Golf Ontario Style 2007
by Jeffrey Reed, for Tourism Ontario

Note: the following intro, plus Ontario golf destination descriptions, were written by London Ontario Golf editor Jeffrey Reed. This is the third consecutive year Tourism Ontario has welcomed Reed as the official greeter to Ontario golf via the Golf Ontario Style annual. Enjoy.

Golf legend Arnold Palmer once quipped, "What other people might find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive." In fact, Ontario’s golfers and the millions who visit our wonderful province each year enjoy the best of both worlds. As Ontario’s 12 million-plus residents know, Ontario is arguably the golf capital of North America. There are close to 750 great golf courses in Ontario – and more are planned for the near future. And, with a cornucopia of sights and sounds in our great cities, there is something for every tourist and resident here in Ontario.

This summer, the world will be focused on Ontario when the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open comes to Markham’s Angus Glen Golf Club, July 23 to 29. Angus Glen’s South course tested the world’s finest golfers in 2002, and now its North Course is ready to do the same. However, you don’t need to be a PGA Tour member to challenge Angus Glen’s beautiful 18-hole layouts. Like many of Ontario’s world-class golf courses, it’s also open for public green fees.

This is the beauty of Ontario golf. From historic Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, to Taboo Resort, Golf and Spa in Gravenhurst, home course of PGA Tour star and Bright’s Grove, Ontario’s own Mike Weir, great golf courses are an important part of Ontario’s mosaic. The greater Toronto area alone boasts more than 200 superb courses, and just across Lake Ontario, the Niagara region is now a world-class golf destination with more than 40 top-notch layouts.

Here in southwestern Ontario, we are fortunate enough to enjoy more than 100 exquisite golf courses. That’s one course for every round I play during the course of the summer. Like many Ontario residents, and the many visitors who sample our tees, greens and fairways, golf is my passion.

As golf legend Harry Vardon once cautioned, tongue in cheek, "Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty."

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or a weekend warrior, you’ll be glad you visited Ontario and its hundreds of world-class golf facilities.

Toronto & GTA

Toronto is much more than Canada’s largest city, weighing in at 4 million residents: It’s also a golf mecca, with more than 200 courses within an hour’s drive of the CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure at 553.33 metres.

From its modest beginnings in 1793 as a military garrison, the town was named York in honour of the Duke of York, and 41 years later incorporated and renamed Toronto after the Huron Indian word for "meeting place." In fact, Toronto is where you will meet your every dream. It’s one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. Whether you shop along the city’s eclectic Queen Street, please your senses at Kensington Market, or discover the latest fairway fashions within PATH – the world’s biggest underground shopping complex – Toronto’s offerings will amaze you.

For the sports fan, the Toronto Blue Jays of baseball’s American League, and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonaut’s both call Rogers Centre home. Nearby, there’s the vibrant harbour of Ontario Place, fine dining, live theatre, world-class museums and quality accommodations.

When it’s time to tee it up, visit any one of Toronto and area’s highly-regarded golf courses. Of course, there’s the Jack Nicklaus-designed Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, home to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. You may also wish to sample Eagle’s Nest Golf Club in nearby Maple, or Copper Creek Golf Club in nearby Kleinburg, some of North America’s best new courses.

From rustic rural charm at the nearby links, to big-city hustle and bustle, Toronto has it all.

Kitchener/Hamilton/Niagara

Ontario’s "Festival Country," bordered by Kitchener, Hamilton and Niagara, is a region which attracts a worldwide audience with its seasonal events, and its challenging golf courses. Located between Toronto and numerous U.S. border cities, this geographic gem is also a golfer’s delight, offering everything from enjoyable municipal links to challenging championship courses.

Off the course, party at Kitchener’s annual nine-day Oktoberfest, North America’s largest Bavarian festival, and shop at the Farmer’s Market in nearby St. Jacob’s. Visit the majestic mountainous community of Hamilton, home to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Dundurn Castle, and the 1837-founded Hamilton Farmer’s Market.

Niagara Falls needs no introduction, but you may be surprised by its more than 40 outstanding golf courses, including the new Thundering Waters, designed by PGA Tour star John Daly. Royal Niagara, Whirlpool, and Legends on the Niagara will also test your game. For a quick history lesson the links, visit Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club (est. 1875). While visiting the Honeymoon Capital of the World, board the Maid of the Mist and cruise to the base of the American and Horseshoe Falls. Visit Old Fort Erie and Queenston Heights, profound reminders of the War of 1812. Northeast of the falls, Niagara-On-The-Lake presents antique shops, charming bed and breakfast inns, and the Shaw Festival.

Natural wonders, famous festivals, and outstanding golf courses: this is Kitchener-Hamilton-Niagara.

Western Ontario

Western Ontario: where city meets country, and where golfers meet their match. From cottage country to casinos, Western Ontario is a unique blend of rural serenity and urban vitality. Resting in the heart of the region, London is a golfer’s paradise with 70 courses surrounding this city of 350,000. World-class research hospitals, the sprawling University of Western Ontario, and 81 holes of municipal golf await visitors to this big city boasting friendly faces. 

Travel just a half-hour south to Lake Erie, and popular Port Stanley Beach awaits your visit. Here you’ll find one of the prettiest holes anywhere – the par-5 4th at The Bluffs of Port Stanley, overlooking sail boats as far as the eye can see. North of London, along Lake Huron, some of Ontario’s finest beaches and golf courses make up Bluewater country. Huron County has world-famous sunsets, and the enormously popular beach at Grand Bend. The sandy white beaches of Georgian Bay also draw thousands of vacationers each summer.

To London’s northeast, Perth County awaits visitors with the Stratford Festival, North America’s largest repertory theatre, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys. An hour west of London, Sarnia is a boater’s dream and a golfer’s delight, and is home to the Point Edward Charity Casino. Windsor, known as the Rose City, borders the city of Detroit and boasts its own casino and quality golf courses. Nearby Pelee Island, known as "Canada’s southern jewel," offers world-class birding and wineries.

Lake Country & Northern Region

It’s a Monet painting come alive: Ontario’s lake country and northern region. It includes 7,725 square metres of natural wonders at Algonquin Provincial Park, and from tee to green some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.

Running through Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Orillia, Highway 11 provides the main route to all golf courses throughout lake country. There’s the Muskoka Golf Trail’s fabulous courses and first-class resorts – in total, Ontario offers 85 resorts. Rocky Crest Golf Club, The Mark O’Meara Course at Grandview, Taboo Golf Club, The Lake Joseph Club, Deerhurst Highlands and The Rock Golf Club must be played during a golfer’s lifetime.

A short drive from the hustle and bustle of Toronto, Barrie – North America’s fastest growing city – offers its own great nightly entertainment, and is close to fabulous resort areas. Travel further to Georgian Bay, and discover 30,000 islands, the world’s largest concentration along the eastern shore. Northern Ontario is a sportsman’s paradise, with a myriad of fishing, hiking and canoeing opportunities unequaled in North America. And of course, everywhere you turn in Ontario’s lake country and northern region, natural wonders backdropped by Mother Nature’s colour palate await your enjoyment.

Your getaway to this gorgeous region of Ontario isn’t without modern amenities, as shopping and fine dining offer you a delightful mix to your golf excursion. Visit soon, and see why the stunning lake country and northern region truly is the work of Mother Nature’s brush strokes, with a little help from world-class golf courses.

Eastern Ontario

Home to 130 golf courses, Eastern Ontario also boasts rich Ontario farmland, northern white rapids of the Ottawa River, and the nation’s capital region. Stretching from Peterborough, north to Pembroke, and east to Ottawa – one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Eastern Ontario is a paradise of picture-perfect golf and natural wonders.

From the days of the Loyalists, Ottawa’s history is fascinating. Here you will discover an area of 4,662 square kilometres where golfers can actually bicycle, hop on the bus or grab a train to many of the area’s great courses. Stone Bridge Golf and Country club is a wonderful blend of parkland and linksland golf. Up for a challenge? The Marshes Golf Club is one of Ontario’s toughest. And Eagle Creek Golf Course is an area icon, thanks to its perfect natural setting.

Built by the British between 1826 and 1832, the scenic Rideau Heritage Route involves a 202-kilometre canal, connected to lakes and rivers that shape surrounding communities. Kingston rests at the southernmost end of the Rideau Canal where waters cross into Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the western gateway to the 1,000 Islands. Southwest, Belleville and Trenton are favourite haunts of local fishermen. Peterborough and the Kawarthas, named by the First Nations people as "bright waters and happy land," offer year-round activities.

Eastern Ontario: come for the golf and enjoy its history and beauty.

Jeffrey Reed is a leading Canadian golf journalist, and editor of LondonOntarioGolf.com, celebrating golf in London and southwestern Ontario.