Course Review: St. Andrew’s East Golf Club

A few weeks back, I accepted an invitation from Steve Grass, the General Manager at St. Andrew’s East Golf Club in Stouffville, to bring the Bunker Squad by for a round of golf. I had always heard good things about the course, but it was one of the few private clubs in the GTA I had never played, so I was quite looking forward to it.

A little research before our round showed that the course had been built in the late 80’s and designed by Rene Muylaert, a popular course architect of the time, who is credited with nearly 50 course projects in Ontario. The club was the inspiration of founders Bill MacWilliam and Dave Patterson, who envisioned a private equity club that was strictly focused on its member’s enjoyment. To them that meant no outside tournaments, no tee times and no financial surprises.

On the day we played, the parking lot was full, and I wondered if the “no tee time” policy would mean a lengthy wait. A needless worry as it turned out. At the pro shop counter, it was suggested we could head to the range to warm up or just proceed to the first tee. How civilized! We chose the latter option.

As we prepped to hit our tee shots, a twosome in a cart came up and asked if they could jump ahead. “We’re only playing five,” they said, which seemed like an odd comment to us, but off they went, and we never saw them again.

It turned out that one of the unique features of the St. Andrew’s East layout is there are fours loops of varying length that all start and end at the clubhouse. Members can play a 3-hole loop (Holes No. 16-18), a 4-hole loop (6-9), a 5-hole loop (1-5) and a 6-hole jaunt from 10 to 15.

Another unique feature is there are six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. It’s still a par 72 but doesn’t seem as formidable as some courses where you slog through long stretches of par 4s. To me, that kind of variation makes it more enjoyable. I think most golfers are thrilled by a hero shot on a short hole and a chance for birdie on the long ones. The founders aimed to maximize member’s enjoyment and this feature certainly fits the bill.

To say the St. Andrew’s East property is hilly is probably an understatement. It reminded me of Summit or Maple Downs, two other courses north of the city that take full advantage of similar dramatic elevation changes. Back in the 1950s and 60s, Rene Muylaert did some work at Maple Downs, so it’s conceivable he drew inspiration from that experience.

The course measures 6,781 yards from the tips and 5,384 yards from the forward tee with multiple tee decks in between. As with many hilly courses, the yardage on the card isn’t the most important number and I would say it plays longer than advertised. Elevated greens on a number of early holes in particular were a struggle.

It’s been noted that Muylaert often “buried elephants” in his greens but there’s no evidence of that at St. Andrew’s East. The medium-sized greens do have considerable slope and contouring and were very smooth and plenty fast enough the day we played, but no giant mounds to intimidate or frustrate.

One of the measures I use in evaluating courses is memorability. Sometimes I can visualize all the holes months later and other times, I struggle to recall what any of them looked like. At St. Andrew’s East, each hole is quite distinct and has unique characteristics that stick in my mind.

I’m not sure there is a Signature Hole per se. Maybe the scenic par-5 6th hole that tees off beside the clubhouse to a split fairway and trundles downhill to a long sloping green framed by woods on three sides. The par-3 11th has a magnificent setting and requires a heroic 175-yard shot that drops to a wide green below. Or maybe the par-4 12th that looks like it goes nowhere until you get to the 90-degree turn in the fairway tucked behind the trees.

Actually, lots of fun and challenge on every hole, now that I start thinking about it. This is a course you could play every day and never get tired of.

Starting with the founder’s vision and the genius of Rene Muylaert more than 35 years ago, St. Andrew’s East has stood the test of time. It was a delight to play and I’m sure members feel that every time they visit.

For more information about St. Andrew’s East including membership, click HERE.

 

Peter Mumford
Peter Mumford is the Editor and Publisher of Fairways Magazine. He's played over 500 different courses in 21 countries and met some fascinating people along the way. He's also a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

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