Thick stands of deciduous trees, multiple wetland hazards, dense fescue rough and consistently strong conditioning have defined this Tom McBroom design since it officially opened in 2002. The parkland course makes its way along the namesake creek, with narrow fairways carved out of the surrounding forest and smaller greens than Legends’ Battlefield layout. It’s a design that examines your shot-making skills. Need another reason to visit? The TaylorMade Niagara Performance Centre at Legends offers a full-scale club-fitting experience, while the nine-hole Chippawa Course is delightful.

Located in the heart of the picturesque Red Hill Valley and at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment, this is an understandably popular public facility, averaging 42,000 rounds annually over the last five years. Designed by former City of Hamilton Parks Foreman Matt Broman, with input from Chedoke head pro Rod Goodes, the course opened for play in the fall of 1973. It offers some terrific elevated tee shots (the dramatic par-4 11th calls to mind Glen Abbey’s famous 11th hole) and a challenging routing that crosses the Red Hill Creek six times. Its variety of ups and downs will make a power cart a good idea for many at the picturesque course.

This is only a nine-hole layout. But it’s an iconic nine-hole layout—the oldest golf course on its existing site in North America (est. 1875)—that we simply cannot omit it. Situated on the edge of Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake, this traditionally immaculately manicured design runs along Lake Ontario, with century-old trees framing fairways and brilliant sunrises and sunsets all adding to the experience. The property dates to the battles of 1812, with Fort Mississauga still standing as a backdrop beyond the first green.

Dating to 1961, when Jack and Ann Windsor shaped 18 impressive holes out of a dairy farm in the quiet hamlet of Copetown, Flamborough Hills now features three nines. Each has its own unique character and topography, as their names might imply: The Woods, The Hills and The Lakes (the newest of the group). Elevation changes are a defining feature, although The Hills certainly stands out from the other two nines in this respect. Green speeds and conditioning are excellent this year.

Green fees are only below our $80 ceiling in the shoulder season, but the quality of both 18-hole courses and the depth of the accompanying facilities made it an easy choice for our panel to include both 18-hole layouts at the Audubon-certified Legends. Doug Carrick’s Battlefield Course, one of the two cornerstones of the 1,000-acre Legends property, sits adjacent to the historic plains on which the Battle of Chippewa was fought during the War of 1812. Despite its flat terrain, the course offers piles of visual interest as it weaves through majestic oak woodlands and across gently rolling plains. But it’s the 20-acre lake dividing the 9th and 18th holes that provides the greatest drama. This course played host to the LPGA BMO Canadian Women’s Open in 2004.

Listed among GolfPass.com’s Golfers’ Choice top 25 public golf courses and hidden gems in Canada, this member-owned semi-private club hugs its gently rolling countryside atop the Niagara Escarpment in the heart of Niagara’s Benchlands wine region. Twenty Mile Creek lurks like a serpent in the grass as it weaves its way along the course. This photogenic layout has hosted multiple high-calibre tournaments, including the Ontario Senior Men’s and Women’s Championships.

Often referred to as the dean of Canadian professional golfers, George Cumming and then golf design partner Melville Miller teamed up in 1929 to craft the first nine holes at Port Colborne. Nearly a century later, six of those original nine remain intact. Just minutes from Lake Erie and renowned for its top-notch conditioning, this is old-school golf, with mature trees defining fairways, and quick, smallish greens demanding precision.  

The feature photo on the home page of Graham Cooke & Associates’ golf course architectural firm is Willow Valley. That should say something about what Cooke and his lead designer at the time, Darrell Huxham, feel about the Hamilton design, which opened in 2000. Built into the Niagara Escarpment’s undulating terrain, the course offers dramatic elevation changes and sweeping vistas, with the property’s natural beauty accented by gently rolling fescue, dramatic bunkering and sculptured greens.

One of the strongest values for your golfing dollar in Ontario, Copetown is as famous for its exquisite conditioning (credit huge tees and greens for some of that) as it is for its management (credit GM and marketing genius Barry Forth). Built over a former broccoli farm, this was veteran golf architect Dick Kirkpatrick’s first solo design. It’s a marvellous, gently rolling layout highlighted by fescue, waste bunkers and large water hazards. And its patio for post-round F&B is exceptional. But take note—actually, two notes: Copetown is a cashless facility, and it has no bunker rakes—so play it as it lies or tee it up at your discretion from the sand.