MANDERLEY ON THE GREEN COURSE REVIEW

Last year I wrote a piece on Manderley on the Green for Golf Business Canada Magazine, where I looked further into their recent expansion to 27 holes compared to another course out in Alberta. It was a good experience, and speaking with Ernie Ferne, part-owner of Manderley, encouraged me to want to give the course a try this year.

Manderley was built about 45 years ago originally as a nine hole course, but they quickly expanded to 18 and just recently to their current 27 hole facility. Located in North Gower, yet another small town just outside of Ottawa, the fact that the course hosts a lot of tournaments is what prompted the move to 27 holes.

“There seemed to be a demand, a need for courses to be able to provide golf facilities for the number of participants, up towards the 200 range and in order to do that you would need an extra 9 holes,” said Ferne.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to play the newest nine at Manderley (the North) which is something I would like to go back and do, if only to see how the owners have weaved the new nine in with the older 18, and to experience what sounds like a more modern layout.

Ferne said that the older part of the course had “an old design” but the new course tackled some issues, especially with the greens which Ferne said that the designers had them “built to USGA specs.”

Instead, my round consisted of the classic Manderley design, the South and the Central nines. This go-around tips out at only 6,334 yards which doesn’t make it sound too difficult at first, but there are a handful of holes where the course really shows its teeth.

As mentioned, there isn’t anything overly special about Manderley, but it has a sneaky way about it if you don’t navigate it the right way. For a couple guys who had never played there before, and with no course members as partners to help out, we were struggling.

On the South nine, some of the fairways are cut ridiculously tight, with deep, Blair Witch Project-esque forest on either side. The perfect example of this comes on no. 5. It follows a relatively easy fourth hole, where a good drive with some role will almost nestle up the green.

Number five though is a 363 yard dogleg right with a pencil thin fairway and some of that Blair Witch forest I was talking about earlier. The green is large, but if you go long, left, or right, you are toast.

My playing partner so eloquently expressed his dislike for the par 3’s on the South side with an expletive-laced rant after no. 8. Although I wouldn’t go that far, they do leave little to be desired, which is a direct contrast to the par 3’s on the Central nine; arguably the jewels of the whole course.

It starts on no. 2, a 158 yard gem with a slightly elevated tee. If you want to attack the flag here you must go over the pond that just seems to be teasing you to try to go over it while you’re standing on the tee. Here, my playing partner’s thought about Manderley’s par 3’s drastically changed as he stuck his tee-shot to two feet and made the birdie.

Number four involves another tee shot over a small creek as the course claims as “nothing but a visual hazard” but I guess whoever wrote that never saw the group ahead of us hack their way through this hole.

In any case, it’s another beautiful little hole, with bunkers guarding the large green. Again, if you’re long, left, or right here, then you’re back in the forest. Anything short though, will leave a relatively easy pitch on. From the tee they’ve incorporated some old-style fencing and although it will never reach Pebble Beach standards, it is a very nice addition to the hole.

The staff at Manderley were very hit and miss. First arriving, we got to the clubhouse with about 10 minutes to spare before our tee-time and were ready to pay, stretch a bit, and get out there. Unfortunately, the pro shop attendant was too wrapped up in his personal phone call to notice us and we were waiting for upwards of five minutes, cutting the time before we were supposed to tee-off in half.

The worst experience I had with the staff was actually with the maintenance ladies who, on number two, were cutting the lawn towards us as we teed off, and didn’t seem to stop – forcing us to hit our tee-shots into them, and our second shots over them. What was going through their heads while doing that remains to be seen.

The problem with Manderley’s 27 hole layout was only made the most evident for me at “the turn” as we assumed we needed to go all the way back to the club house to get a snack, when really, there was a shack much closer where we needed to tee off for our second nine. Some more direction would be beneficial for the first-timers here; as we were then behind two different groups taking our detour to the clubhouse and back.

Despite great strides developing the new layout at Manderley, a loyal membership base who keep coming back year after year, and a great tournament presence, it just wasn’t for me as a one-time player. What it needs is for the 27 hole facility to develop a little more, get the organization down pat, then you’re looking a smoother transition between nines. And maybe hire a new maintenance crew.

Playability: 7/10
Condition: 7/10
Staff Service: 4/10

ANDERSON LINKS G&CC COURSE REVIEW

One course that a friend of mine has wanted to play since last year, and for some reason we kept putting off is Anderson Links Golf and Country Club. We finally decided to go for it, but to keep with a tradition of not feeling our best while playing, it was another morning-after-a-birthday tee time. We were, however, ready to take on one of the Greater Ottawa Area’s most acclaimed new courses.

Anderson was opened in 2007, by the same family who also owns Emerald Links and Cloverdale Links, also in the GOA. A legit links-style layout, there are some holes that really test your accuracy, and others that let you go out and bomb it. A handful of risk/reward holes and fast greens make for a great test here.

The first thing one notices when pulling into Anderson is, unfortunately, the parking lot looks like the set from 8 Mile, as there are a handful of trailers all doing the functions of what one clubhouse should be doing.

Once you look past the trailers though, you see a large, gorgeous, nearly-completed clubhouse that I can only assume will be opening the spring of 2010. You’re really made to feel at home at Anderson, as the employees in the pro shop and the… food trailer… were great, especially to us first-timers.

A little bit of a change of pace for me as we teed off on the back nine, but with a junior tournament beginning at 11:30, they wanted to get as many people off as they could before then, without jamming up the front side.

We had finally come to a course with a good starter, a knowledgeable French man who let us know where to hit our opening shot off the tee, and where we would need to go once we had completed 18 to get back to number one.

This was a course that I definitely did not mind paying a little extra for. Everything was new, and in just two full golf seasons was already hosting some of the best young players in the region. According to our starter, the course record is a 66, shot by a 14-year-old the week before we played. It’s just crazy to think what the next generation of golfers is going to be like, if stuff like this is already happening.

The group of 40 or 50 kids that we passed on the tee all were outfitted in the newest 2009 stuff and I’m sure I turned green with envy just imagining what life would have been like for me if, at that age, I was already *that* good.

At Anderson, the best hole would have be number nine, my 18th hole of the day. A moderate par 5, at 532 yards from the tips, this hole had a slight S-curvature to it, and your approach in is a monstrous carry over a pond if you wanted to reach the green in two.

With the wind blowing off the pond on the right, and fescue, trees and the first fairway to your left, if you needed a great drive, now would be the time.

Unfortunately, I hit a towering fade into a fairway bunker and had my work cut out for me. When I found my ball, it was actually sitting up a little bit, as if it was on a tee of sand. So, I did what anyone would do (right?), grabbed my 7-wood and waited for the green to clear. All the while my two playing partners were wondering what had gotten into me. There may have even been a $5 wager yelled across the fairway saying I “wouldn’t” make it over. I probably hit one of the best approach shots I’ve ever hit, clipping the sand and flying over the pond to catch the far left side of the green. Two putts from there and I had made a very lucky birdie.

With a unique set up of six of each par-threes, fours, and fives, Anderson makes good on the cliché “something for everybody” as even my higher handicap friends were singing the golf course’s praises.

I’m looking forward to the completion of the new clubhouse, but the Patterson family has a winning formula here, and I feel as though Anderson can only get better as it matures.

Playability: 9/10
Condition: 9/10
Staff Service: 9/10

IRISH HILLS G&CC COURSE REVIEW

When I told one of my usual playing partners that we played at Irish Hills Golf and Country Club when he was away for a weekend, his only response was an “ohhh… really?” with a look on his face that reminded me of when he polished off one too many “all-you-can-eat” chicken wings.

Now, I wouldn’t go as far as giving it that type of reaction, but whoever voted in the Kanata Kourier Standard for Irish Hills to be their favourite golf course are probably the same disillusioned folks who think the Senators are going to make the playoffs this year (don’t worry, unless the Leafs offense steps it up, I’m not sure we will either).

Irish Hills is located just outside of Kanata in Carp, Ontario. A town made famous in the 1960s and 70s for the Diefenbunker, the security facility that John Diefenbaker had built in case the Russians decided they would launch an attack on Canada. The golf, though, leaves little to be desired.

The only thing “Irish” about this golf course is the name, as the attempt to make a links-style facility falls way short of what I’m sure they had in mind. A stark contrast to some of the other courses I’ve played both at home and in Ottawa, after four holes I had just about given up.

My playing partners were feeling the same way about the place, but we trundled along. Lucky enough for one of my friends, as he came home in a 36, an unreal number that I had never actually seen anyone shoot in person.

I bowed my head to him and despite the course getting torched; we all left with a bitter taste in our mouths (which, for me, may have actually been the chicken salad sandwich I had at the turn).

This course reminded me of a farmer’s field more than any other country tracks that I have played, and trust me, I’ve played a few. I’m sure at one point this place actually was a farm, as barn remnants/farming equipment greeted each player as soon as they arrived in the parking lot.

We had a 3 p.m. tee time and we still ended up paying $40, which after playing some other courses in the region for much better value, seemed very steep. It wasn’t that the course was ill-maintained, no, the lush rolling fairways were cut to perfection and the subtle tree placements and water hazards added some definite elements of creativity to the place. My favourite stretch of holes was numbers 12 and 13, a long par 5 (602 from the tips) and a medium length par 3 respectively.

After the frustration from the front side had settled down, number 12 was a welcome change as it was a large, long, wide par 5 that allowed each of us to tee it high and let it fly. I was actually on the green in two, but three-putted, a result I’m going to blame on the greens (it’s always someone else’s fault. Right?)

Number 13 was a challenging little eight-iron par 3, with water all the way down the right side from tee-to-green and then what can only be called a “West Nile breeding facility” on the left (a large swampy area), as one of my playing partners so eloquently put it. Another three-putt bogey here and I was ready to move on.

The real problem I had with the course was the management of the place. We overheard a group of gentlemen on the patio saying that “during the week, you could just walk on here” assuming of course that means that you don’t have to call ahead to get a tee-time, which, to me, promotes an informal atmosphere. This claim was backed up by the foursome behind us who were literally playing golf cart bumper cars up 15, 16, 17, and 18.

Besides the woman who was in the pro shop (the same woman, I believe, who actually sounded excited when I called to make a tee time), there was also a woman in the snack house at the turn, but she was of little help shutting the grill/oven off at 5 p.m. Jeez. What does a guy have to do to get a hot dog around here?

In any case, the lack of marshals and organization really brought the course down, along with the price as for a much better deal I’m sure I could have found a much better course. It’s a shame though, with the prime location and large plot of land (they have 27 holes) Irish Hills could have been something great.

Playability: 5/10
Condition: 7/10
Staff Service: 3/10

METCALFE G&CC COURSE REVIEW

The first time I ever played at Metcalfe Golf and Country Club was last fall. My friend and his girlfriend of almost three years had just broken up, and I figured some healing could be done out on the golf course.

Despite the fact that it was late September, I was left with a great impression as the course was still looking good after a full summer of rounds played there, combined with the assumed frost delay in the morning.

It was definitely a place I wanted to come back to during the 2009 golf season for the full experience, and I will say this: I was not disappointed.

The course is located about 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa in the small town of Metcalfe, where mushroom farming and the Metcalfe Jets Junior B hockey team reign supreme. The drive into the course is a prime example of how odd the urban planning of Ottawa is, a simple trip up Bank Street (one of the busiest streets in the city) quickly turns into acres of farm land.

One of the big reasons why I like the place so much is that it reminds me of some the courses at home, and that all starts with how to get there with actual signs pointing you where to go. So thank you, Metcalfe.

Besides that, obviously, it is hard to beat the price. I have not played 18 holes for more than $35 any time I have gone there, and a course of this quality in Toronto would for sure be upwards of $50. Their current twilight rates are only $25 and that is, to me, a steal. They are going to be dropping their green fees for 2010 as well, so it’s only getting better for golfers in the GOA.

From a playability perspective, Metcalfe is great for players of all levels as the four sets of tee blocks spread out the course, which recently added a new nine to bring the course to a full 18 hole facility. In a move uncharacteristic of most places, their new nine actually starts at hole seven and goes to 15, but it actually flows better with the set-up of the course.

My favourite hole on the course has to be number eight, an almost 400 yard par-4 with a slight dogleg left. If you go too left here, you’re toast, but the fairway is super wide, and even if you flare out to the right, you’ll be safe.

The tee shot is slightly uphill and blind, but there is an old equipment shack in line with the middle of the fairway and the fine people at Metcalfe have put a sign on the tee box that says: “aim at the shack and hit it straight.” You mean you don’t try to hit it down the middle every time?!

Lucky for me I’ve been hitting a big draw all summer (see: duck hook) and so on a hole like this I could just let it rip. From the fairway it’s a downhill second shot onto a small green, hidden by some fairway undulations. You should be able to attack this green from any spot, as even a slight miss-hit has the chance to roll down onto it. Trees surround the green on all sides, so accuracy is at a premium.

I’ve played at Metcalfe both with a cart and without, and both were enjoyable. You don’t experience a lot of big undulations so it makes for a fairly flat walk. A cart is good here, but not necessary, except of course if your playing partners partied at a fraternity house the night before and are still feeling the effects (wow, this is a becoming a trend).

The home hole at Metcalfe is also one of my favourites. Although not very long, this straight away, 490 yard par-5 is a great way to end the round. Unlike most holes on the course, number 18 leaves no room for error off the tee as there is OB left and a tree-lined right side. Even with a good drive, there is a creek running across the fairway at 100 yards to the pin, so there goes a “comfortable” lay up position for most people. Your approach shot is to a horizontally long but narrow green with forest all around.

From there, one must definitely head to Hickories Restaurant, Metcalfe’s on-site eatery for some of “the best food you have ever had at a golf course,” or so they say. Although this is a pretty exuberant claim, their food is quite good. I have had to pay much more money for my round of golf to get the same quality of food as I get at Metcalfe.

You’ll be greeted by some great country hospitality at Metcalfe as well, as everyone is very polite and ready to enhance your golfing experience. Again, there was an issue with marshaling here (what is with these Eastern Ontario courses), as many felt they could drive towards you, or across your fairway as you were about to play, but I digress.

The re-designed Metcalfe is a great place to play overall, I would love to see it get a little more challenging (not sure if they’ve heard of bunkers), but for the price and location you really can’t beat it. The recently named “Most Underrated Golf Course” by the readers of Flagstick Magazine for 2009, is a place I will be definitely be coming back to.

Playability: 9/10
Condition: 7/10
Staff Service: 10/10