Le Sorcier - Love/Hate

[zoic]

I seem to have some like/dislike relationship with this place.

I like:
The layout, target golf with massive elevation changes
The conditions, pristine fairways, greens were great today, fast and rolling true
The golf carts are all like new and diesel, so no hill is left unclimbed
Lots of golf balls to be found we you hit one in the bush
They seem to be continually cleaning up more and fixing problem areas quite well each year

I dislike:
The arrival is a bag drop, then the bags go to a staging area, then to the carts in order which are prelined up by the staff. This whole process is very organized, but unlike the atmosphere at some other places that do this, I do not feel casual and relaxed, I feel more like cattle, shuffled and herded into line.
The practice putting green, it is always so slow and so unlike the real greens that is seems pointless to even use it.
Slow pace. Last 2 times I waited at the staging area a little past my tee time, but upon arriving at the tee, the group ahead is on or very near the green, so you can get up and hit right away. The rounds always take 4-1/2 to 5 hours when people who cannot break 150 try to play this amazingly difficult track (for them). Today was longer because we teed of 45 minutes late, added to a 4-3/4 hour round made it a total of 5-1/2. That was a long wait to tee off since we arrived a 1/2 hour early to warm up etc ....
Had an issue with RM membership, they did not seem to know about the guest deal. My bro ended up having to pay, but right after I got home I got in touch with Dan and the credit card charge was fixed right away, kudos on that quick response, thanks Dan. Hope I can get it booked straight next time when I go there.

[fundonny]

I've played it a bizillion times, never had a bad experience with any part of it. I love every bit of it.

[big mac]

I have to agree 100% with Zoic--I love playing the course but the trip from the moment you pull into the parking lot to the first tee is ridiculous--you feel like your on your 10th coffee!

[gbower]

Haven't had a chance to play it yet but went up a couple of weeks ago with booked tee times and when we got there they said they had five holes closed because of too much rain. As we had an 11am tee time it sure would have been nice to get a phone call as they had a number. We weren't going to play only 13 holes so turned around and went back to our home course and managed to get a tee time. With a small tournament going out ahead of our time there wouldn't have had to be too many calls made. May go up in the fall and try again but I'll make sure we've had no rain for a few days.

[Smoothie]

Played there once this year on a Sat afternoon. Had to wait a good 25mins in the staging area as someone else mentioned. Not sure if they book too many groups in or if the pace is just slow from earlier in the day, but it came to a 5 1/2+hr round. Conditions and course layout I loved, just not the long wait at before the round and between holes.

We got stuck in a flash storm and managed to play it out as it only lasted 20mins. The first three holes we played after the storm, the greens were puddles and water filled the cup up to the brim! Never seen that before!

[dbleber]

Thanks guys! This is good to know, I was thinking about going there with my father-in-law next wekend but he and I hate slow rounds and waiting for no real reason. Sounds like the course is great but the course management better get their act together if they want it to last. I think I'll give it a try during a weekday.

[Smoothie]

Or try it early during the weekend. I think it gets backed up and by the time the afternoon rolls around, it becomes a 30mins backlog.

[zoic]

It seems to becoming more popular, last year I played some afternoon rounds in 3 hours on weekdays, and 3-1/2 on weekends. They did not have the staging thing, but it was not so crowded either. The staging is needed now I think to control the flow since the first tee is so far from the clubhouse. It also reduces the amount of buggies rolling around the parking lot and moving cars.

The pace was not so bad, they rate it as 4-1/2 hours and we played in 4-3/4, but adding the start delay put it at 5-1/2. We did not wait much except on par 3's, which is normal almost anywhere it is really busy.

[dbleber]

Or try it early during the weekend. I think it gets backed up and by the time the afternoon rolls around, it becomes a 30mins backlog.

How early are we talkin? 0700 or 0900 hrs? I like to play early but with the drive from the south end I don't want to be up at the crack of dawn. Anyone else have any thought son this course and the wait times? I think we may go to Pakenham instead, it's cost the same with cart.

[Ginker]

Played it yesterday. Teed off at 9. Took us 4, 45 min, no thanks to the slow pokes infront of us.. Overall is was a good day, the course was in good shape. The greens could be better. Had no problem holding the greens (had been told a couple times you can't keep the ball on).. Overall a god day.

[mikelaurin]

A great day 2 under on front 6 over on back your and Sams money priceless

[sparsons]

I agree with the speed of the bag drop area, it does make you feel rushed. I just drive through and park my car and bring the bags over myself. The last time we played, my wife and I arrive 30 minutes before, then they were delayed 45 minutes. No reason given for the delay, no apologies, nothing. I've played there twice so far and both reasons the tee times were delayed and the marshalls were not too pleasant. Nice course, but I think they have to get better organized.

[sparsons]

I played at Le Sorcier again this past Saturday and again their tee times were delayed by 45 minutes. And as last time no apologies, just excuses. Their excuse this week, same as last time, was people arrived late so they squeezed them on, which then delays everybody else. If someone shows up late, then they should tell them to come back again or wait until there is an actual tee time available. Next time, if there is a next time, I'm going to show up right at my tee time, not 30 minutes before as usual. If I'm late then they will just squezze me on somewhere.

[byerxa]

What is the tee off time interval for this place? 8 minutes or 10 minutes?

[ironmaster15213]

I really enjoyed playing the course, but I must say it's a course where a little local knowledge is really useful. I google earthed the layout and I believe I played a lot better than just whipping out the driver on every hole. You also must adjust your yardages to the uphill and downhill shots that pop up quite often. A really nice test of skill overall. And to the owner if he's reading this....Thanks for not closeing the course for our spring golf outing!!!!!

[big mac]

T time interval is suposed to be 10 minutes but when they squeeze people in it all gets screwed up. I talked to the starter last month and he says sometimes they put through 260 rounds in a day---you do the math and then tell me why it takes 5 hours sometimes to play---I love playing the course but I think a little fine tuning is in order.

[sparsons]

The last time I was there, the starter mentioned to me that the tee times work out to be about 5-6 minutes apart. They have to increase that to at least 8 minutes if not 10.

[Marmotte]

If you want a 4h round, get started early in the morning and avoid Saturday and Sunday after 9h30. The average starting time during weekends drops to 8 minutes... assuming there is no overbooking. During the week, if you come 30 minutes ahead of your start, you will likely start 10 or 15 minutes before your scheduled start. On week ends, you will be lucky if your start on time.

[Moose Head]

Played Le Sorcier today for the first time since the opening year (2-3 years ago) and the course is in awesome condition. The grass is the same length all over the course and it is very well maintained. Have no issues to complain about since we were pretty much alone on the course. We even had free sandwiches at the end of our round so they can make some fresh ones for tomorrow (No sandwiches over two days old!).

Can't wait to be back when it's dry.

[314314]

Played Le Sorcier today (Sept 17) for first time, started 15 minutes before my time. Finished round in 4.5 hrs due some slow players in front but I guess it's ok... Fairways and greens were nice... Marshalls did not do much about slow play but were friendly (one of them gave us a bunch of free used balls)... In general great experience and I would go back any time... Yet, I will play early morning....

[gbower]

Played today as the rain let up. Loved the layout with lots of elevation changes. The elevated greens make club selection interesting. The one real downfall is that there is absolutely no drainage. Even after 18 holes we only had one cup that wasn't full of water. I would have thought that the way the greens were all elevated that they would have drained well. Anxious to play it again at least two days after a rainfall. I'm not a long hitter and found many of the par 3's very short and they don't require a driver. This is the first time I've used my 60* wedge into so many greens on par 4's. Fairways and greens were in very good shape, other than the wet, and fairways are plenty wide so no excuses for missing them . The greens are big enough and are very nicely shaped. Will make this a must play a couple of times during the seasons to come.

[big mac]

^^^Well --sign upfor the fun day

[gbower]

Have a tournament that day.

[BC MIST]

Played Le Sorcier today for the first time with gbowerand I can see why so many people like the course. The scenery and rolling terrain are typical Gatineau surroundings and placing a golf course there makes it all the more appealing. We, played reasonably well and found the course easy, 71 / 75, but very enjoyable.

The front nine, while short in yardage, demanded more precise placement of tee shots, some better played with a fairway wood or hybrid. However, as a straight driver of the ball, I lost some of my advantage because a straight drive, would probably have ended up too far and in the rough or trees. The back is obviously more wide open with fairways that even OJ Simpson could hit. While not as interesting as the front, the holes were still fun to play. The greens were plenty big, held the ball well, and did not have the stupid undulations a Stonebridge or The Marshes. The large number of elevated greens made it a greater challenge to precisely judge the distance and what club to select.

Because of the harsher climate up there it is understandable that the fairways were blue grass as was the rough, so standing on any tee made from tree to tree look wide enough to land a 747. But just think how good the holes would look if the fairway grass was the more closely cropped and lightly coloured bent grass. While it had rained heavily overnight, the greens were covered with casual water to varying degrees from the start of the round and had not drained by the time we finished. This lack of proper drainage may cause serious health problems for the grass. While unavoidable, the cart paths are so dangerous that someone is going to be seriously hurt some time, particularly if the golfers have socked away a pint or two. I hope that they are well insured.

Will I go back? Absolutely! And more than once a year. Even though we were spoiled, the golf was free and we played the round in just over three hours, the place is a treat. #2 and #11. Best holes on the course.

[Shivas Irons]

the cart paths are so dangerous that someone is going to be seriously hurt some time, particularly if the golfers have socked away a pint or two. I hope that they are well insured.

this is something our group noticed when we played the Sorcier for the first time as well. Somebody IS going to get hurt on those cart paths.

[big mac]

Yep I agree 100 %--but dont forget this is only their second full year. They seem to be making changes here and there and I cant believe all that water on a hill! I dont think the guys forsaw that problem-but I am sure it will be fixed in time. Played it 7 times this year a hope for a couple more

[mpare]

Yesterday I played the course for the first time. Like others have already said, the individual holes were scenic, interesting and fun to play. This is an enjoyable track to play. However, I was left less than satisfied. There were a number of reasons for this, which include:

The layout is poor in that the distance between greens and the next tee is oftentimes quite long.

The cart paths are extremely steep, twisty and dangerous. Someone is going to seriously hurt themselves.

Given the design, distance and elevation changes (as well as the course rules), carts are essential. No walking. For one who likes to walk, this is a problem.

Most importantly, I had the feeling that we were inconveniencing the club by being there. That is a shame. Maybe this feeling was more a reflection of me than anything else. I will be playing there again this Saturday, because I previously committed to doing so. Hopefully, I will feel differently than I did yesterday.

[jeffc]

Mike, you are bang on. I couldn't help but feel we were less than welcome to be there, from the cart guys, to the pro shop to the marshalls. They teed a 2some off in front of us and expected us to keep up with them (which we did and waited on the first 7 holes) but lost them after stopping 5 min for a snack after 7. In addition, it was a really windy day and despite taking a cart (which we had to) they wouldn't let us drive it on the fairway. Fair enough, but don't expect that it will take the same amount of time if we have to run across the fairway everytime to our ball. Furthermore they kept telling us we were 15 min behind, despite the fact we started 20 min late. We finished in 4:40 and waited 3-5 min on each of the first 7 holes.

[leftylucas]

The layout is poor in that the distance between greens and the next tee is oftentimes quite long.

The cart paths are extremely steep, twisty and dangerous. Someone is going to seriously hurt themselves.

Given the design, distance and elevation changes (as well as the course rules), carts are essential. No walking. For one who likes to walk, this is a problem.

Most importantly, I had the feeling that we were inconveniencing the club by being there. That is a shame. Maybe this feeling was more a reflection of me than anything else. I will be playing there again this Saturday, because I previously committed to doing so. Hopefully, I will see feel differently than I did yesterday.

Firslty, carts are mandatory for the exact reasons you stated above, otherwise it would take 6 hours to play and some oxygen. They will be paving the cart paths so that will improve the drive somewhat.

As for not feeling welcome, that is not that odd. They also have another course and it is the same type of attitude. They were quite accomodating though when I went saturday after the rain and they let me and my brother leave before a small group of 12 players about 20 minutes before our time. They did some manouvering but they got it done. All I did was ask.

[Big Johnny69]

They might have been accomodating to you Lefty, but for anyone to feel that way at a golf course where they've played good money is just unacceptable. Now I've only played there twice and never got that "you're annoying us" feeling, but the fact that two people have claimed that says something about the service there.