On the Road to Woodstock, Ontario
Craigowan Golf & Country Club
This well-maintained gem is located in the rolling hills of Oxford County, just north of Woodstock. With mature trees framing fairways and nine possible tee deck combinations, there are lots of options to find your perfect yardage. While there have been subsequent architectural tweaks from Doug Carrick, Mike Weir and Ian Andrew, the original 1959 Robbie Robinson design has stood the test of time. There’s a reason multiple notable tournaments have been held here, including the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur.
“Craigowan is a testament to one of course designer Robbie Robinson’s greatest strengths: He built golf courses that people are happy to play every day. No gimmicks. No surprises. Just a beautiful old-style golf course that is timeless.
Innerkip Highlands Golf Club
About 5 kms north of Highway 401, between Cambridge and London, Innerkip is a warm hug of a course. Measuring 6,432 from the tips, the gently rolling property is easily walked. Trees are more for framing—set well back from landing zones, save for the tight par-5 9th and 15th holes. But this well-maintained design does feature a pair of watery graves: the island green at the par-4 5th; and the par-3 6th and 17th holes, which wrap around opposite sides of a pond and gentle waterfall.
“This was a perennial best-value inclusion when I was editing Ontario Golf magazine. The late golf writer Skip Johns even had it regularly on his Top 50 in Ontario list. Large-scale renovations and additional land acquisitions have been part of this club’s constant improvements.
Otter Creek Golf Club
Opened in 2008, this head-turning Dick Kirkpatrick creation is situated in a rural farm community, 20 minutes from Woodstock. Encompassing 300 acres and carved through the wooded valleys of Otter, Cedar and Spittler Creeks, the course meanders cleverly over former farmers’ fields and tobacco lands. It stretches to 7,100 yards, but six sets of tees provide plenty of options. The rustic 5,000 sq. ft. clubhouse and 1,500-square-foot patio offer superb views of the 18th hole, which carves through the wooded creek valley. Note that this is a cashless facility.
“One of my go-to golf courses since opening almost 20 years ago. The 13th hole is my favourite risk/reward par-4—a dogleg right from an elevated tee deck, where a great drive over the large water hazard and surrounding bunkers can leave you right in front of the green. And don’t forget to look up while putting on the 10th green, or just before you tee off on 17, because you just might catch a glimpse of nesting bald eagles.
Tarandowah Golfers Club
There are few comparisons in Canada and nothing like it in Ontario. With its pot bunkers, firm and fast, fescue-lined fairways, and crafty, undulating greens, this creation from English golf architect Martin Hawtree—his only Canadian design—is a throwback to the links found on the Scottish coast, the west of Ireland or the south of England. A short drive southeast of London, it’s an addictive, everchanging, windswept experience. Bring your imagination—and a decent bump-and-run and sand game. Since opening in 2007, Tarandowah has cultivated a great fan base—one that is growing daily.
“North Sea be damned! Tarandowah is the real deal—a fescue-rimmed, pot-bunkered, pockmarked rollercoaster ride that can be an angry, wind-whipped brute, even without an ocean at its doorstep.
