In celebration of SCOREGolf’s Top 59 Public Golf Courses Ranking, we recently hosted Canada’s Top 59 Golf Giveaway, where we gave away a foursome to every course on the list! With thousands of entries from coast-to-coast, we want to thank everyone that entered and congratulate all of our winners.
When SCOREGolf first launched its Top List in 2013, they chose 59 to coincide with golf’s coveted score, which had been carded at the game’s highest levels only a few times. Despite Jim Furyk coming along and bettering the score when he shot a 58 in 2016, the list remains the same size this year.
Using a rating scale that measures beauty, strategy, challenge, design, conditioning, Par 3s, Par 4s, Par 5s and fun factor, below is the Top 59 Public Golf Courses in Canada in 2017.
Check out our previous posts in the countdown:
39-30 of SCOREGolf‘s Top 59 Canadian Public Courses
39. Copper Creek
Designed by Doug Carrick in the Toronto-based architect’s heyday in the early 2000s, Copper Creek mixes open, linksy land with wooded, valley holes to comprise a marvellous golf course. It’s long been a popular draw in the Greater Toronto Area.
Winner: Sandra Fredette
38. Deerhurst — Highlands Course
The Highlands Course at Deerhurst Resort was very important for Ontario’s Muskoka area as it elevated the status of courses there and paved the way for places like Rocky Crest and Taboo. The Bob Cupp-Thomas McBroom collaboration has held up well since opening in 1990.
Winner: Boris Jazbec
37. Dakota Dunes
When it comes to public golf in Saskatchewan, Graham Cooke and Wayne Carleton knocked it out of the park with Dakota Dunes, a links-style course laid atop a sensational piece of prairie property. It formerly hosted the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.
Winner: Tom Ibbitson
36. Osprey Valley – Toot Course
The parklands course at the tremendous 54-hole Osprey Valley was designed by Doug Carrick to be the most player friendly of the three courses there. The Toot is sometimes overlooked, but it’s back nine is as good as any nine holes on the property.
Winner: Andrew Plesko
35. Lake Joseph
A ClubLink resort course requiring golfers to stay on site to play, Lake Joseph might be the most dramatic of Muskoka courses in terms of elevation changes. The Thomas McBroom gem features plenty of drop-shot tee shots, making for a fun day.
Winner: Graeme Murray
34. Northern Bear
One of just four Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses in Canada, which is the highest tier in the Nicklaus Design portfolio, Northern Bear lives up to that status as its fairways blend seamlessly with tall trees and five lakes to create a memorable experience.
Winner: Mike Rodwell
33. Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu
With nines designed by Herbert Strong way back in the 1920s and by Michael Hurdzan in the 2000s, this stunning golf course high above the St. Lawrence River is a top draw for hotel guests.
Winner: Eddy Rozander
32. Bear Mountain – Valley
For the first time, the newer Valley Course at the Bear Mountain Resort passes its older brother, the Mountain Course, on SCOREGolf’s Top 59. A less dramatic, yet more spacious and playable design, it rates high on the fun factor.
Winner: Craig Loewen
31. Taboo
Taboo wasn’t the first course in Ontario’s Muskoka region, but it solidified the area as a golf destination thanks to the massive praise the Ron Garl design received upon opening. Cut through rocky outcroppings of the Canadian Shield, it’s visually spectacular.
Winner: Garth E. Lee
30. Le Géant
With its dramatic Laurentian Mountains setting on a wonderful piece of property, Le Géant has been wowing golfers from the get go. Tom McBroom’s design features numerous elevation changes, sweeping fairways and artful, lurking bunkers to keep golfers on their toes.
Winner: Glen Dewey
WOULD LOVE TO PLAY WOODEN STICKS!
Amazing courses !