Full Breakdown of Rankings: 100-91 | 90 – 81 | 80 – 71 | 70 – 61 | 60 – 51 | 50 – 41 | 40 – 31 | 30 – 21 | 20 – 11 | 10 – 1 |
50. Kananaskis Country – Mt. Kidd
PUBLIC
Kananaskis, Alta.
Robert Trent Jones, 1984 (Gary Browning)
SG Rating: 7.7984
2022 Rank: 34
Sitting just inside the top 50, the gorgeous Mt. Kidd course at Kananaskis Country is the better of the two layouts at the 36-hole Canmore, Alta., mountain delight. Mt. Kidd winds through dense trees, with the Kananaskis River and glacial creeks coming into play on several holes.
49. Essex
PRIVATE
LaSalle, Ont.
Donald Ross, 1929
SG Rating: 7.7988
2022 Rank: 48
Essex is another design that outshines the land on which it was built. On mostly flat terrain, Donald Ross’s pushed up, though accessible and well-contoured, greens are the defining characteristic of this course. So too is its excellent bunkering.
48. Port Carling G&CC
PRIVATE
Port Carling, Ont.
Thomas McBroom, 1991
SG Rating: 7.8021
2022 Rank: 40
The private Port Carling is not discussed as much as other Muskoka, Ontario, clubs such as Muskoka Bay, Rocky Crest or even Oviinbyrd, but Thomas McBroom’s creation here is a strong one with big elevation changes decorated by exposed rock, distinctive bunkering and neat green sites.
47. Waskesiu
PUBLIC
Waskesiu Lake, Sask.
J.H. Atkinson/Stanley Thompson, 1935
SG Rating: 7.8306
2022 Rank: 83
Like many of Stanley Thompson’s courses, the rumpled land on which Waskesiu was laid out is the star of the show. Thompson was a co-creator here and his imagination is on full display as the ground can be both a friend and an enemy to the golfer.
46. Big Sky
PUBLIC
Pemberton, B.C.
Bob Cupp, 1994
SG Rating: 7.8327
2022 Rank: 42
Laid out over lake-filled land at the base of the dominating Mount Currie, what Big Sky lacks in undulation from tee to green it makes up for with cool green complexes featuring a lot of movement. Bob Cupp wasn’t given a dynamite piece of property, but he crafted some excellent holes amid breathtaking scenery.
45. The Algonquin
PUBLIC
St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, N.B.
Donald Ross, 1927 (Thomas McBroom, Rod Whitman)
SG Rating: 7.8335
2022 Rank: 60
One of the best course renovations in recent years occurred at The Algonquin, where Rod Whitman worked his magic on the New Brunswick beauty originally designed by Donald Ross and overhauled by Thomas McBroom. Whitman’s rugged bunkering refreshed the layout while the four holes he rebuilt or remodelled to begin the back nine are among the best in Canada.
44. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley – Hoot
PUBLIC
Caledon, Ont.
Doug Carrick, 2001
SG Rating: 7.8514
2022 Rank: 41
Doug Carrick’s tribute to Pine Valley, the Hoot Course at TPC Toronto is tremendous fun with 18 isolated holes running through tall pines and navigating rugged waste bunkers. Smartly, Carrick’s routing offers just as many breather holes as beasts, one often following the other.
43. Grand-Mère
PUBLIC
Shawinigan, Que.
Walter Travis/Hugh Allison, 1922
SG Rating: 7.8544
2022 Rank: NR
An off-the-beaten track club that raters have only recently discovered, Grand-Mère was an early 20th century collaboration between Walter Travis and Hugh Allison. Excellent rugged bunkering, great greens and plenty of movement in the land make this throwback course a delight.
42. Rocky Crest
RESORT
MacTier, Ont.
Thomas McBroom, 2000
SG Rating: 7.8570
2022 Rank: 36
The golf course that put Thomas McBroom on the map, Rocky Crest continues to be an enjoyable play in Ontario’s Muskoka Region. McBroom’s strong routing here shows off the rugged rocky outcroppings of the Canadian Shield while also navigating through wetlands and a forested terrain.
41. Redtail
PRIVATE
St. Thomas, Ont.
Donald Steel, 1992
SG Rating: 7.8626
2022 Rank: 39
Donald Steel’s Redtail is largely known for being unknown. The ultra-exclusive club sometimes hosts just a few a handful of golfers per day. As for the course, the minimalist design contains fewer than 30 bunkers and some fantastic, yet small, greens. The downhill par-3 ninth is particularly pretty.