Hole #1 – “Southward Ho”
We’ve somehow misplaced the information for Hole 1, we are working on updating as soon as possible 🙂

Hole #2 – “Tamarack”

The clearing to the right of this hole’s fairway (at about the 200 yard stake) is a unique ecosystem known as a “fen”. Many fens, Monck’s Landing’s included, are often characterized by the presence of an unusual tree called the Tamarack. A deciduous conifer, the Tamarack stands alone as the only native needle-leaved tree in eastern Canada that is not an evergreen, and behaves like a broadleaf hardwood in the autumn, its needles changing from green into stunning hues of gold before being shed in early to mid-November.

A Fan’s Notes:
Your wake-up call….the toughest hole on the course – a 430 yard uphill Par 4, with a cross-wind to boot! 2nd short is semi-blind, with only the flagstick visible against the horizon…..no backdrop to aid in your depth perception – make note of the day’s hole location. The fun doesn’t stop once you’ve made the putting surface…..two-tiered green allows for some devilish pin placements…….consider your bogey a moral victory.

The 2nd time around, the 11th plays 10 yards shorter with the tee at a slightly different angle to the fairway….but that same two-tiered green still awaits you.

Hole #3 – “Garbhchiocha”
Gaelic for “Highlands.”

A Fan’s Notes:
Hole seemingly plays longer than its 166 yards. Prevailing wind blows left to right…..but you are sheltered from its true impact by the orchard beside the tee, so try to gauge the gusts via the flagstick, or your ball might be putting on its right-turn signal on its way to the vast waste bunker. Large green makes for a generous target….which comes in handy if the pin’s been tucked behind the penal railway-tie pot bunker that defends this hole. 

The 14th is only 133 yards on the card…..but it’s all carry into the teeth of the gale. Hole plays much like the famed 7th at Pebble Beach…..in calm air an 8 or 9-iron is the club, but when the wind is strong from the west golfers might be gripping medium irons to keep the ball low on line. The pot bunker is less of a concern this time around.

Hole #4 – “Gakiwee”
Gakiwee is the Anishinaabe word for “he goes overland, he portages”. Anishinaabe is the language spoken by the Huron tribe – the former inhabitants of this region. An old portage trail, stretching from Head Lake to the Gull River, and used by the Huron Nation, is located near Monck’s Landing.

A Fan’s Notes:
A fun little roller-coaster of a hole that will play differently every time out. Depending upon the wind and your swing, the massive fairway undulations can either rob you of 20 yards off the tee if you land on an upslope, or reward you with an extra 30 yards carry if you hit the downslope. Keep your drive as far left as possible in order to take the sleeper-faced bunker guarding this green out of play on your 2nd shot…….but be aware the aforementioned fairway undulations will be constantly pushing you to the right. The prevailing wind (which is usually at your back) and large green should make this a potential birdie…..but pure dumb luck might factor in as well, since an awkward uphill or downhill lie is definitely possible on Gakiwee’s fairways – bringing into play what the Scots call “the rub of the green”. 

A change in the wind the 2nd time around (or in the temperament of the golfing gods) could change your fortunes for the better (or for the worst).

Hole #5 – “Devil’s Dell”
An alliterative tribute to Canada’s foremost golf course architect, Stanley Thompson (1893-1953), recalling his famed Par Three 4th at Banff Springs, the “Devil’s Cauldron”.

A Fan’s Notes:
Scenic little Par 3. No matter how poorly your round might be going, Devil’s Dell is sitting there waiting to brighten your mood by handing out a par. A birdie could be a different matter; however……pin hunters might be forced to aim for a small zone on this diamond-shaped green if the flagstick has been stuck between two of the several spines that extend out onto the putting surface from the mounds surrounding it. Factor in the 40 foot drop in elevation from when choosing your club.

The 14th plays 13 yards longer, with the wind at a slightly different angle the 2nd time around. Semi-blind tee shot, so trust your yardage (and your swing).

Hole #6 – “Rumney’s Roost”
 The district’s first tavern, originally called Rumney’s Hotel (later to become the Pine Grove Hotel) was located a short distance from Monck’s Landing, at the corner of Hilton’s Point Road and Highway 35. The tavern, being close to Elliot Falls on the Gull River, evidently soon acquired the reputation as a rowdy establishment frequented by the lumberjacks on log drives downriver to the sawmills in the south – so rowdy, in fact, that the area’s residents circulated a petition calling for the prohibition of liquor in Laxton Township as long “as grass grows and water flows”, leading to the closing of the Pine Grove in 1875.

A Fan’s Notes:
Monck’s Landing’s “signature hole”…… although Rumney’s Roost is closer in spirit to the Group of Seven than the Royal & Ancient. The ultimate risk/reward hole, the 6th can reward patience……but when patience crosses the line over into timidity her gloves could come off. This might not be the right place to step on the gas pedal and force the issue if your swing’s not in order. Fairway narrows (water left) as it approaches the green, making for a daunting tee shot……but a large ridge bisects this hole’s putting surface, so an aggressive drive will reward you with a scoring club in hand, better with which to aim for whichever half of the green the cup is located on. The generous landing area short of the pond allows for an easy lay-up……but the 2nd shot is now 150 yards over water and the large grass bunker that fronts this green. Pick your poison. 

The 2nd time around, the 15th morphs into a drivable Par 4. Check for the yardage disk on this hole’s tee deck……290 yards as the crow flies to the centre of the green from this spot. Factor in the change in elevation and wind direction and it’s your call. Please fix your ball mark.

Hole #7 – “Heartbreak Ridge”
A bit of hyperbole perhaps, but a 374 yard uphill Par Four does not exactly lend itself to a name like “Happy Heights.”

A Fan’s Notes:
Coming out of the woods now……narrow chute…..dogleg right/fairway bunker left. Your second shot will likely be played from the base of the hill heading up to the green to a flagstick starkly silhouetted against the horizon – total links. On a fresh day you’ll be somewhat sheltered from the wind down there, so be aware of it and go up a club (or two) The unique stone wall jutting out into the fairway can play like a bunker…..avoid at all costs. Pinehurst-esque “tortoise shell” green makes for some fun putts. 

The 2nd time around, take a moment to enjoy the view from the green.

Hole #8 – “Hamilton’s Lane”
The scenic tree-lined laneway running alongside this hole was hacked out of the forest by Adam Hamilton in 1868.

A Fan’s Notes:
A bloody, brutish, brawling beast of a Par 5…..the proverbial “true 3-shotter”. Monck’s Landing’s homage to Medinah. 60 yard-wide fairway, so grip-it-and-rip-it! Length is this hole’s defence. Green appears to be a small target off in the distance, but it is deep and the mounds surrounding it will funnel wayward shots onto the putting surface. Glimpse of Beechnut Lake behind this hole provides a (faint) echo of the seaside links tradition. 

The 17th plays 40 yards shorter…..and can play shorter still for the stout of heart. The option is there to carry the gargantuan “Bo-hemiath” bunker guarding the inside corner of this hole’s dogleg. A 250 yard drive will land you in the fairway beyond the bunker, biting off another 40 yards. A miss-hit shot is akin to a penalty stroke….the risk/reward ideal.

Hole #9 – “Sendero Luminoso”
“The Shining Path”

A Fan’s Notes:
Pretty straight-forward finishing hole……off-set green adds an interesting touch, though. Nice view of the barn from the tee. Variety of challenging pin positions available on “catcher’s mitt” green. “A walk amongst the dunes.” 

Hole plays 362 yards the 2nd time around, affording a better chance at birdie to settle the day’s match play.