Q&A with Warren Thomas, Executive Golf Professional, Cobble Beach

Cobble Beach, which is minutes north of Owen Sound, has been a popular destination for golfers for nearly 20 years. The resort features an award-winning Doug Carrick designed golf course as part of a thriving year-round residential community. We recently spoke to Executive Golf Professional Warren Thomas about the course and the resort on a Zoom call.

Hi Warren, thanks for speaking with us today. Let’s start with the golf course. For potential visitors who haven’t experienced Cobble Beach, how would you characterize the golf course?

Thomas: Thanks for having me, Peter. Well, it’s a Doug Carrick design and it’s obviously a links style golf course that overlooks Georgian Bay. You can see the Bay on every hole, which a lot of our guests seem to enjoy. The golf course is always in great shape, right from the spring. We have an interesting grass on our greens, a velvet bent grass, and it’s very pure and smooth – great for rolling putts. The fairways are pretty wide and there’s not a ton of forced carries, which makes it nice for people that are beginner golfers. The trouble though is once you get to the greens, they’re quite tricky – very big and roll-y. The other obstacle would be the humps and bumps throughout the fairways. You can get some super funny lies. So, the humps and bumps and the greens are the obstacles. The view is what gets everybody coming back though.

Does Cobble Beach have a signature hole?

Thomas: Absolutely. No. 17 is the lighthouse hole. (Pictured at top) It’s the one people want to talk about at golf shows and anywhere I travel in Ontario. You’ve seen it on TSN. The hole stretches from front tees at 100 yards to 175. It’s a downhill shot with the backdrop of Georgian Bay and the lighthouse right behind it.

The course sits on the side of the Niagara Escarpment adjacent to the water, as you said, and has some stunning views. Is wind a big factor generally?

Thomas: Yeah, I would say in the spring and the fall, wind is definitely a factor. Some days it can blow pretty hard and be a three or four club wind. But on average it’s probably one club either way. Like today, I’m looking out there and there’s absolutely zero wind. That’s typical of July and August. The Escarpment is a factor for putting too. Carrick has designed the greens with plenty of break in all directions, but the Escarpment effect generally causes everything to break toward the water.

For day trippers, what’s the best way to enjoy their time at Cobble Beach?

Thomas: It’s funny you asked me that because I have some friends coming up today from the Toronto area that we meet once a year. We’re going to play around noon, enjoy the golf course, and then afterwards we’re going to go into the Sweetwater restaurant and have a great meal. In the evening, we have live music on our patio that overlooks Georgian Bay and we’ve got our pizza oven there too. So, obviously the dining afterwards is excellent, and the setting is gorgeous.

And for golfers looking for a stay and play experience, what do you recommend?

Thomas: Well, for starters we have ten suites above the clubhouse. Very convenient. You just walk upstairs and you’re in your room, which is great. Each suite is a little bit different but they’re all quite luxurious. It’s our 18th season and there’s been a lot of updating over the years, lots of capital going back into the facility, the clubhouse, and the suites.

And then we have five cottages which are adjacent to the clubhouse and overlook Nahnee Pond. Each has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a common area. They’re very popular. I mean, we often get two couples staying in them and if we have larger groups, we can accommodate up to 20 in the five cottages. They could take over the whole thing and have their own exclusive area.

Apart from golf, what else do visitors enjoy?

Thomas: Our spa is very popular. We’ve got some pretty cool e-bikes now. A lot of people take advantage of those. We have 16 kilometers of trails, whether you use the e-bikes or walk, and we have our day dock down at the water. We also have world-class tennis courts and bocci. There’s just lots going on, and it’s a super place to bring, let’s say it’s six couples, eight couples, 12 guys. Those group trips where you can go in for one or two nights, we look after them really well and they have so much fun here.

You mentioned Sweetwater Restaurant. Can you comment on the dining options and the menus?

Thomas: I think when you were here last, there was a tent to the north of the building where we did some weddings. The tent is gone now, and we’ve turned the area into a monster patio that overlooks Georgian Bay. We have a couple of different levels. We do signature drinks out there. Our pizza oven is a huge hit that’s been going for about three years or so, and we do all kinds of different pizzas. We’re going to do a make your own pizza on Thursdays with the chef, which will be fun. The other option obviously is our classic menu in the Sweetwater Restaurant. A lot of the ingredients are made fresh, and our staff put a lot of time and effort to provide the best product for the guests that are staying at Cobble Beach.

Each year. Cobble Beach hosts a glamourous event called the Concours d’Elegance. Can you talk a little bit about that and how visitors can participate?

Thomas: Yeah, I think you’re spot on there. This is the 10th year of the Concours. Our owner, Rob McCleese, has done so much work on this. Hundreds of hours every year putting this together where they bring in 100-120 vehicles from across the world. They’ve raised over a million dollars for charities, which is just tremendous. Sunnybrook Hospital and Owen Sound Hospital are the two charities that benefit. And we get people from far and wide that are car enthusiasts that want to come up here and see exquisite cars that you just don’t see anywhere else. You get everything from Deusenbergs to supercars. Some years they’ve had bikes and boats too. This year the Concours is September 14-15. It takes over the whole property and is quite a show – just a whole weekend of fun stuff for car enthusiasts.

Do visitors have to buy tickets in advance, or can they just get them at the door?

Thomas: They’re encouraged to buy them in advance. On our website there’s a link for the Concours at www.cobblebeachconcours.com

Tell us about the Cobble Beach community?

Thomas: We have 200 plus homes here now and we’re just finishing up our second phase and going into the third, which will launch early next year. Many of our residents are seasonal, spending summers here and winters in a warmer climate. We’re just two hours from the Toronto airport, so for people getting away in the winter, it’s not too far. It’s a really nice community up here and people are just so happy. I played golf yesterday with some new members and they were having a glorious day. A great part of my job is being involved with a lot of people that are really enjoying themselves at Cobble Beach.

Thanks for speaking with us Warren.

For more information about Cobble Beach, click HERE.