Name a public, 18-hole golf course anywhere near Toronto that's at least 6,000 yards in length, and chances are pretty good I've played it. There are some exceptions – usually courses with astronomical green fees. I'm looking at you, Copper Creek. For whatever reason, however, I had never played Lakeridge Links, near Brooklin, Ontario. It's reasonably priced and any comments I've heard about the course were generally complimentary. An opportunity to play Lakeridge arose recently, so I headed there with great anticipation.
Overall, I have to say I like the course. It has plenty of length and a good mix of holes. Trees can come into play, but there is ample space if you hit good shots. If you do find yourself with tree trouble, there is a chance to recover or at least limit the damage. Water is a factor on a few holes, which adds to the interest. Bunkers are strategically placed, though I found the sand contained stones and was somewhat inconsistent. The course makes good use of elevation changes. Along with holes of varying length, this means you'll use most, if not all, of the clubs in your bag. The course was a little dry on the day I played, but I can't fault the club for the weather.
For the most part, I played a very controlled round. The first two thirds of the round went off without any major incident. Through hole #13, the worst results on my scorecard were four double-bogeys. Two of these were due to balls that were inexplicably lost in wide open areas, so I can't really fault myself. On hole #1, I pulled my drive slightly left, directly at a lone spruce tree. I saw exactly where it bounced, yet couldn't find the ball anywhere near the tree. The same thing happened on hole #6. In that case, I think my ball may have been pinched by people playing hole #5.
This stretch was basically a bogey-fest, though it did include a couple of pars. Both of them came on par-5 holes. On hole #4, a 498-yard test with a creek lining most of the left side, I hit two great shots to give myself an eagle putt. The drive was off the hillside on the right side, which kicked my ball to the middle of the fairway. From 230 yards, I hit a laser of a 3-iron. It never got more than 6 feet off the ground, coming to rest just a foot off the front of the green. With a front pin location, this left a make-able eagle opportunity. My weight was good, but the line was a little off, leaving about 5 feet for birdie. Unfortunately, I burned the edge and settled for par.
Hole #9 is a shorter par-5 at 462 yards, but it plays longer because it's all uphill. I hit a decent drive just right of the fairway, but my ball ended up on the side of a mound. The side-hill lie gave me trouble, as I pulled a wicked iron well left of the fairway. From 120 yards out, trees prevented me from going at the left, rear flag. I hit a gap wedge to the front right edge of the green. This left an incredibly long putt, but I lagged it beautifully, finishing with a 3-footer for par.
The back nine begins with a downhill par-5 measuring 485 yards from the white tees. I pounded my drive straight down the fairway to the 200-yard marker. Next, I hit a 4-iron that rivalled the 3-iron laser from earlier in the round. It was another low bullet. This one finished flag high, but in a bunker just right of the pin. In the flat of the bunker, I had great lie. We all know that I have no confidence with greenside bunker shots though. I hit a decent out, but the ball bounced on the turtle-back green and rolled off the other side. I was now short-sided and pitched one safely past the flagstick. I underestimated the break and speed greatly, finishing with a 3-putt and double-bogey. It was a waste of two beautiful shots that started the hole.
The worst holes of the day were #14 and #15. The former is the hardest hole on the course, but I made it harder than it actually was. A dogleg left, not much of the hole is visible from the tee. Having never played the course, I relied on my fellow competitors to guide my tee shot. Their advice left me with the impression that I really had to challenge the corner of the dogleg in order to have a chance at reaching the green of this par-4 in two shots. I quickly pulled a 5-wood into the forest. It was my worst shot of the day. After taking a penalty stroke and pitching back to the fairway, I saw that there was actually plenty of room to the right side. From that position, the approach to the green, while challenging, is entirely reasonable. Oh well, I'll know for next time. I complicated matters near the green by duffing a pitch shot into a bunker, finishing with a score of 8.
On hole #15, the problem was a pitch shot that carried too far into a hazard. It was my second shot and I was just trying to get back to the fairway after my drive left me blocked out by trees. An unnecessary 3-putt aggravated things and I finished with a triple-bogey. Fortunately, I bounced back with a birdie on the next hole, a 486-yard par-5. A sand wedge from 100 yards left me below the hole and I drained a 10-footer.
In the end, the two blowup holes killed my score. Had a couple of small breaks gone my way on some of the other holes, I would have been able to absorb the two blowups and still break 90. I feel like I played quite well but the score doesn't reflect that. The difference between an 87 and a 96 can be ever so slight. My next round will be a Deepwoods event. I'm hoping some of those breaks go my way and I'll be able to break 90.
Score: 96
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
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