Course Review: Hickory Ridge Golf & Country Club
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com (July 2008)
Copyright 2008 London Ontario Golf

Until recent times, a good indicator that a golf course provided a good test of golf was if you used all the clubs in your bag. With the advent of hybrids, that rule no longer applies. However, a picturesque golf course three miles west of Lambeth measuring just 5,200 yards from the tips almost saw me pull every club from my bag during an enjoyable day on the links.

As a former member of Echo Valley GC, I regularly drove by signs pointing to Hickory Ridge G&CC. But until recently, I never had the pleasure of playing this pretty little track. Opened in 1996, Hickory Ridge is one of the finest courses I have ever played in the category of executive-length layouts.

With white tees measuring 5,042 yards and ladies tees 4,700 yards, this par-68 course is RCGA-rated 64.5 and sloped at just 108 from the tips. It’s not a difficult course – I didn’t hit a bunker all day long, and found it quite easy to avoid trouble on most holes – but Hickory Ridge does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Because it’s a picturesque course, you can get caught up in the serenity of the scenery. And, the greens are surprisingly quick on most holes, with deceiving undulation. But gently rolling terrain makes for an easy walk, and that’s just fine for the club’s 200 members.

Club head professional Dave Corbiere has held that post since the course’s inception. He graduated to Class “A” status with the third highest national ranking. With only a dozen junior members – there’s no bus service within walking distance of the rural club – Corbiere has come up with a great way to encourage juniors to golf at Hickory Ridge. Juniors ages 10-17 playing with a green-fee-paying adult play golf at no additional charge. Corbiere also holds junior clinics to help bolster numbers.

That 200 membership is capped in order to maintain a comfortable club atmosphere, according to Corbiere. Hickory Ridge owners, brothers Bill and Rini Timmermans, like it that way and really have established an amiable atmosphere within the friendly confines of the club. Family members play a large part in club operations, with Rob Timmermans course superintendent since 2007 after a decade as assistant superintendent. Marg Timmermans is the food and beverage manager. Marg’s kitchen serves up a fantastic fare of food at the 19th hole that boasts a neighbourhood diner-like atmosphere.

The 18-hole layout is friendly, too, but two things in particular can catch you by surprise and ruin a good round: changing wind conditions; and quick greens which for the most part are consistent around the track but are a tad slower on a handful of holes. The course record: 60, shot by former assistant pro John Hynonen in 2006 at the age of 60!

Recent refurbishment at Hickory Ridge includes larger tee areas, a paved laneway, enhanced cart pathways and clubhouse renovations. Plans are in the works to further enhance tees and bunkers. In fact, the old adage applies at Hickory Ridge: despite its length, the addition and toughening of bunkers and rough can greatly add to the difficulty of the layout.

Well groomed and boasting a number of ponds and mature trees plus forest areas, Hickory Ridge is one of the prettiest little courses I’ve played. Hole No. 1 measures 522 yards, offers a generous opening fairway but presents a fast green. There’s a small pond in front of the tee block, treeline on both sides of the fairway with a small bunker on the left, and a bunker right of the green. It’s a definite birdie hole with the right approach – but beware the fast green.

The 319-yard No. 2 features a green sloping right to left, with a false front to an elevated green and creek in front of the tee and green. Accuracy is a premium at this challenging par-4. There are some tough par-3s at Hickory Ridge, including the 249-yard No. 3 featuring trees on both sides of the fairway cut by two streams, a pond on the left of the fairway and bunker to the left of the green. Following the 391-yard par-4 No. 4, the 147-yard par-3 No. 5 also features a fast green.

No. 6 at Hickory Ridge is a 304-yard par-4 with a kidney-shaped green guarded by large bunkers at the rear. Watch your drive left as trees provide out-of-bounds. There’s a large pond, too, to the right of the fairway. Again, accuracy is a must here. No. 7 and No. 8 are both par-3s, 178 and 174 yards respectively, both with ponds and trees demanding a pin-point tee shot. Going out at the 343-yard par-4 No. 9 is no picnic. There’s a creek running through the front of the approach to the green, calling for the smart play of a layup. Risking reward, I drove over the creek and faced only a punch sand wedge onto the lightening-fast green. Watch the pond to the left of this green, not to mention tree lines ready to catch your approach shot.

Making the turn, par-4 No. 10 throws 406 yards in your face with a large tree near the centre of the fairway at a typical landing area. I was pleased to fly the tree with my best drive of the day, leaving me with just a lob wedge to the pin. Bunkers left and right of the green, plus ponds to the right of the fairway do not present much problem here, but the wind can. In fact, I found the entire back 9 presented clever winds – different at the tee than at the flag, not unlike Augusta National’s Amen Corner. Case in point: the 270-yard No. 11 with small creek crossing the fairway, and large pond on the right.

No. 12, a 231-yard par-3, is tree lined left and right but difficult only because it calls for an accurate hybrid off the tee for a chance at birdie. No. 13 and 14, 286 yards and 287 yards, are both birdie holes at par-4, but again, watch the wind. The par-3 No. 15 at 150 yards is a straight-forward birdie hole, but No. 16 is anything but. At 333 yards, this par-4 is a slight dogleg right out of a shoot at the tees. A small pond left of the fairway and larger pond right near the front of the green demands supreme accuracy. I was able to cut the corner to set up an eagle putt.

The two finishing holes at Hickory Ridge weren’t as welcoming. No. 17 is a tough 270-yard par-4 with pond right of the ladies tees, a large pond at the rear of the green and, of course, more trees. An accurate 3-wood or hybrid is the right call off the tee.

Hickory Ridge’s signature hole is the par-4, 312-yard No. 18. It’s no picnic here. Don’t be fooled like I was into hitting driver off the tee. Trees left and dead centre will see you run out of room unless you hit a perfect cut shot. A mid-iron should set up a nice approach wedge, but there’s trouble everywhere. A large pond on the right side of the fairway, and small pond jutting out from the right side of the fairway on your approach to the green add difficulty to this pretty hole. The green is large and quick. Escape with a par and consider yourself fortunate.

Hickory Ridge is the kind of course you could play every day without boredom – a real testament since most executive courses can’t say the same. The club will host the ladies’ portion of Actifest 2008 Ontario Senior Games August 12-14 (the men play at Thames Valley GC).

The only possible drawback during my visit to Hickory Ridge was the lack of a refreshment cart on a hot, humid afternoon, but I personally carry enough water to keep me hydrated throughout a four-hour round. 

Hickory Ridge is the kind of course golfers of all abilities can enjoy. I highly recommend it, and applaud its aesthetics and course conditions. It’s a real plus for the local golf scene.

Hickory Ridge G&CC
London, Ont.
519/652-0407
Green Fees:
$30 weekdays, $36 weekends
Special packages, memberships available
www.hickoryridge.ca