Golf Ontario Style 2008
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 fourth consecutive year Tourism Ontario has welcomed Reed as the official greeter to Ontario golf via the Golf Ontario Style annual. Enjoy.

Introduction

In the foreseeable future, Ontario will be home to 800 golf courses. That number is staggering. No wonder, this great province is arguably the golf capital of North America.

As a life-long resident of Ontario who is passionate about the game of golf, I consider myself privileged to be able to play at a great variety of courses – all resting in my own backyard. In fact, my hometown of London, Ontario sits in the centre of a region boasting more than 100 courses. Sure, when the dead of winter hits here in southwestern Ontario and golf clubs are replaced by curling brushes, warmer destinations beckon. But for three long seasons, from spring through fall, nothing defines Ontario better than the game of golf.

When offered the opportunity to speak about golf at any one of the hundreds of local charity golf tournaments held in London each year, one common theme takes centre stage: Ontario truly is Golf Country. Ontario’s 12 million-plus residents and its millions of annual visitors are well aware of this fact. And in addition to the hundreds of golf courses opening their doors to public play in 2008, Ontario hosts Canada’s top two professional tournaments. The PGA Tour comes to Oakville July 21-27, as Glen Abbey Golf Club hosts the RBC Canadian Open. And the LPGA Tour arrives in Ottawa, as the CN Canadian Open visits Ottawa Hunt and Country Club Aug. 11-17. 

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or a weekend warrior, world-class golf courses await you at every corner of Ontario. Two top-notch public courses, Forest City National and FireRock, are both minutes from downtown London. Blue Mountain and Collingwood are home to spectacular resorts and great golf courses, like The Raven at Lora Bay. The Niagara Golf Trail is a cornucopia of golf destinations, and offers endless tourist offerings, too. There are 200-plus golf courses in the GTA and surrounding region, not to mention a myriad of big-city fun in Toronto. Central Ontario’s Muskoka area is an outdoor extravaganza, with world-class golf and stunningly beautiful scenery. The same can be said about Ontario’s Northern and Eastern regions, where golf and fun in the sun go hand in hand. And Ottawa is always a great destination, with golf complimenting the historic Capital Region.

Whether you play like a pro, or simply enjoy sharing leisure time on the golf course, Ontario golf courses are yours to discover.

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

Southwestern Ontario

With close to 140 golf courses, and a cornucopia of natural wonders, Southwestern Ontario offers endless spectacular scenery. Bordered by Georgian Bay to the north, Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the south, any golf expedition comes complete with sandy beaches, tranquil bays and a myriad of water activities.

A highlight of any visit to Western Ontario is the stunning Blue Mountain and Collingwood area. The Georgian Bay shoreline provides a spectacular backdrop for great golf courses, including The Raven at Lora Bay, one of the world’s best new offerings. Canada’s-own Thomas McBroom and PGA Tour professional Tom Lehman designed this 7,200-yard championship course. Of course, Monterra Golf at Blue Mountain Resort challenges you with its links golf, while The Villages at Blue Mountain comes complete with its own outstanding golf plus a five-star hotel, the new Westin Trillium House. And when it’s time to rest, beautiful beaches at Blue Mountain and Collingwood are waiting for you.

Travel south to Windsor – the Rose City – and challenge one of Ontario’s best new courses, the Ambassador Golf Club, another McBroom design. The City of Detroit borders this vibrant Canadian city, where the nightlife never ends. Venture east, and you’ll discover London, one of North America’s golf hotbeds. While visiting the Forest City, you’ll want to play Forest City National Golf Club, ranked at 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest, and FireRock, London’s latest upscale public course. McBroom designed this gem, too.

While in Western Ontario, visit the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, and the Stratford Festival, North America’s largest repertory theatre.

Niagara Falls and Region

Only an hour drive from Toronto, Niagara Falls and surrounding area is Ontario’s Festival Country. In addition to more than 100 public golf courses, this region – including Kitchener and Hamilton - is a vibrant playground boasting some of the most spectacular natural wonders anywhere on earth. 

Of course, Niagara Falls – the Honeymoon Capital of the World – is a world-class destination. Ride the Maid of the Mist beneath the American and Horseshoe Falls, test your luck at Casino Niagara, or take the short drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake and marvel at the vineyards, the Shaw Festival and Old Fort Erie. Even the drive along Niagara’s massive gorge will leave you in awe. 

Niagara is now a world-class golf destination, thanks to the Niagara Golf Trail. The Stanley Thompson-designed Whirlpool Golf Course rests on gorgeous terrain, while Grand Niagara Resort from architect Rees Jones is both beautiful and challenging, with its skill-testing 18th hole bordering a lake. Thundering Waters from PGA Tour star John Daly is sure to stun you with its gorgeous aesthetics and top-notch amenities, while Royal Niagara and Legends on the Niagara will also leave you with wonderful golf memories. Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club (est. 1875) is the oldest golf course on its existing site in North America.

The Guelph-Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo area boasts a number of top-notch public courses, too, not to mention the annual nine-day Oktoberfest, North America’s largest Bavarian festival which brings a global flavour to the area.

From the Falls to the fall Oktoberfest, Niagara and Region truly is Ontario’s Festival Country.

Greater Toronto Area 

From skyscrapers, professional sports and incredible dining, to some of Canada’s most spectacular golf courses, the Greater Toronto Area really does offer the best of both worlds. Canada’s largest city, with 4 million residents, is one of the world’s most metropolitan municipalities. Ride the elevator in the CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure. Shop along Queen Street and at Kensington Market. Visit the Ontario Science Centre. Or take in live theatre, and perhaps a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game or Toronto Argonauts football contest at Rogers Centre. Toronto truly is a city without borders!

The GTA is a golf destination, too, with 200-plus courses within an hour’s drive of the CN Tower. A trip to Toronto Highlands Golf is a must. North of Toronto, rolling hills, green valleys and the Oak Ridges Moraine provide championship golf backed by Mother Nature. Impeccable golf courses provide an idyllic escape from urban excitement. Wooden Sticks, honouring golf’s deep traditions, and Angus Glen, host of the 2007 Canadian Open, are just two of Toronto Highlands’ outstanding offerings. Play here, and you’ll be thrilled by the challenges created, for example, by world-class Canadian golf course architect Doug Carrick, and PGA Tour star Davis Love III.

The lovely landscapes of the Niagara Escarpment provide the ideal setting for the Headwaters Golf Trail, only minutes northwest of Pearson International Airport. Sitting at the highest elevation in Southern Ontario, Headwaters Golf Trail rests at the headwaters of four major river systems, which over time have created the wondrous hills and valleys which are a vital part of the spectacular golf courses.

A visit to the GTA wouldn’t be complete without a round at Glen Abbey Golf Club, home to the 2008 RBC Canadian Open July 21-27, and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.

Central Ontario

Muskoka, the Kawarthas, Haliburton Highlands, southern Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe all combine to make Central Ontario an outdoor playground throughout the year. Whether you fancy golf, biking, hiking, ice fishing, snowmobiling – or a lazy day at the beach – Central Ontario is custom made for you.

The Muskoka Golf Trail is world famous for its natural beauty and immaculate fairways and greens. In fact, Muskoka Golf offers Canada’s most concentrated area of top-notch golf facilities. Deerhurst Highlands, Grandview Resort, The Inn at Manitou, and Muskoka Bay Club – a Doug Carrick design voted “Best New Golf Course in Canada 2007” by Golf Digest – are just a few of the exquisite courses. You’ll also want to check out The Ridge at Manitou, The Rock Golf Club and Seguin Valley Golf and Country Club for exciting, first-class public golf. Muskoka Golf Airways can also transport you to and from your golf hideaway, where the hustle and bustle of everyday life seems a world away in this Central Ontario gem.

Amazingly, there are more than 80 Muskoka resorts waiting for your discovery. Rocky Crest Golf Club, The Mark O’Meara Course at Grandview, Taboo Golf Club and The Lake Joseph Club provide some of the best golf and attached amenities anywhere in North America. Of course, when you’re not golfing, you’ll also enjoy some of the most beautiful natural scenery you will find anywhere, and at any time of the year.

Central Ontario must be explored in your lifetime. In the Kawarthas, watch the world’s largest hydraulic lift lock. Kayak or canoe in Minden or Madawaska at Haliburton Highlands. Enjoy all of Lake Ontario’s ports of call – the joys are endless in Central Ontario.

Eastern Ontario

Surrounded by the Ottawa River in the north and the St. Lawrence River to the east, Eastern Ontario combines magnificent country settings with spectacular heritage in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. In total, there are 130 golf courses in Eastern Ontario, where rich Ontario farmland, northern white rapids and big-city life live side by side. It’s a paradise of picture-perfect golf and natural wonders.

Eastern Ontario’s public golf courses offer something for every level of golfer. Belleville offers Bay of Quinte Country Club, Trillium Wood Golf Club and Black Bear Ridge Golf Course. Travel east to Kingston, and there’s Amherstview Golf Club, Belle Park Fairways, Glen Lawrence Golf Club and The Landings Golf Course and Teaching Centre. Travel even further east, and visit Cornwall where Archie’s Golf, Sandy Mountain and Summerheights Golf Links’ 36 holes at the South and West courses provide endless enjoyment on the links.

Pembroke sits at the northern border of Eastern Ontario offers Indian River and Pembroke Shores for the golf enthusiast. And just like the rest of Ontario, everywhere you go in Eastern Ontario an adventure awaits you and your crew. 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. First a fur-trading post and military ground, Kingston served as Canada’s capital from 1841 to 1844. Ancient forts and historic landmarks are the roots of Kingston.

Look closer at Eastern Ontario, and you’ll find Belleville and Trenton are favourite haunts of local fishermen. Peterborough, too, provides year-round activities. And, of course, Eastern Ontario provides the ultimate golf getaway, surrounded by lakes, rivers and canals.

Ottawa

Canada’s capital city may be known as the nation’s centre of power, but it’s also a golfer’s dream with 80 courses within the City of Ottawa and the Capital Region. The Brookstreet Resort in Kanata is the perfect place to start. Here, a spectacular hotel with exquisite fine dining will please your senses. And when it’s time for golf, check out Anderson Links Golf and Country Club, one of the best new courses in Ontario. A Graham Cooke design, Anderson Links is just minutes from downtown Ottawa, yet offers the feel of a true southern-U.S. golf resort.

If you’re up to the challenge, The Marshes Golf Club at Brookstreet, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr., is one of Ontario’s toughest tracks. The Ken Venturi-designed Eagle Creek Golf Club, just a half-hour from downtown Ottawa, is worth the short drive as it offers gorgeous, scenic 18 holes of golf.

Of course, Ottawa sits within the top of the list of every Ontario traveller. 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. And when your round is over, you won’t be without sites to see. Daily tours are offered at Canada’s Parliament. Visitors may also visit the Public Galleries of both the Senate and the House of Commons.

Be sure to visit Ottawa Aug. 11-17, as Ottawa Hunt and Country Club hosts the LPGA Tour’s CN Canadian Women’s Open. 

No surprise, Ottawa ranks among the most beautiful cities in the world, thanks in part to its glorious golf courses. Come for the golf, and enjoy all Ottawa has to offer!

Northern Ontario

With over 80 golf courses, terrific tree-lined scenery and a myriad of resorts from which to choose, Northern Ontario offers the ideal venue for a golf getaway. And get away you will, as Northern Ontario truly brings you out of the urban jungle and into the serene setting of rural beauty. 

Following in the spirit of adventure of the French Canadian voyageurs, the native Ojibway and Métis hunters and Scottish fur traders who put the area on the map in the early 1800s, Thunder Bay’s Whitewater Golf Club is a challenging course designed by inspiration. In Sault Ste. Marie, Crimson Ridge boasts many natural features of the spectacular Northern Ontario landscape. Waterfalls, creeks, numerous elevation changes, mature hardwoods and spectacular views and vistas await you on this scenic layout, designed by Kevin Holmes. And in Sudbury, Timberwolf Golf Course, designed by Thomas McBroom, covers an area roughly three times the size of any other golf course in the Sudbury area. The result? A sense of solitude from tee to green.

On or off the golf course, Northern Ontario truly is a Monet painting come alive, a region where Mother Nature’s brush strokes has defined the terrain. It’s also an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, with fishing, hiking, canoeing and hunting opportunities unequalled in North America. 

Natural wonders, backdropped by Mother Nature’s colour palate, and brought alive with the help of fabulously designed golf courses all make Northern Ontario one of the most beautiful places on earth.