Course difficulty

[Ty Webb]

Slope rating, etc. aside, what are the most and least challenging courses in the Ottawa area?

[Ruskie]

I'd say Eagle, Outaouais, Stonebridge, Emerald (in that order) are the toughest. Haven't played Marshes, but I'm sure it's up there as well.

Pineview, Irish Hills, Cloverdale, Cartier (in that order) are the easiest.

[John]

I'd say hardest would probably go
Eagle Creek, Royal Ottawa, Marshes, Stonebridge

Easiest
Champlain, Irish Hills, Gatineau

[BC MIST]

Slope rating, etc. aside, what are the most and least challenging courses in the Ottawa area?

Marshes, Eagle Creek, Camelot, Rideau View

[jmayo16]

i personally dont find eagle creek that difficult. It is just a beautiful course. Its only tough if you are playing from the tips

[ros_bif]

stone bridge (only if from the tips...) is my pick...

can't think of any others that really stand out...

[mpare]

If you consider Dragonfly as being in the Ottawa area, then I would rate it - from the back tees - as being one of the most difficult and intimidating courses around here. This is especially so for the back nine. For each of those holes there is really no margin for error. The landing areas are tight and sloped. Laying up is out of the question as quite a few of the holes play very long. Adding to this difficulty, the greens, for the most part, present small targets. From back on the bush tees, you had better bring your A game. I've played all of the other previously mentioned contenders and they simply don't deliver the same kind of intimidation factor. At the same time, the course is fair. Well placed shots are treated kindly and it is possible to score on this track, but not without playing well. I love this place.

[Shivas Irons]

IMO as far as public courses go, without a doubt Marshes is the most difficult.
I would consider Cloverdale to be among the easiest.

[Sakuraba]

I have found the Canadian to be fairly easy.

[leftylucas]

This is a tough course as well. I f you stray from the fairway, ouchy!!

[Golfpeasant]

This is a tough course as well. I f you stray from the fairway, ouchy!!

Yes, but I wouldn't compare it to something like stonebridge...the easy part about sorcier is all those elevated par 3s that feed into the green...

[Sakuraba]

Another thing slope rating doesn't address is wind. Some courses/areas are just windier than others, or are protected from the wind by geography than others.

[BullDog]

Pineview, Irish Hills, Cloverdale, Cartier (in that order) are the easiest.

Irish Hills? Have you played it from the blues? At 6637 yards it ain't the second easiest course in the region. #2 plays 232 yards, and if you can stay +1 on #4 and #5, my hat's off to you.

From the whites, it's not the hardest course, but it is QUITE tough if you can't keep your ball going relatively straight. Not like Cloverdale where you can spray the ball around and still have a fairly easy approach shot to the greens...

As for Pineview, I hadn't played it for about 5-7 years and played there for the first time again last week. I'm impressed with the improvements there and letting the grass/fescue grow sure can make it challenging - again - if you cannot hit straight.

Anyhow, not to be argumentative - I just was blown away and had to get my two cents - and hopefully a response. Maybe I'm nuts, but I was more than somewhat intimidated when teeing off on #5 at Irish Hills from the tips. I bogeyed it and ran!

[jvincent]

While it's not the most polished golf in the world conditions wise, I'll have to agree that Irish Hills from the back is pretty tough.

Several long and narrow holes combined with small greens does not make for an easy day.

[Indio]

stone bridge (only if from the tips...) is my pick...

can't think of any others that really stand out...

Interesting pick.... I played Stonebridge for the first time on Saturday. I had been 'warned' by many fellow golfers that it was a very tough course and expect to play mid to high 80's or possibly even the 90's Well, I am a 9 handicap at Outaouais (from the blues) and I shot the best round of my life at Stonebridge.... a 73 with a double bogey on the first hole and a double bogey on the last hole ..... Not a long course from the blues but very pretty!! Great course in my opinion! Relatively narrow so I only used the driver 3 times all day. Outaouais on the other hand has very forgiving fairways, no fairway bunkers (well maybe 3 or 4 total in 27 holes).... its the damned greens that catch everyone . 3 putts are not uncommon. All too frequently when your first putt is from 8 to 10 feet and you miss the hole your second putt will be from 20 to 30 feet or you might even be chipping back onto the green (been there, done that, got the T-Shirt)

[Colby]

Another thing slope rating doesn't address is wind. Some courses/areas are just windier than others, or are protected from the wind by geography than others.

Actually it does address wind...

http://www.popeofslope.com/courserating/whatsin.html

near the bottom has a reference to wind.

[jeffc]

actually, I don't find Stonebridge as difficult as the slope would indicate. While the greens have a lot if undulations, they are not that fast. When the wind is down, it is not a tough course but can be brutal when the wind is up. That is the difference.

With most courses, wind has less of an effect and water, traps, fast greens etc. make it difficult, and those are always there. Whether the wind decides to blow on any given day is another story.

["Richard"]

I'm still a little confused by rating and slope. I'll use irrish hills and stonebridge as refference from the white tees


stonebridge is 6105 yards slope 129 and rating 68.8
Irrish hills is 6178 yards slope is 120 rating 69.4

But everyone who has ever played at stone bridge says its much much harder but the numbers indicate that its not harder. ALso, the rating is for a scratch golfer and the slope is for above a scratch golfer but at what handicap should you start looking at the rating instead of the slope? I am shooting low 80's right now, should I be looking at ratings or slopes? I'm thinking of starting to keep track of my handicap now... any pointers?

[Colby]

I'm still a little confused by rating and slope. I'll use irrish hills and stonebridge as refference from the white tees


stonebridge is 6105 yards slope 129 and rating 68.8
Irrish hills is 6178 yards slope is 120 rating 69.4

But everyone who has ever played at stone bridge says its much much harder but the numbers indicate that its not harder. ALso, the rating is for a scratch golfer and the slope is for above a scratch golfer but at what handicap should you start looking at the rating instead of the slope? I am shooting low 80's right now, should I be looking at ratings or slopes? I'm thinking of starting to keep track of my handicap now... any pointers?

thotho,

Check out the Pope of Slope website, there's tons of information there. Here's a link to one of the pages that might be of interest:

http://www.popeofslope.com/courserating/numbers.html

["Richard"]

thanks

[Sakuraba]

Thanks for the pope of slope info, I understand a little better now.

[Andru]

Unless the greens are rolling at 11 stonebridge is a lamb.

I think ec with some real rough is tough so is the marshes. The way they set up ec makes it very easy though. 3 irons hit by amateurs should not stick greens.

I'd say Eagle, Outaouais, Stonebridge, Emerald (in that order) are the toughest. Haven't played Marshes, but I'm sure it's up there as well.

Pineview, Irish Hills, Cloverdale, Cartier (in that order) are the easiest.