On The Tee

Woodington Lake Hole #6 Legend Course

 

Outstanding Par Three's

Holes 11 through 25

11. Woodington Lake- Legend Course

Hole # 6 – Green: 217; Blue: 189; White: 171; Red: 149

Playing uphill over a wetland and fronting bunker makes the tee ball a real knee shaker. The green site is built into the side of the hill and slopes from back right to front left. Challenge the back right pin position at your peril for it take a club or two extra and the cavernous bunker short eats most attempts. 

12. Tangle Creek Golf Club

Hole #16 – Platinum: 189; Gold: 174; Black: 156; White: 143

 

The most difficult par 3 on the course, this one plays shorter due to a severe elevation change. The forced carry over the tangled rough surrounding the creek in the valley will strike fear. Be careful if the wind is blowing at you. Correct club selection will be tricky here. This huge green site is shaped like a heart and guarded by traps short. Find yourself anywhere but near the pin and par will be a tough task.

13. Ridge at Manitou

Hole #11 – Black: 204; Blue: 168; White: 144; Red 120

 

On a course filled with rock faces and dense woods, this short hole stands out in the crowd. McBroom tests you with a raised green set in a meadow with wetlands and pines surrounding the hole. An extra club is needed here to avoid the steep upslope and thick rough. Ringed by with deep bunkers with overhanging lips only a well struck tee shot with provide a comfortable chance at par. 

14. Muskoka Bay Club

Hole #17 – Tour: 214; Championship: 182; Member/Guest: 175; Middle: 137; Forward: 124

 

Doug Carrick's contribution to the granite golf experiences presents a short hole that will strike fear. Playing entirely over a pond with no bail out, this hole will test what you have left late in your round. Shorter on the left but presenting a green with a ridge splitting it in two, you may have to jump all over a long iron to get anywhere close to a back right pin surrounded by thick forest.

15. Oak Bay Golf Club

Hole #15 – Blue: 170; White: 165; Red: 126; Yellow: 68

 

A long walk along a meandering path gets you to the back tees where the adventure begins. Looking across an inlet of Severn Harbour you see the pin perched high atop and huge granite block. The stern uphill shot must be played with at least one extra club to avoid the sheer face and certain big number if not able to get your shot on top. Guarded by fronting bunkers, finding this green in one will be a huge accomplishment.

16. Osprey Valley Resort -Hoot 

Hole # 15 – Gold: 160; Black: 138; Blue: 137; White: 119; Red 82

 

Don’t let the distance marked on the scorecard lead you into thinking that this short hole is a pushover. It may only require a short iron strike to reach the putting surface but if your distance control is slightly off par will become a very difficult task. The tee shot from an elevated teeing ground must carry the waste area below before reaching the elevated green complex built into the side of a hill. The green site landing area is very narrow and sloped from back to front. The short shot will find the waste leaving a difficult uphill sand shot that must negotiate some ten plus feet of elevation while the long ball will require a deft chipping touch back down the slope to the pin.

17. Hockley Valley Resort

Hole #10 – Black: 172; Gold: 145; Green: 128; White; 123

 

From the back tee with the wind quartering off the left and the green surface some 300 feet below that is carved out of the sloping landscape selecting the correct club is a daunting task. The peanut shaped green runs diagonally away to the left on a 45 degree angle making attacking a front or back pin positions nearly impossible. Wise players will target the middle of the green and take their chances with the short stick to secure a par.

18. Taboo Golf Club

Hole #3 – Black: 204; Blue: 185; White: 177; Red: 148

 

This scenic Ron Garl design is carved out of Muskoka’s rugged Canadian Shield with every hole surrounded by majestic red oaks and white pines and the every present granite outcroppings. Early in the round Garl challenges you to strike a long iron purely over a large waste bunker that lays ominously from tee to the front edge of the dance floor. The green complex angles away from you left-to-right and falls off all around putting a premium of distance control. Successfully reaching the green is only the beginning of the battle as the wavy putting surface will challenge your putting abilities.

19. Devil's Paintbrush 

Hole # 7 - Black: 202; Blue: 165; White: 165; Yellow: 144; Red: 117

 

The Michael Hurdzan / Dana Fry masterpiece opened to huge acclaim in 1992 and continues to rank near the top of any ranking of Canadian golf course lists. In a course chalk full of wonderful par 3’s #7 earns top of the class status of the four short holes at the Paintbrush.  The tee decks are built into the side of a hill offering in intimidating view across a valley to the green complex situated in the hillside on the valleys opposite side. A mid or long iron is needed to reach this wide narrow target that slope back- to-front / left-to-right. The short ball right will bound down into a deep greenside pot bunker while the bailout left or long ball will be met with a similar fate.

20. Heritage Hills Golf Club

Hole #11 – Black: 170; Blue: 160; White: 152; Gold: 150

 

 

This hole highlights the two faces of this Rene Muylaert design. Standing on the tee you are surrounded by huge hardwood trees giving a feeling of seclusion. Between a deep gorge separates you from the four-leaf clover shaped green. Clearing the chute of trees with your tee shot brings you to the other face, an open windswept hillside green surrounded by hollows and bunkers. The greeen is of the sloping nature so straying too far form the hole on your tee shot will make two putting a challenge.

21. Innisbrook Golf Club 

Hole #9 - Blue: 174; White: 139; Red: 109

 

Innisbrook offers the Barrie area an unique golfing experience with its par 64 layout that give you nine opportunities to make an ace. The front nine home hole is a wonderful medium length 3-shotter where your tee ball must avoid the large cavernous bunker that protects the front and left side of the green and come to rest on the correct portion of this large two-tiered green site. Finding the area of the green where the pin is not will leave you with a long stressful bending putt.

22. Batteaux Creek Golf Club

Hole #12 - Black: 229; Blue: 213; White: 190; Yellow: 166; Red: 130

 

This beastly long par three plays even longer when the prevailing wind, which blows across out of the left and into your face,  begins to gust –which is often. Your long iron or utility wood must first carry a right side marsh followed by a lengthy waste bunker in order to reach the putting surface. The green slopes gently from back to front but a back left raised tier makes for some tricky green reading when the pin is located near the edges of the tiers slope. A par here may be the highlight of your round.

23. The Georgian Bay Club 

Hole #17 - Cobalt: 202; Gold: 184; Silver: 174; Copper: 151; Pewter: 121

 

When the Nationwide Tour visited the Georgian Bay Club this hole gave the pros fits. Should your tee shot successfully carry the pond and avoid the bunkers back and front the real work begins. The green slopes severely from back to front left making it imperative that you keep your approach, chip or first putt below the hole.  Any putt that is not of the straight uphill two footer variety will have your knees knocking.

24. Deerhurst Resort -Lakeside Course

Hole #2 – Blue: 201; White: 167; Red: 124; Green: 68

 

The low handicapper faces a nerve jangling 201 yard carry from an elevated tee box over water to a small target while the front tee offers a much shorter pitch where the water is less of a threat. However, anything short or left from any teeing ground will have you reaching for the ball scoop and long, your sand wedge. The wise player will ignore any pin that is tucked left instead favouring the centre or right hand side of the green where the dance floor is wider.

25. Hawk Ridge – Hawk’s Island 

Hole #5 – Gold: 148; White: 116

 

Hawk Ridge has two championship courses and the charming nine hole par three Hawk's Island. Ted Baker has presented players with an island green deep and narrow pinched with bunkers. Playing into a prevailing wind club selection and the surrounding watery grave will require all the concentration and skill you can muster.

 

 

Holes 1 through 10 | Holes 26 thorugh 50