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Birdies & Brews in the Ottawa Valley:

A Trip to Whitetail Golf and Whitewater Brewery.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

A family function made a trip out of the GTA to the quaint town of Eganville a necessity. Taking my oldest son along for the ride, we thought about making the most of the journey by taking the opportunity to partake in a new golf experience. After a bit of research about the golf options in the area, we decided to pay a visit to Whitetail Golf Club.

Located a couple minutes east of Eganville on Highway 60, Whitetail was built and is operated by the MacDonald family. The facility originally opened as a nine hole course in 2002. Additions and a redesign in 2004 saw Whitetail transformed into an 18 hole championship test. A spacious clubhouse offering a great view of holes 10 and 18 and a friendly atmosphere within it are the first impressions. A full practice range with grass tees gives you little room for excuses when you finally hit the first tee.

Not often is a par 3 hole the first to encounter on your round. This one is a solid test, with water to carry and sand to avoid on the right of the very generous green. The next trio of holes brings some ruggedness to the round with elevation change affecting both club selection and execution. Conquering the par 4 5th is a daunting task, as the hole plays through a vast wetland area with high grass all along the left and a rise obscuring the view of the hidden bailout area to the right. An intimidating approach is left due to the green being tucked behind a creek and marshy wetlands. The 6th is a short par 4 that can lead to a big number if you aren’t careful. The ideal way to play the hole is to hit a hybrid or long iron between the sentinel trees on each side of the dogleg left bend. This will leave a short iron or wedge to a dramatically uphill green. Be careful not to fly the green as the back falls away steeply and no fun is found back there. The front culminates with a most stern par 4 playing steeply uphill the entire way back to the clubhouse.

The back nine opens with one of the more memorable holes on the card. A downhill tee shot must be carefully judged for there are a pair of sentinel trees on the left of the fairway and a couple of ponds pinching the fairway right in the landing area where a well struck driver might land. A long canting green set amid tall hardwoods is the target for the approach. A trio of short but tricky holes are to follow, leading to a deceptively challenging par 4 at the 14th hole. The fairway bends gently to the left around a large hill. A vast marsh runs the entire length of the right side, so a right-to-left shaped tee shot is ideal to avoid running out of real estate. The green is one of the smaller targets on the round and sits behind a pond. Those who love to hit the driver will enjoy the 15th and 16th. The lengthy uphill par 4 might be the purest test of golf on the layout. Playing straight-away, the hole has a wetland on the right and a thick forest to the left. The beastly long par 5 16th plays over 600 yards from the tips where a five pencilled on the score card will feel like a birdie. The par 3 17th is a lengthy test over water and the finishing hole is a risk reward par 5, playing uphill and riddled with a series of fairway bunkers short of the green to catch your attention and any approach hit less than pure.  

The Daunting 5th Green

Not knowing what to expect from the design I was pleasantly surprised. The routing was varied and offered a nice blend of driver friendly holes mixed with a tricky collection of finesse holes. The course was fit to the terrain without a feel of being manufactured. A standout were the greens, being lush, generous and the biggest factor in defending par. The few mundane holes were more than overshadowed by some pretty dramatic designs. Should you find yourself in the upper Ottawa Valley and wanting to satisfy your golf itch, Derek and his family would be happy to have you visit and the experience will be worth the time.

Whitewater Brewery: A local taste, with a philanthropic feel.

Every good round needs a fitting apres golf experience and since craft beer is a favorite of our’s we took advantage of the 15 minute drive from Whitetail to Whitewater Brewery’s brand new Lakeside taproom in Cobden. The sleepy little town is located midway between Renfrew and Pembroke on Highway 17 at the southern tip of Muskrat Lake. Whitewater is the collaborative vision and efforts of three friends who all appreciate the fast flowing currents and pristine nature found along the Ottawa River. A vision to create a local brewery culminated with the founding of Whitewater in 2011. The original brewery is now their Riverside location, home to a spring to fall taproom and where they now brew their seasonal brews.

We had the pleasure to sample the brewery’s Lakeside location. This latest addition to the brand was built in 2017 and is now their main production facility. The expansive complex houses the tanks for producing all of the cores in their collection of offerings, along with a complete farm-to-table restaurant serving a delicious menu along with their retail store for stocking your cooler or fridge. The expansion to the new location afforded Whitewater the opportunity to significantly increased capacity for beer production and to add a delicious taproom experience with a full menu right next to the Trans Canada Highway. Bright and airy, the taproom has a comfortable contemporary rustic feel. Social bench seating along with tables provide options for different sized parties.

A core menu of clean and crisp brews features the Farmer’s Daughter Blonde, Whistling Paddler English-style Ale and Class V IPA, along with their Midnight Stout for those looking for a darker brew. A diverse collection of seasonal beers grace the taps at various times of the year, while KLR 93 Kolsch-style Ale is a tap regular, featuring a collaboration of Whitewater’s brewing expertise and Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour’s vision and character. Their Legion Lager partners with the Canadian Legion to pay homage to our Canadian veterans with 5% of sales going to their support programs. It was a fine way to end of visit knowing we did a small part in helping to support those who make our country the remarkable place it is.