What are the best golf courses in ottawa?

[Thejonjon]

I know 2 rideauview view and royal ottawa are on the top 100 score magazine

What others r good?
? In terms of layout, difficulty, condition

I've only played highland, kanata and Canadian.

Not as good as I was led to believe. I would have to say I like Canadian the best so far

[brucestats]

Eagle Creek is hard to beat. Clublink course.

[goochy]

My fav is Camelot but it is obviously such a personal thing.

[spuds]

Equinelle,Nation and Oaks of Cobden

[golfisforfun]

Stonebridge for public courses...
Are you saying you didn't like Kanata Lakes???

[big mac]

How about public courses only ?? Canadian or Stonebridge

[Kilroy]

http://www.ottawagolf.com/fairway-aw...ards-2014.html

Don't forget to vote for this year's awards!

[Thejonjon]

It's just called kanata and it's a clublink course. It's good but nothing special IMO

[Johnyc]

It's entirely subjective, but in my opinion it's Hunt Club and Camelot. I find Royal Ottawa the most overrated. I just find the layout quirky. Rideau View has the best layout IMO, but the condition is a notch below that of the Hunt.

[mjf]

Rideau View has the best layout IMO, but the condition is a notch below that of the Hunt.

I guess conditions change year to year but... I found Rideau View to be pretty much immaculate last year. From what I've seen on Twitter, it's looking good for this year as well.

[golfisforfun]

So you like Canadian over Kanata Lakes... Hmmm... It's hard to suggest what other courses you may like... Maybe Emerald Links...

[Johnyc]

I guess conditions change year to year but... I found Rideau View to be pretty much immaculate last year. From what I've seen on Twitter, it's looking good for this year as well.

Nothing against Rideau View. I have played it many times as a guest and always enjoy myself. I think the course is a great test of golf and the conditions are always top notch. They just aren't quite the caliber of Hunt Club, especially with the introduction of the new west 9 and driving range. In terms of Ottawa golf we are comparing a Ferrari vs a Lambo

[Johnyc]

So you like Canadian over Kanata Lakes... Hmmm... It's hard to suggest what other courses you may like... Maybe Emerald Links...

I've never played Canadian. I played Kanata a few times, most recently 3 years ago - always in tournaments. I thought the course was nice, but I was never a fan of the transition between holes, proximity of houses and background noise from those folks who essentially used the golf course as an extension of their property. Maybe this is reflected in the review? Again, I have no basis for comparison as I have never played Canadian.

[MarcArt]

Hi all, as long as we are correcting names, I've put the actual names of the courses for Thejonjon, with my ratings of only those mentioned, and in ascending order. I've not played Oaks of Cobden Golf Club, so it is not rated here:

12. The Canadian Golf and Country Club. More than serviceable and more than worth a play for its many idiosyncrasies... Did someone say, the 12th hole.

11. Hylands Golf Club. Conditions allow this to be rated well even if others in the City weren't included thus far in this survey.

10. Emerald Links Golf & Country Club. The three faces of Emerald, each with Iit's own characteristics, East, West and South. Often criticized for being s target-golf course, but with challenges at every turn... even if it is getting tired and in need to care and maintenance, perhaps their new manager may bring about some long needed upkeep.

9. Club de Golf Nation. If it wasn't for a few odd holes, overly eccentric, this would rank further up on my list.

8. Kanata Golf and Country Club. A picturesque course, somewhat tight and pedestrian to the houses adjacent as Johnyc mentions. Good challenge with fairness where needed.

7. Rideau View Golf Club. Good track, however, somewhat overated... It has many equals in terms of importance in Ottawa, not so much in layout, but at par in overall terms. It will be Interesting to see what the recently completed changes to holes No. 3 & 4 will do to our impressions of this course.

6. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Though an incredible setting, it is overrated.

5. Stonebridge Golf Club. I would rate it above most others. And is the most well kept and more challenging than the others mentioned before, and a tough course to break 80 on (78 is my low score there - this, in response to Golfisforfun)). Since the loss of its practice range, it has diminished in overall stature.

4. Camelot Golf & Country Club. Admittedly, having only played the front nine, I would place it further down the list than this position suggests, but being the eternal optimist, I imagine the back nine warranting what I suspect and what I've often heard, that it is a great track.

3. Equinelle Golf Club. I am not overly fond of this course, it has to be given one of the top-ratings of courses in the region. In terms of Its shape, challenge and overall facilities, it willl now finally benefit from the new clubhouse. Just wish that distance on the range allowed for practice with a Driver.

2. Eagle Creek Golf Club. Should be ranked here, in my opinion. Try to find a more challenging finishing hole... wish it was still public.

1. Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Especially since the changes last year, and with the best practice facility in Ottawa, it is the crème de la crème.

There it is, again, in my opinion.
Have a great season everyone!

[golfisforfun]

If you are goin to say it us tough to break 80 at Stonebridge, maybe say what you score at other courses to give comparisons...

I'm also not aye if the OP is looking for tough courses, good looking courses, courses with great facilities or what....

[sneaky]

L'Outaouais, Montebello, Hawkesbury Golf And Curling.

[Johnyc]

Hi all, as long as we are correcting names, I've put the actual names of the courses for Thejonjon, with my ratings of only those mentioned, and in ascending order. I've not played Oaks of Cobden Golf Club, so it is not rated here:

12. The Canadian Golf and Country Club. More than serviceable and more than worth a play for its many idiosyncrasies... Did someone say, the 12th hole.

11. Hylands Golf Club. Conditions allow this to be rated well even if others in the City weren't included thus far in this survey.

10. Emerald Links Golf & Country Club. The three faces of Emerald, each with Iit's own characteristics, East, West and South. Often criticized for being s target-golf course, but with challenges at every turn... even if it is getting tired and in need to care and maintenance, perhaps their new manager may bring about some long needed upkeep.

9. Club de Golf Nation. If it wasn't for a few odd holes, overly eccentric, this would rank further up on my list.

8. Kanata Golf and Country Club. A picturesque course, somewhat tight and pedestrian to the houses adjacent as Johnyc mentions. Good challenge with fairness where needed.

7. Rideau View Golf Club. Good track, however, somewhat overated... It has many equals in terms of importance in Ottawa, not so much in layout, but at par in overall terms. It will be Interesting to see what the recently completed changes to holes No. 3 & 4 will do to our impressions of this course.

6. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Though an incredible setting, it is overrated.

5. Stonebridge Golf Club. I would rate it above most others. And is the most well kept and more challenging than the others mentioned before, and a tough course to break 80 on (78 is my low score there - this, in response to Golfisforfun)). Since the loss of its practice range, it has diminished in overall stature.

4. Camelot Golf & Country Club. Admittedly, having only played the front nine, I would place it further down the list than this position suggests, but being the eternal optimist, I imagine the back nine warranting what I suspect and what I've often heard, that it is a great track.

3. Equinelle Golf Club. I am not overly fond of this course, it has to be given one of the top-ratings of courses in the region. In terms of Its shape, challenge and overall facilities, it willl now finally benefit from the new clubhouse. Just wish that diatance on the range allowed for practice with a Driver.

2. Eagle Creek Golf Club. Should be ranked here, in my opinion. Try to find a more challenging finishing hole... wish it was still public.

1. Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Especially since the changes last year, and with the best practice facility in Ottawa, it is the crème de la crème.

There it is, again, in my opinion.
Have a great season everyone!

I absolutely agree that Royal Ottawa is the most overrated private golf course in the area. I have absolutely no idea how it ended up inside the top 100 ranking unless of course it paid for the privledge.

[Thejonjon]

I absolutely agree that Royal Ottawa is the most overrated private golf course in the area. I have absolutely no idea how it ended up inside the top 100 ranking unless of course it paid for the privledge.

Thanks guys, you've been a great help.
But still surprised people prefer the hylands and kanata to Canadian. But I rate based most on on layout and enviro. Condition changes. Canadian has nice lateral hazards, challenging dog legs. Tricky tee shots

Hylands was just no water, no view, straight forward. Kanata better but still.

Any thoughts on loch marsh, marshes, grey hawk, falcon ridge, cedarhill or manderlay

[hummer1829]

Hi all, as long as we are correcting names, I've put the actual names of the courses for Thejonjon, with my ratings of only those mentioned, and in ascending order. I've not played Oaks of Cobden Golf Club, so it is not rated here:

12. The Canadian Golf and Country Club. More than serviceable and more than worth a play for its many idiosyncrasies... Did someone say, the 12th hole.

11. Hylands Golf Club. Conditions allow this to be rated well even if others in the City weren't included thus far in this survey.

10. Emerald Links Golf & Country Club. The three faces of Emerald, each with Iit's own characteristics, East, West and South. Often criticized for being s target-golf course, but with challenges at every turn... even if it is getting tired and in need to care and maintenance, perhaps their new manager may bring about some long needed upkeep.

9. Club de Golf Nation. If it wasn't for a few odd holes, overly eccentric, this would rank further up on my list.

8. Kanata Golf and Country Club. A picturesque course, somewhat tight and pedestrian to the houses adjacent as Johnyc mentions. Good challenge with fairness where needed.

7. Rideau View Golf Club. Good track, however, somewhat overated... It has many equals in terms of importance in Ottawa, not so much in layout, but at par in overall terms. It will be Interesting to see what the recently completed changes to holes No. 3 & 4 will do to our impressions of this course.

6. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Though an incredible setting, it is overrated.

5. Stonebridge Golf Club. I would rate it above most others. And is the most well kept and more challenging than the others mentioned before, and a tough course to break 80 on (78 is my low score there - this, in response to Golfisforfun)). Since the loss of its practice range, it has diminished in overall stature.

4. Camelot Golf & Country Club. Admittedly, having only played the front nine, I would place it further down the list than this position suggests, but being the eternal optimist, I imagine the back nine warranting what I suspect and what I've often heard, that it is a great track.

3. Equinelle Golf Club. I am not overly fond of this course, it has to be given one of the top-ratings of courses in the region. In terms of Its shape, challenge and overall facilities, it willl now finally benefit from the new clubhouse. Just wish that diatance on the range allowed for practice with a Driver.

2. Eagle Creek Golf Club. Should be ranked here, in my opinion. Try to find a more challenging finishing hole... wish it was still public.

1. Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Especially since the changes last year, and with the best practice facility in Ottawa, it is the crème de la crème.

There it is, again, in my opinion.
Have a great season everyone!

Good summary of the local golf around Ottawa

[justsomeguy]

L'Outaouais, Montebello, Hawkesbury Golf And Curling.

I agree - these are noticeably absent from the list. I would also include Smiths Falls in any top 12 list for the region.

[Wilster]

Yeah , you might want to add Loch March , Marshes and Grey Hawk to the top 12 list
They would beat out Nation , Emerald and Hylands IMO

[golfisforfun]

So what makes a good course? I look purely at the course, not the clubhouse, not the range, not the houses or lack of around the course, not the beer on tap, not the cart girls etc...

All I care about is level of difficulty, design, conditions and level of fun to be had on the course...

[jeffc]

So what makes a good course? I look purely at the course, not the clubhouse, not the range, not the houses or lack of around the course, not the beer on tap, not the cart girls etc...

All I care about is level of difficulty, design, conditions and level of fun to be had on the course...

everyone has their own opinions of course. If I were joining one, then there would be differing factors than if I just play casually. For the most part its just the course for me as I am not a member anywhere. Design, layout, conditioning are key to me. I don't want anything too difficult either, challenging but I am not out there to get beat up every round. I also enjoy friendly service, though that is often the icing on the cake. eQuinelle does a great job at this, Stonebridge less so.

[big mac]

everyone has their own opinions of course. If I were joining one, then there would be differing factors than if I just play casually. For the most part its just the course for me as I am not a member anywhere. Design, layout, conditioning are key to me. I don't want anything too difficult either, challenging but I am not out there to get beat up every round. I also enjoy friendly service, though that is often the icing on the cake. eQuinelle does a great job at this, Stonebridge less so.

Have to agree--- especially with the comment regarding Stonebridge--politeness, enthusiasm and efficiency sadly lacking. Inside staff could take a lesson from a couple of the starters.

[al m]

So what makes a good course? I look purely at the course, not the clubhouse, not the range, not the houses or lack of around the course, not the beer on tap, not the cart girls etc...

All I care about is level of difficulty, design, conditions and level of fun to be had on the course...

You don't look at the cart girls,not even a peak? Lol

[BullDog]

While I wish I had the fortune to have played Hunt Club, Camelot, Rideau View and Royal Ottawa even once - I have played Royal Ottawa once and am glad to see that my "huh?" reaction to it wasn't out of the ordinary... I had expected way more...

I wouldn't put Falcon Ridge anywhere near that list of 10-12 (or 20!) top courses. If anything, it has 14 decent holes with potential, but that 10-13 swing makes me think they should have used the Raceview property to make one decent 18 hole course instead of doing what they did - shoving a few holes in a marshy forested area to say they had a championship course over and above a nine hole executive course. Too bad, though - its proximity to town and holes 15-18 make any close match play round VERY interesting to finish up!

As for Cedar Hill, I like its front nine but the back nine, not so much. Almost the same thing as Falcon Ridge - it seems to me that they have a good number of holes but made up a few as they needed to come up to 18 playable holes. It might have been better in the past, but again because it's close to town it's always an option, but not if you're looking for a round at a "higher end course".

[jvincent]

I might as well weight in on this topic. I have not played either Royal Ottawa or Camelot yet, so I have to leave them out of my list.

From top to bottom, considering conditions, layout, challenge factor here's my list of favourites.

Full disclosure, I'm a member at Rideauview and play to a 6 index +/- 1 depending on the month.

1. Eagle Creek. Has always been my favourite course in town. It has it all IMHO.

2. Rideauview. Maybe some homer bias here, but it's a really good layout and conditions are fantastic.

3. Rivermead. Of the big name private courses, it's my next favourite.

4. Loch March. Only downside here are the mosquitoes if you play at the wrong time of day.

5. Stonebridge. Ignore what people say about the greens. They are fine for a course of this length and the layout makes you think.

6. Equinelle. A good layout, and conditions are very good considering its age.

7. Hunt Club. I'm not a huge fan of all of the holes, but overall it's still a good course. Caveats here, I haven't played it since the renovation and I'm giving it a pass for the one year that I played it many of the greens were dead.

8. Kanata Lakes. It has a couple of weak holes, but overall it's a good test. A lot of people don't like the houses and downgrade it for that.

[dickie_kak]

Good topic, I'll throw down a top 10.

1) Rideauview - Conditions, service, layout. Has it all.
2) Camelot - The best scenery in the city.
3) The Hunt - A bit of everything.
4) Eagle Creek - Challenging and fair.
5) Rivermead - Its been a long long time since I've played here, but its one I haven't forgotten.
6) Loch March - If the only bad thing is the mosquitoes, its for sure a top 10.
7) Equinelle - Its one of the most fun places to play.
8) Kanata - Minus the homes, this is a fun course to play. IMO conditions could be more consistent
9) Sand Point - Much improved conditions. tough test on an old style layout.
10) The marshes - It just feels like it should get a top 10 nod, but I can't give it any real reason.

[Guzman]

Nobody mentions Haute Plains former Dome, I remember before it became CL, it was a very good track, bent grass fairways, beautiful view, challenging.

[Johnyc]

Subjective list, and my opinion carries no more weight than anyone else, but not sure how a property that doesn't even have a range (Stonebridge) or limited facilities (Equinelle) rank ahead of Hunt? But maybe that's just me. I'm considering the trunk to trunk experience. Maybe others are evaluating with other standards? Last year I played RV, Equinelle, RO, SB and am a member at Hunt. Of all the courses, Camelot has the most potential. I like the 27 layout at Hunt (only 18 in play until July - hopefully). That variety helps it into the top end of the ranking. Prior to joining Hunt I played the big names and it was between Camelot and Hunt. If I lived in the east end I would have chosen Camelot. I'm just outside Manotick so Hunt made more sense logistically. It would be interesting to get the feedback from the rideau view members who came over to hunt. They could probably give the best (unbiased) opinion having been a member at both properties.

Lastly, as the father of three little boys, I wouldn't join a course that doesn't welcome kids (Royal ottawa). Hunt has embraced our family and that carries weight for me. Again, my humble opinion.