendly” clear cutting, could bring to light) but in it’s current state it will cause you to curse uncontrollably and lose balls at an alarming rate. Not my idea of good times.

Hacker’s Highlights: $33 sounds great and there may be players that will overlook the obvious faults because of the enticing price, but I can assure you the extra dollars spent elsewhere will result in a much better afternoon on the links.

Overall Value: Just because the rate is so low to begin with, River Road garners a 60% value rating. But this $33 comes with added trees!