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  1. #1
    5 Wood gdwlkspld is on a distinguished road
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    bang for the buck

    This thread is a development from the thread "Spring Conditions".

    Kilroy rightfully pointed out that the "Spring Conditions" thread had gotten kidnapped and devolved into a discussion into a "bang for the buck" thread. If you weren't a reader of the "Spring Conditions" thread, a review of page four of that thread will get you up to speed.

    A number of people had very positive things to say about the Renfrew G.C. as being a very good bang for the buck; Johnnyc demurred but offered to provide us with better examples if a new thread were started.

    With access to GolfNow we can all figure out what the cheapest rate might be on a given date and tee time but I would propose that the issue here is what are the good values in eastern Ontario and western Quebec in terms of the advertised rack rate and the golfing experience.

    I recognize that distance traveled fits into the equation for all of us; however, for the purpose of the exercise, what do you think are the best values, putting distance and GolfNow specials aside?

    Although this thread is about "bang for the buck" that doesn't necessarily imply inexpensive as opposed to great value, whatever the price. Please consider factors such as shot value, routing, scenery and agronomy and see if we can come up with a short list of public and semi-private golf courses that we would highly recommend to other people that love golf that they should play once or more than once... courses that are great bang for the buck!

    thank you to all of you who choose to contribute...

    gdwlkspld

  2. #2
    Hall of Fame jeffc is on a distinguished road jeffc's Avatar
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    Renfrew and Rockland (formerly Outaouais) are the 2 I would suggest. If they could only move both closer
    I got a fever. And the only prescription is more golf equipment.

  3. #3
    Posting Sensei justsomeguy is on a distinguished road
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    There are two that stand out for me - Smiths Falls and Montebello.

    I like Smiths Falls because conditions are always excellent, the layout is challenging but fair and the price is very reasonable. I like Montebello because I love the Stanley Thompson layout, the magnificent views and the whole experience of playing an excellent resort course that can be played for $50 cart included (the course is not walkable anyway).

  4. #4
    Shotmaker Johnyc is on a distinguished road
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    Good morning,

    When viewing public courses within an hour's drive of the Ottawa area, I have personally broken it down into an above average, average and below average rating. Those courses that I consider above average in this area are Loch March, Equinelle, Upper Canada, Smugglers Glen and Haweksbury. Average is where the majority of courses would fall, including Renfrew. I won't identify the below average, but there are another 5-10 that fit this category. The average category is clearly the biggest band. My comments were based on layout and condition. Again, this is my opinion, but I personally like the layout of the other public courses better. Conditions are the same. I said before and I stand by it, I feel that $30 for 18 and a cart is fair value for Renfrew when you consider the drive. Maybe it's not fair, but there are rates on Golf Now that gets you onto a course like Upper Canada for 18 holes and a cart for $30.

    My list of best overall public courses in the area include those mentioned above. If you are willing to extend your drive a little further, there are some great courses in northern NY state that we have gone to play in the morning and are home before dinner, or in eastern Ontario approaching the Quebec border. The problem with these properties is the proximity to the Ottawa area. I personally find it difficult to drive past a course like Loch March, even if it is cheaper to play a course 45 minutes further along the highway. I don't play as often as I once did, so I would rather pay more and play a better venue. In the spirit of full disclosure I haven't played Renfrew this year. The comments that I shared regarding the reason why some aren't coming to the course is directly from locals who reside in the valley and whom I was speaking with at the cottage last weekend. But, if the membership is growing and the tee sheet is robust, then this opinion may be misplaced. Not sure how to put distance and specials aside, as these are likely the primary decision criteria for most people. I belong to a private course so I don't often play public tracks, but those of my friends who like hack around often choose the same old familiar places, most often do to proximity to their homes. Many of these guys don't like burning a vacation day to golf so they try and hit something on the way home from work and do the twilight. Renfrew, like other properties that are an hour + from downtown Ottawa likely rely on the retired crowd who can plan golf outings and are willing to drive to find value as they have the time. This will probably always be the same issue for these courses outside the city.

  5. #5
    Lob Wedge NMG is on a distinguished road
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    I spent the last week and a bit playing some golf with my dad and I thought I'd share our thoughts. These are all courses that I hadn't played before.

    1) Greensmere Legacy Course. I though it was a nice course, with a nice layout. Conditions were quite wet though, and that detracted from the score. I'm sure once it dries out it will be better. Had some nice scenery, and some nice holes.

    2) Montebello. Amazing course. Great scenery, tough, and while it was still a bit wet, the conditions were great. In peak condition I suspect it would be incredible.

    3) Renfrew. I really liked it. It had some great holes and the conditions were really good. I did find the greens a bit slow, but they rolled just fine. It was a bit of a drive, but I'm also in the west end so it wasn't all that bad.

    4) Equinelle. Top rate. Amazing conditions, superb layout, gorgeous holes. I liked the elevation that some of the other courses provided, but I think Equinelle did a great job with the land they had to work with.

    5) Loch March. A bit disappointed to be honest. I had read so much about it and while it was a nice layout, I was expecting more. The course was still quite wet so I'm sure that impacted my impression, but the fairways weren't as filled in as other places and the greens were incredibly hard, with many shots not holding at all. Would like to try again later in the year to give it another shot.

    From a value perspective, my rankings would go like this (based on what I paid, my thoughts on the layout, conditions and enjoyment):

    1) Equinelle
    2) Montebello
    3) Renfrew
    4) Greensmere
    5) Loch March

    Equinelle and Montebello were 1 and 2 by a pretty wide margin in my eye, while Renfrew was a solid number 3.

    The reason I had Loch March so low was mainly because of the price and conditions. It was the most expensive round of golf we played (around $80 taxes in with the cart) and it was nowhere near the top 3 as far as conditions go. I would like to play both it and Greensmere again to see if my evaluation would change as the conditions improve.

    Honestly though, I'd have a hard time golfing at Loch March over Equinelle when the latter is cheaper and almost the same distance. The fact that you could easily walk Equinelle and save even more money makes the decision pretty easy IMHO. I also still think Renfrew is a bargain for $40 with a cart. Thats two rounds for the price of one at Loch March!

    I'd also like to say that despite my thoughts on the course and pricing, I thought the staff at Loch March were great. I'd say they were easily the best we encountered at all five courses.

  6. #6
    Im a fixture here Leftymoose is on a distinguished road Leftymoose's Avatar
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    Loch march has some nice holes but I agree that I think it's overpriced..one thing it has going for it is the $100 for $80 deal at Costco but I would choose equinelle over it any day.

  7. #7
    2 Iron Guzman is on a distinguished road Guzman's Avatar
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    Everybody fail to mention Canadian GC, I think is probably in the above average for me, is a great improvement from what the Canadian was.
    Bang for the buck is also worth to mention Mountain Creek, owner in house is a golfer and it makes the course better every season.
    "Everyone is born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid" Ben Franklyn.

  8. #8
    Medalist cleek is on a distinguished road
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    would not consider as a green fee player but Marshes @ $52 on GS includes round , cart , range ....best bang for me. Not to mention 10 minutes from home.

  9. #9
    Moderator Team Match Play Champ 2013, 2014 BogeyGolf is on a distinguished road BogeyGolf's Avatar
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    I would say from Downtown Ottawa, Upper Canada and Renfrew would be roughly the same distance. I would say 50 minutes. I like both the courses.

  10. #10
    Postmaster General big mac is on a distinguished road big mac's Avatar
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    On a strictly "lets play golf" I prefer a course where you can actually see your money "at work' ie upkeep being maintained. Equinelle--Rockland and Renfrew. Yep I know they are out of town but you get what you pay for----and the Canadian right there also. Personally I think this is a golfers year and if you check prices and times you can pretty well match GS or EG----going to be a tough year for all involved but the cream always rises to the top
    Does the 2nd hole-n-one come easier ?

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