Stonebridge....

[jeffc]

is in epic shape. I can't imagine the conditions being any better than they are right now.

Played with Jordan this morning and we got around in 2:45, despite waiting on about 12 holes for them to put the flags in and finish cutting the greens.

[bobblehead]

Great to hear...playing on Sunday

[Marcos]

I'd love to get out there before my surgery next Friday !!!

[Chambokl]

Played there a couple of rounds and a really nice condition course....

[sbenne11]

One of the best courses in Ottawa - IMO

[WallStPete]

I live on the course. It is a "nice" course, but it has some fatal flaws... I have often described it as an easy course with tough greens... Some greens are dumb (especially 10)... That said, management keeps it in great shape and the food is quite good as well. I wouldn't agree that it's one of the best though.

[Break68]

I really like Stonebridge, but the greens are hard to play. I always seem to play well there, always seems to be in really great shape. I play there many times each year, but this season I have only played there once.

[URstillaway]

I think Stonebridge is a great course too, but I know what you mean about the greens. Not too many straight putts but that also makes it challenging.

[jeffc]

There are about 3-4 greens I would love to bulldoze on that course and redo, especially #3. I do love the course and its easily in the top 3-4 public courses in the city.

[jvincent]

Having played Stonebridge many, many times I really don't find the greens unfair like a lot of people do. Stonebridge is a short course. As such the greens are tricky and that is their main defense.

To use #3 as an example, it is a very short par 5. You will almost always either be going for the green in two or using a short wedge for your approach. The green has 3 very distinct sections that you should be able to hit with a wedge.

Having said that, the greens crew sometimes puts the flag in unfair positions, like on the middle of a slope, which is dumb.

[Marcos]

Its a great course with a good design. Its a lot of fun to play from any tee box. I wish i could play it more often.

[Txxxxxxx]

Stonebridge is good target golf, if you're a fan of that. But I do find that pin placements are ridiculous almost every time I play there. You don't cut a pin on the slope of a green. If I wanted to play mini-putt with bends and slopes like that, I would go to a mini-putt course.

I do agree that it is well kept. Condition-wise, it's for sure in the top public courses. But the lack of a range and the lack of length don't put it on my top courses list in Ottawa as far as all-around experience.

[Stonebridge]

Great time to come play the course as well... we won't be punching our greens until after we close for the season and we just dropped our rates starting today!

$46 Mon - Thurs
$55 Fri - Sun & Holidays
$40 Every day after 1pm
$35 Every day after 3pm

We're the perfect course to play in fall, the fescue has just been cut down and with minimal tree cover we don't get covered in leaves! Hope to see you on the links soon!

[DecoyOctopus]

Will be there tomorrow....love the course. Easier from the back Blues imho

[Travis]

Aside from all of the tee decks having been punched and heavily top dressed, everything else on the course is quite nice. Greens are running at a nice speed and other than the ridiculous pin placements that seem to be ever present, putting conditions are fairly consistent from one hole to the next. Definitely a good deal at $55 during prime time.

[golfisforfun]

I really don't get all the complaints about pin placements at Stonebride... It is such a great course and the greens are so much fun.
If you can keep it in the fairway off the tee, you should have shortish irons into the greens. I guess people just want the course as easy as possible...

[Travis]

No...I don't need or want it easy but pins placed 8 feet on the green tucked right over a bunker all the while being halfway down a hill is just plain lazy on the part of the greens crew. And I could forgive 1 bad pin placement here or there but there were at least 4 like that.

And not to be self-glossing, but I am on the right hand side of the golfing bell curve of ability and if im feeling this way...I can't imagine a 20+ handicap is feeling super pumped about 3 jacking it all day long.

Challenging pins-yes!! Stupidity-no!!

[golfisforfun]

Maybe we can just say the course is too tough for some golfers... Or is that not allowed?
Other than the 3rd green which can be super tricky, I see no issues with any other greens on the front 9.
So what holes seemed ridiculous?
The back nine has some tough greens but if you are on the proper tier, they aren't that bad.

[jmwhite]

What side of the curve is your putting ability? I know alot of good golfers that can't putt worth a damn.

No...I don't need or want it easy but pins placed 8 feet on the green tucked right over a bunker all the while being halfway down a hill is just plain lazy on the part of the greens crew. And I could forgive 1 bad pin placement here or there but there were at least 4 like that.

And not to be self-glossing, but I am on the right hand side of the golfing bell curve of ability and if im feeling this way...I can't imagine a 20+ handicap is feeling super pumped about 3 jacking it all day long.

Challenging pins-yes!! Stupidity-no!!

[Break68]

I thought we were discussing Stonebridge in this thread.
Why are we discussing putting ability?

[Txxxxxxx]

Maybe we can just say the course is too tough for some golfers... Or is that not allowed?
Other than the 3rd green which can be super tricky, I see no issues with any other greens on the front 9.
So what holes seemed ridiculous?
The back nine has some tough greens but if you are on the proper tier, they aren't that bad.

I think the course is challenging, but not "too tough". I think what the common complaint is the actual placement on the pins. This has been a running complaint for as long as I can remember. In fact, it often comes up when speaking of Stonebridge in passing.

I believe whoever is cutting the pins, needs to put a little more thought into where they go, rather than just driving up and cutting the pin in the middle of a sidehill or similar. You can make the course challenging and fun without doing that.

[Bodey]

I'm a 22ish handicap and I love the tough greens and hard pins. Yeah sometimes I get frustrated by "sunday pins" every day at Stonebridge, and I don't score super well, or putt well but so what? I know what I'm getting into at that course and get excited for it. If a course like Anderson or Falcon Ridge finds the one notable slope on their green and sticks the pin into it then I'm not happy, but if Stonebridge does it.... its expected and that's what I'm paying for.

[Travis]

I think the course is challenging, but not "too tough". I think what the common complaint is the actual placement on the pins. This has been a running complaint for as long as I can remember. In fact, it often comes up when speaking of Stonebridge in passing.

I believe whoever is cutting the pins, needs to put a little more thought into where they go, rather than just driving up and cutting the pin in the middle of a sidehill or similar. You can make the course challenging and fun without doing that.

Bingo!

[John]

We played it yesterday and I can't think of a time when any of us thought the pins were out of line, tough yes but really that is the courses only defence playing so short even from the black tees.

[holeinone]

We played it yesterday and I can't think of a time when any of us thought the pins were out of line, tough yes but really that is the courses only defence playing so short even from the black tees.

Played it yesterday too and thought all of them were fine except for 3 (I realize its a short par 5 but still) and 17.

[golfisforfun]

I guess I've just never played the days that the pins were in ridiculous spots. That being said I have probable only played the course 50 times or so...

[John]

What was wrong with 17? It was back and left, blue pin slightly tucked but it was in a fair spot?

[Hearzy]

Didn't think any of the pins yesterday were unfair.

I play that course because it is open yet you will get punished if you stray too far away. Greens are always some of the best in the area and fairways are carpet.

Top 5 in the Ottawa area IMO

[Fallys0820]

The course is a fair test of golf, both ball position and putting. It's a toss up between Stonebridge and eQuinelle for my favourite courses in the Ottawa area. The only green that is a bit mickey mouse is #3, but I've also made eagle there from the wrong side of the hole when the pin was cut upfront down the slope. It was a good putt, not a bad pin.

I worked at a course near Woodstock, ON when I was a kid and one of my main duties was cutting cups. The rule of thumb is 4' of continuous, consistent break around the pin. If the slope falls into this rule, the pin is fair game. I also have never seen a pin cut less than it's own length from the edge of a green.

If a pin looks too tough, go for the centre of the green - course management 101!

[fourlights]

As a former member with over 400 games at Stonebridge, I can say that pin location was hardly ever an issue in terms of putting (except for a front pin on 3). Approaches are sometimes exceedingly difficult due to the location of the flag and the length of shot being hit.