We visited the Rodd Resort at Brudennel River about three years ago. The track at Brudennel is a classic parkland course with lush grass and beautiful mature trees everywhere — a very enjoyable outing. While we were there, Dundarave, the second 18 at Brudennel was being created before our eyes. In other words, it’s only a couple of years old, and I gather from the descriptions, much more of a new style “designer” course with lots of bunkers, undulations, big greens, and so on.

Another outstanding course (with accompanying Rodd Resort), The Links at Crowbush Cove is not far away. This course was the site (that very week) of the infamous Canadian Skins Game when John Daly was supposed to have hit a 200 yard drive with his putter. We couldn’t get on the course, but friends of mine say it is a fantastic layout. Reviewers seem to agree too, ranking it among the best courses in North America.

The fourth championship track in PEI is Mill River, located at the other end of the island (the west end). This is another highly rated parkland course, with yet another Rodd Resort on site. The price is right too. A three night stay at any of these Rodd Resorts with three rounds of golf is in the range of $500 (Canadian) per person. Compare that to roughly $600 cad per person, plus 15% “service charge” for a three night stay at the Rocky Crest Resort in Ontario.

Back on the mainland, Nova Scotia has an equally diverse range of golf courses and resorts. Perhaps the best known golf destination is the rugged region of Cape Breton.The feature course is Highlands Links way out on the western tip of the island. This course was designed by Stanley Thompson, and has been rated the #1 Public Course in Canada, with green fees that are lower than one might expect for a course of this stature.

Create a three or four night stay in Cape Breton and play the other fine courses: Dundee part of the Dundee Resort on the hills surrounding Bras D’Or Lakes, Le Portage in the Acadian village of Cheticamp on the Cabot Trail, and Bell Bay a newer Thomas McBroom creation, also on Bras D’Or Lakes. Together these courses are referred to as the “Fabulous Foursome”. A three night stay at one of five Cape Breton Resorts with three rounds of golf will run approximately $400 (cad) per person in high season. Significantly lower rates are available in spring and fall. This could be the best golfing deal in all of Canada.

Next door in New Brunswick the golfing scene is not quite as neatly packaged as in PEI and Nova Scotia. But a bit of searching will unearth some gems. For instance, The Algonquin Golf Course and Academy in the quaint town of St. Andrews by the Sea is certainly worth a visit. And you could do a lot worse than a few rounds at the Rees Jones designed Royal Oaks, in Moncton. A three night stay at the Rodd Parkhouse Inn in Moncton (with three rounds of golf at the highly rated Royal Oaks), should be less than $400 per person. Another interesting looking course is The Lynx at Kingswood Park near Fredricton, with green fees in the $50-$75 range. Send for a copy of the New Brunswick Golf Guide and Map, or search the Golf New Brunswick web site for golf tours and vacations.

The post Some Top Golf Holiday destinations in Atlantic Canada appeared first on Golf Review.

And a trip to Quebec offers something you can not easily find anywhere else this side of the Atlantic: an alternative to the fast food strip mall culture we’ve come to expect along every highway.

La province de Quebec is a very large place, with a number of distinct tourist areas. It stretches from Ontario and the Ottawa River in the west all the way to Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the east; from the Eastern Townships and Gaspe bordering on New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine in the south, to the cold and rugged expanses of Hudson’s Bay and the Arctic in the north.

In this article I feature Quebec City and the Charlevoix district.

Quebec City and Charlevoix (east of Quebec City)

Le Grand Vallon – This long and gently rolling layout is nestled at the base of magnificent Mont-Sainte-Anne, and part of the extensive ski resort. The course was originally built in 1976 and recently upgraded, earning it a silver medal for Best Improved Golf Course from Golf International magazine. Le Grand Vallon is beautifully conditioned, with tree-lined fairways and a plateau at mid-course. ($50-$80cdn/round. A wide range of accommodation packages are available, from as low as $80 cdn pp for one night/one round of golf.)

Richelieu Golf Club – It’s been called one of the finest golf resorts in Canada. Perched high above the majestic St. Lawrence River, Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu Golf Club (Charlevoix) follows the scenic lay of the land, creating a superb, thinking golfer’s course. Inaugurated in 1925 by former American President William H. Taft, Le Manoir Richelieu is a rambling, tumbling 18-hole creation that offers an unpredictable par-71 layout—you’ll need a cart to cover the 6,225-yard course. Grandiose vistas can be savoured from every tee. ($65cdn + cart. Example 2003 summer package: $555 usd/person, including 3 nights, car rental, and air flight from New York. Golf extra.)

Le Grand Portneuf – about 20 minutes from Quebec City, offers 36 holes of golf amid spectacular scenery. The Blue Course tests golfers’ strategy, strength and accuracy. The eye-pleasing stretch from holes 5 to 7 runs along the Rivière Portneuf, where the music of the falls adds to the charm of the setting. The Red Course features dramatic elevation changes, forests, hills and ravines. The White Course is edged with maple trees and threads through undulating woodlands. (no rates available)

Mont Tourbillon – Nestled on a mountainside overlooking Lac Beauport, this is part of another ski resort and is one of the most scenic golf courses in Québec. It opened in 1961, and has become an established favorite with golfers who enjoy the mountain vistas as much as the challenging play. The lovely Lac Beauport area is a popular getaway location, offering a variety of recreational activities, accommodations and scenic attractions. ($30-$75cdn per round.)

Royal Quebec – Founded in 1874 and located in Boischatel since 1925, the Royal Quebec is a first-class semi-private golf club. With its 36-hole course and country club atmosphere, it is one of the oldest golf clubs in America. Even older than many Scottish clubs.

Located a stone’s throw from the Montmorency Falls and only minutes away from the Old Capital, the Royal Quebec is one of the most prestigious clubs in the region.

The club is located on a 186 hectares piece of land with majestic pine trees growing since the beginning of the century.

The club house, overlooking the 18th green of the «Quebec» course, is a true architectural jewel. Its panoramic windows offer a spectacular view of l’Île d’Orléans and Quebec city.

The post Some Top Golf Holiday destinations in Quebec appeared first on Golf Review.

But it turns out Ireland is no slouch when it comes to links land. Some of the most picturesque, awe-inspiring courses in the world are in Ireland. In fact Ireland is home to almost 40% of the world’s genuine links courses.* That means there are more than 50 links courses in Ireland, not to mention the other 350 or so that are not of the links variety. Rates are quoted in Euros.

By far the most famous golf course in Ireland is at Ballybunion, in the Southwest corner of the island, in the county of Kerry. In fact there are two 18s. The Old Course, founded in 1893 is consistently rated among the world’s top 10 courses. Tom Watson (who obviously knows how to get quoted, and is also the Millenium Captain of the Club) once called it “the best in the world.” (€110) The Cashen Course, built in 1981 among the more dramatic dunes on the site, is the more difficult of the two, and noteworthy for its small greens and tight fairways. (€75)

Other well-known links courses in the southwest include Tralee (€130), designed by Arnold Palmer to be a golf destination (and therefore expensive), and Lahnich (€110), originally designed by Old Tom Morris (of St. Andrews) and Alistair Mackenzie whose imprint was also left on Augusta National, Pebble Beach, and Cypress Point.

Meanwhile, the northwest area of the country is blessed with some outstanding golf courses as well. Ten of these courses have come together to form the North and West Coast Links. At the eastern end of the loop is Royal Portrush just west of Derry in Northern Ireland. Ranked in the top 20 in the world, and host of many major tournaments, there are two 18s at Portrush with the Dunluce course costing €138 a round in 2003.

You’ll find another outstanding 36 hole links layout not too far along the coast at Ballyliffin. Referred to as the “Dornoch of Ireland”, green fees range from €50-€70. Nick Faldo called Ballyliffin “the most natural golf links I have ever played.”

Donegal County, in the extreme northwest corner of the island, is the home of some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in Ireland — including the highest sea cliffs in Europe. It is also where you will find Donegal in the town of Murvagh. This is one of Europe’s longest 18 hole courses at more than 7200 yards. Built among the impressive coastal dunes, Donegal is another masterpiece of nature. Green fees are in the €50 range.

Contact the North and West Coast Links and ask them for a copy of their excellent brochure.

If you’re in the Dublin area (on the Irish Sea side of the island), the most famous course is Portmarnock. First opened in 1894, many golfers rate it as Ireland’s finest links course. Laid out within the curve of the coastline formed by the Howth peninsula, it offers stunning views of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island, rising sharply from deep waters. At €165 – €190 it is also pretty pricey.

When you’re in Northern Ireland you’ll want to check out Royal County Down, located at a relatively remote site 30 miles south of Belfast in Newcastle. This is a first class course which has been the site of many major championships, and will host the 2007 Walker Cup. Green fees are also surprisingly reasonable — €95 on the Championship Links, and €18 on the much less intimidating Annesley Links.

Royal County Down near Belfast in Northern Ireland …”This, arguably the greatest of links courses, is the polar opposite of a typical American golf experience. It’s as different as George Will and Will Smith.”
-Joel Zuckerman, WorldGolf.com

“It would be advisable to pre-book the more famous Ireland golf courses especially during the summer months. Based on reviews received by Golfeurope, golfers rave about many of the lesser known clubs so one should take the time to visit a selection of these. Indeed the more famous golf clubs sometimes charge exorbitant green fees and demand pre-booking or impose other explicit or implicit restrictions. Its golf snobbery, charge a lot and make people feel privileged to play. Exclusive and expensive are not the same as excellence. This is rare and not indicative of the Irish. The point being that in Ireland, you don’t have to tolerate this behaviour given the wide choice.”

The post Surprise! The links of Ireland are awesome appeared first on Golf Review.

Rubenstein wrote this book A Season in Dornoch — Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands after spending a summer in Dornoch, Scotland. He had visited the famous golf course in Dornoch a few years earlier, and attracted by the remoteness and mystique of the place, decided it was worth a longer stay. Ultimately it became a book.

If you’ve ever played Royal Dornoch, or just been to the town, you’ll understand the attraction. It is a beautiful little historic village in the Scottish Highlands, just north of Inverness on the Atlantic side of Scotland.

Sheltered by the neighbouring hills, and influenced by the Gulf Stream that skirts the northern part of Scotland, Dornoch enjoys a climate that is moderate by North American standards, and relatively dry compared to the rest of Scotland. This means that golf can be played year round at a latitude just slightly north of Moscow.

A Season in Dornoch is filled with intimate recollections of people and places; the sort of stuff you could never learn just by visiting for a day or two. An interesting undercurrent is the way Rubenstein puts the infamous “clearances” of the 1840s at the centre of the Highland world view.

“The Mannie” — a statue of the 1st Duke of Sutherland standing high atop Ben Bhraggie near Golspie, looking out toward the sea, and overlooking the entire area of which Dornoch is just a small part. This was the same person who evicted the peasant farmers throughout the entire Sutherland region and replaced them with sheep. According to historians, this had a lasting impact on the local population, and created bitter resentment that remains to this day. Many of these displaced farmers ended up in North America.

And then there is the golf course. Royal Dornoch is considered one of the world’s great courses, and perhaps as “pure” an example of a seaside links course as you will find anywhere. Because of its remote location it has never hosted the British Open, even though it is on a par with virtually any course in the UK. Rubenstein brings the course to life with his own experiences — solitary late evening rounds by the sea, playing in a gale, his attempts to tweak his swing. There is also the day Ernie Els comes to town, and the Scottish Amateur which takes place over a beautiful summer weekend. The golf story culminates in Rubenstein’s own performance in the club championship — an experience to which many of us can relate.

All in all, this is a very interesting book, and one I would highly recommend.

The post Royal Dornoch Comes Alive appeared first on Golf Review.

The Linlithgow trade sounded perfect. I had done a fair bit of research and had already decided I wanted to be near enough to St. Andrews to visit, but was more interested in seeing a few of the more obscure, remote courses. Linlithgow is roughly 50 miles from St. Andrews.

I was not counting on playing The Old Course this time around because Judy would not be able to play with me (official handicaps required), and you have to book too far in advance. I was more interested in just seeing the town of St. Andrews and walking a bit on the course.

My real objective was to visit Royal Dornoch three or so hours north of Edinburgh, and Machrihanish over on the Mull of Kintyre about as close to Ireland as you can get on mainland Scotland. So I had booked a two night stay at the Dornoch Castle in the first week, and another two night stay at a beautiful B&B; in Campbelltown about ten miles from Macrahanish.

We spent the first couple days at Linlithgow seeing the local sites. The first night there just happened to be a jousting match on the grounds of the Linlithgow Palace — an historic ruin that was once the home of Mary Queen of Scots.

Before leaving for Dornoch on Wednesday I wanted to play at least one round in the south. The father in law of our host recommended we go over to North Berwick just south of Muirfield on the east coast (the St. Andrews side). This gave us the opportunity to scout out the terrain along the East Lothian coast between Edinburgh and Gullane — the home of Muirfield.

We played our first round in Scotland at North Berwick. This is considered a “primitive” links course with quirky features such as blind shots and walls you have to shoot over. It is the home of the original “Redan” par three — which at the time I thought was fairly unremarkable — a hole which has been copied more than any other in the world. My most memorable shot was the approach at #13, “The Pit”. I hit what I thought was a beautiful iron just over the wall onto the green. When we got there it was down in the “pit” behind the green and required a massive uphill putt. I think it took about four more strokes to get it near the hole. Judy got her first par in Scotland on #17!

The next day we visited St. Andrews. Having played at North Berwick I was accustomed to the “public” nature of these courses. People were perfectly free to walk across the fairway to and from the beach. So this gave us the opportunity to walk parts of The Old Course. We walked out a couple holes along the beach side, then came back along the famous “Road Hole” (17) and along the road to the even more famous Swilcan Bridge over the “burn” on 18.

On Tuesay we played the local course at Linlithgow as a guest of our host. This offered an interesting taste of the other kind of course in Scotland — an inland or parkland course — more like what we Canadians are used to, but a bit more rugged.

Then on Wednesday we headed north to Dornoch for what was to be perhaps the most memorable part of our trip. Dornoch is a beautiful little town on the Dornoch Firth about 30 miles north of Inverness. The town itself is historically significant as one of the focal points for “the clearances” that took place in the 1840s. This was when the 1st Duke of Sutherland sent the peasant farmers packing and replaced them with sheep. It is also the site of the last witch burning that took place in the Great Britan.

The golf course at Royal Dornoch is one of the most famous in the world. Its isolation makes it even more appealing for golf romantics like me. On Wednesday night we walked the course as darkness settled in (at around 11pm).

Then on Thursday I played my first round on the hallowed links. It was not one of my best rounds. I was a single sandwiched between two foursomes, playing an unknown course. Two Ball Barcelona had not yet been invented, and it is arguably against the rules to play it in this situation anyway.

It was a memorable round nonetheless. Even if the shots were not particularly good, and the golfer was confused and somewhat at loose ends, the day was warm and pleasant, the course was strikingly beautiful, and I had played one of the world’s best courses.

Later that day Judy and I played the Struie Course which is the 2nd course on the Dornoch links. It was then under development and not particularly outstanding. On our second visit in 2003 the Struie Course had been much improved and was well worth playing.

The next day we had the opportunity to explore some of the local points of interest. A trip up the coast to Dunrobin Castle at Golspie was well worth it. The falconry exhibition was outstanding.

In the afternoon we played the golf course at Brora, further up the coast another 15 miles or so. It was perfect Scottish golfing weather. The gusty wind was blowing in off the Firth bringing short burst of light rain punctuated by sunny breaks.

This was one of those rounds you never forget. Brora is the only course I’ve played where neighbouring sheep and cattle are free to roam the links and the greens are fenced off with electrical wire. The course features lots of interesting shots over rugged grazing terrain. A fairly decent round can easily be ruined by a miscalculation at 18. It’s a longish par 3 (190) with a huge catchment area in front of the elevated green sitting right up beside the club house. I’ve been short every time I’ve played it.

After a thoroughly enjoyable round we visited the dining room in the club house for an early dinner. Then we headed back to Linlithgow to prepare for the next leg of our trip — our trip out past Loch Lomond and down the Kintyre peninsula that juts out into the Irish Sea.

In the next segment I will describe our three day side trip to Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre where we had the privilege of playing the world famous links at Machrihanish several times.

The post Our First Golf Trip to Scotland appeared first on Golf Review.

Home base was about 6 miles outside of Donegal Town in County Donegal way up in the northwest of the island, on the Atlantic side. We had set up a house swap with the owner of a beautifully renovated Irish “cottage” which just happens to be about two miles from Donegal Golf Course.

The Irish have a much deserved reputation for being unassuming, friendly and hospitable, and we certainly found this to be the case everywhere we went. Not that we went very far. Why bother when the Donegal area is just the sort of place we like best: as far away as possible from the tourist attractions of the big cities, with an outstanding, affordable golf course within a mile or two of our accommodation.

The golf course at Murvagh (Donegal Golf Club) is one of the longest in Europe, at 7227 yards from the back tees. Add in the influence of the ever-present hard-blowing Atlantic wind and you have a formidable challenge on your hands.

The contrast with our placid North American courses could not be greater. The landing surfaces are always hard and unpredictable. And the wind almost always makes a simple 75 yard pitch an adventure. This is the kind of pot shot we North Americans assume can be dialed in and dropped within a few yards of our target (in theory at least).

But at a place like Donegal you soon learn why they don’t bother much with yardage markers. Into the wind my most successful 100 yard pitch was almost always a knock-down seven, eight or nine iron. Forget about the wedges unless you want the ball to start coming back towards you.

Then there is the ever-present rough — not that “first cut, second cut” stuff, but what we naively call “the fescue” over here in North America. A shot from off the fairway can range from easy to impossible. Some of the “rough” areas have thin, wispy fescue with easy-to-get-your-club-on lies, and some have thick, almost impenetrable grass where the ground is covered with three or four inches of matted grass where you’re lucky to find your ball. And the difficulty of the rough is magnified several times when it becomes wet. This is where your wedge is important. Don’t be greedy. Open up the club face and get the ball out. But keep it right, because that wet rough is going to grab your club face and close it every time.

And don’t forget to dress warmly with a water-resistant jacket and a sturdy umbrella. When we were there (most of July) it rained just about every day. Not much, and not for long, but I would say there was at least a 75% chance we would get rained on when out on the course. A typical rain only lasts for ten minutes or so. You get pretty wet, and the wet grass makes the rough play that much harder. But a couple holes later you realize the wind has almost completely dried things out again.

We also played Rosapenna and Ballyliffin, both up near the most northern point in Ireland. Unfortunately my camera stopped working. Ballyliffin has an impressive club house (with the least expensive meals we found anywhere). This was the course Nick Faldo called “The Royal Dornoch of Ireland”. He wanted to buy it back in the early nineties and turn it into a super-destination course. We played the old “Tom Morris” course (there is a newer 18 called Glashedy). It is a great layout, but there is only one Royal Dornoch.

Ireland vs Scotland

A few people have asked me if I prefer Ireland to Scotland (which we have visited a couple of times). It is hard to say. Ireland feels more visitor-friendly, at least at first blush. The roads are easier to navigate (Scottish road signs are pretty obscure until you get used to them), and there seemed to be more North American style restaurants within easy reach. Of course our trips to Scotland were both to pretty remote areas.

The landscape in Ireland is what I would describe as more pastoral and “less harsh” than Scotland (the Highlands), although this is not necessarily a good (or bad) thing. In the Scottish Highlands you get a real taste of the unique countryside and the variations from small region to small region by driving on some of those very remote one lane roads. We saw some of this in Ireland, but there was a greater sense of isolation and remoteness in Scotland — miles and miles of winding road with nothing but sheep to keep you company. In Ireland — even up in the very most remote northern part — you were never far from other cars. And there were new houses and (what we call) “subdivisions” going up almost everywhere. We saw almost none of that in Scotland.

As far as the golf is concerned, I think Ireland is probably further ahead in making the game more accessible to a wider spectrum of golfers. I doubt if Ballybunion (which we did not go near) will ever replace St. Andrews as the world’s primary golf destination. And there are probably as many, if not more, second tier big name courses in Ireland for the serious golfing traveller — you know the guys in the expensive rain gear and the 8 man tour bus who want to cover off as many courses as they can in 10 days.

But I’m not sure there are too many courses in Scotland in the mid-range of affordability to compare with Donegal or Enniscrone or even Ballyliffin.

Part of the problem is the inflated value of the British pound. When we were in Scotland in 2001 we played North Berwick, an historic course just south of St. Andrews (North Berwick is also the home of the original Redan par 3). It cost 45 pounds at that time, which converted to roughly $110 Canadian. In comparison, Donegal — arguably a “better” course but lacking the history — was 50 Euros full price (around $80 Canadian). And we were able to negotiate a 50% reduction at Donegal based on our extended stay. So that’s roughly 1/3 the price of North Berwick. Nobody offered me a 50% reduction in Scotland.

The closest we came to this kind of “value” in Scotland was at Brora (just north of Dornoch) (30 pounds/ approx $75 cad), Macrahanish (25 pounds/approx $60 cad), and the Struie Course at Dornoch (also 25 pounds). These courses all have more unique charm (in my estimation), but less “polish” than their closest Irish equivalents.

Having said all that, I have almost no desire to go play the big names or even 2nd tier name courses in Ireland (Ballybunion, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, Royal County Down), but would gladly go back to play Donegal, Sligo, Enniscrone, Ballyliffin, and many others I did not have the chance to play this time around.

On the other hand, I really would like to play some of the “name” courses in Scotland: The Old Course (of course), Carnoustie, Turnberry, Prestwick, Royal Troon, Muirfield (yea, right!). And yes, I would like to live in Dornoch for at least a year or two and play Royal Dornoch four or five times a week.

The post The Golfing in Ireland Really is Tremendous appeared first on Golf Review.

If you think you had Saskatchewan wrong — that there are actually mountains in the province — well, not quite. Moose Mountain is only a couple hundred feet above the flat plane that is most of southern and central Saskatchewan. So it is hardly a “mountain”.

But that small increase in elevation is enough to give the Moose Mountain area a slightly different climate — not quite as hot, and a bit more rain. And this slightly increased moisture is enough to sustain a dense natural aspen forest.

Near the southern entrace to the Moose Mountain region you’ll find Lake Kenosee, and that is where we spent several days exploring the area and playing its two golf courses.

Virtually across the road from the Lake Kenosee Inn is Golf Kenosee, a course that is part of the park and is maintained by the park itself. I had heard that this course is undergoing renovations. I decided just to go out for a quick round by myself on the day we arrived in the area.

Sure enough, on the back there was a fair bit of hole redesigning going on. Although all the holes were playable, with real greens, there were long stretches of new fairway being built that will eventually lengthen some of the holes significantly.

I was more interested in playing White Bear Golf Course which is back down the road about 10 miles towards Carlyle. This course is located on the White Bear First Nations Reserve, and I had heard it is a notch above Kenosee.

Indeed, that proved to be the case. White Bear is beautifully maintained, with nicely kept fairways, large, challenging greens, and bunkers filled with fine, white sand — pretty rare in Saskatchewan.
Like so many courses in eastern Canada, White Bear is cut right out of the forest, creating a sense of welcome isolation from your fellow golfers (of whom there were very few). But watch out for those mosquito’s!!!

White Bear is certainly worth a visit on your next trip to the Moose Mountain region.

The post Our Golf Trip to the Moose Mountain Region of Saskatchewan appeared first on Golf Review.

The overall facility shows its newness. There is evidence of work still being done around the clubhouse, and a very significant construction project is underway on the property. Next year a new casino will be opened as part of the complex.

But as far as the golf course itself is concerned, don’t let the construction mislead you. This is a very nice course featuring a beautiful layout. And in spite of only being two years old both the fairways and greens are hard and mature.

In fact this course is as nice a “links” style layout as I have played anywhere. Set in among the dunes I kept thinking I had played this course before. In particular it reminded me of Enniscrone in Ireland.

Dakota Dunes has all the regular characteristics of a “modern” links course: hard, fast fairways, long fescue rough, very few water hazards and no trees to get in the way of shot making. There are also very few hazards in front of the greens making it possible (and fun) to run the ball up with your woods or long irons.

There are a couple of other things I like about this layout. The first one is the way the fairways “suit the eye”. Just about every hole is set up so you can read the contour of the fairway, and try to make your shot according to the way you see the ball running. On a links course you don’t just hit your drives as far as you can. It is important to try to hit to a specific area and let the shape and slope of the fairway kick your ball in the right direction.

The second feature I like is the way the “rough” around the greens is set up. On a typical park land course when you aren’t on the green you normally have only one play: chip it on as close as possible to the hole. But a links course will usually have a fairly large area around the green that is cut almost as short as the green. As a result you can often putt from 20 or 30 yards off the green — as they say in Scotland “Use your putter laddy” (add suitable rolling of the “r”s) when you’re near the green.

Dakota Dunes is not exactly like a traditional links course in this respect. Most greens here feature a “run up” area in front you can putt from, and a closely cropped collar with grass about 1″ long. More often than not this is where your ball ends up. Chipping off this collar is my idea of the way chipping should be — much closer to the links “experience” than many other courses I’ve played. You can also bounce a chip off the collar to kill its speed if you have one of those inevitable downhill chips.

In short, I was very impressed with Dakota Dunes and regret I was only able to play it once on this trip.

And I didn’t even mention the price — for a round of 18 holes — less than half a round on a course of this quality would cost in Ontario, PEI, BC or Alberta.

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