Course Photo of the Day: The Ridge at Manitou Edition

[Junkyard]

Located on Lake Manituwabing in McKellar, ON the Ridge at Manitou was designed by Tom McBroom using an "out and in" layout. Located on a 300 acre parcel of Muskoka property, the actual course occupies only 150 acres with the balance left in its natural state for the local wildlife to enjoy. Personally I can't imagine the skill it takes to start with a piece of land like this and route a golf course through it, but I am certainly glad that others can. Like most Muskoka courses, the Canadian shield is present and incorporated into the course in many locations; scuffing a Pro V1 off a granite outcropping here is like a badge of honor.

While the course has struggled financially almost since the day it opened, I am very happy that this course has managed to remain open. To the best of my knowledge it has changed ownership two or three times and was most recently obtained by Golf North, a local golf management company that has the unfortunate habit of buying nice golf courses and letting them go. I sincerely hope that does not happen here.

Alright, enough talk - let's get to the pictures! After warming up on the range, rolling a few putts on the practice green in front of the clubhouse you are called by the starter to the first tee. A par five dogleg right that plays gently uphill for it's entire length eases you into your round. A natural rock outcropping on the right makes you think twice about taking the shortest route across the dogleg, but from the tee it is impossible to know how long the carry over the rock is. I can say from experience that attempting it usually doesn't work; the rock can kick you a hundred yards backwards just as easily as it can kick you forward.. A good drive to the right centre of the fairway will set you up nicely with a look at the green.

 

[Junkyard]

A solid three shot hole, there is virtually no trouble lurking on your approach. Depending on your preference, you may want to lay up to a yardage that leaves you far enough back that you have a better view of the putting surface. The front of the green is open, so you may be able to chase a well struck shot with overspin up the slope onto the green in two.


Welcome to the Ridge at Manitou!

 

[Junkyard]

I should explain for those who have not been that the Muskoka area is Ontario's "Cottage Country". Located about two hours north of the City of Toronto, it's motto is "Once Discovered Never Forgotten". Every weekend from May to October highway 400 is packed with people looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the "big city" for a couple of days. While I have only ever been for golf, they tell me that popular activities are fishing, boating and hiking. With roughly 1600 lakes, if water's your thing this is the place.

The downside to the ruggedness of the terrain is that golf course construction is expensive; as a result there are only a handful of courses in the area. I have heard estimates that course construction is upwards of a million dollars a hole depending on how much earth needs to be moved to make it possible to play on top of the rock.

I can distinctly remember the first time we pulled into the parking lot at The Ridge; one of the staff brought a cart down to us in the parking lot. One of us commented that there were only about a half dozen cars to which the staffer replied "this is actually a busy day for us" Due to the remoteness of the course it does not see a lot of play - good for maintaining the level of conditioning, but bad as courses of this caliber need cash flow to survive. Add in a couple other better known/advertised courses with Muskoka Bay and Nick Faldo's The Rock and you have a superb course that few people know about.

 

[blueonblack]

Very nice. Reminds me of northern Minnesota iron range courses.
Manitou Ridge is a local course here, so ya caught my attention. Yours is much nicer!

 

[8Eagles]

When I played it two years ago, it was the best manicured course I played that summer. Maybe it was impeccably maintained because the owner at the time was trying to sell it. I raved about it to work buddies and they also managed the 2hour trip from the city to play it; with similar reviews.

Once you’re in Muskoka area, there are several courses well worth playing. Oak Bay, Seguin Valley, Lake Joseph, (the Rock and Muskoka Bay already mentioned) and my favorite just a little further....BigWin Island. Literally, you can book a weeks holiday and never play same top notch golf course all week.

As stated, Muskoka is very well known as a cottage destination with all kinds of celebrities (sports and acting) having homes. Hopefully a course like The Ridge will survive with only a dozen cars in the lot at any one time (it was like that when I was there also).

 

[Junkyard]

The second hole is a short par four that just begs you to cut the corner which leaves you with a simple wedge shot into the green. Like the first hole, you are presented with a section of exposed rock to remind you exactly where you are.

 

[Junkyard]

When I played it two years ago, it was the best manicured course I played that summer. Maybe it was impeccably maintained because the owner at the time was trying to sell it. I raved about it to work buddies and they also managed the 2hour trip from the city to play it; with similar reviews.

Once you’re in Muskoka area, there are several courses well worth playing. Oak Bay, Seguin Valley, Lake Joseph, (the Rock and Muskoka Bay already mentioned) and my favorite just a little further....BigWin Island. Literally, you can book a weeks holiday and never play same top notch golf course all week.

As stated, Muskoka is very well known as a cottage destination with all kinds of celebrities (sports and acting) having homes. Hopefully a course like The Ridge will survive with only a dozen cars in the lot at any one time (it was like that when I was there also).

My understanding is that is was originally built to be a private course but they couldn't generate the membership. I played it a couple of times over a four or five year stretch and it has always been in immaculate condition. I have played Lake Jo, and a couple of years ago we did Bigwin which is an awesome course. The biggest issue I have with Bigwin is the fact that despite being on an island, you only get to see the lake on one or two holes as they have surrounded the course with waterfront properties. This in no way detracts from the course, however - we wound up playing it twice the same day.
It is certainly a beautiful portion of the province - so close and yet feels so far away.

 

[Junkyard]

The third hole is a par 3, the exposed rock and bunker really shouldn't be in play, but the green is on a bit of pedestal so if you're just off you're probably going to be faced with an uphill lie to play your chip from.

 

[Junkyard]

The fourth hole is a shortish par 4 that features a somewhat blind tee shot as you can't really see the landing area. Again there is a small rock outcropping in front of you off the tee that is a visual factor only. As the hole turns gently to the right, keeping your tee shot towards the right half of the fairway that you can see will provide you with the most forgiving landing area.

From the safety and comfort of the fairway you will have a short iron or wedge approach to a welcoming green that has minimal protection. A great birdie opportunity.

 

[Junkyard]

The par 5 fifth bends gently to the left off the tee and then flows to a green protected by a creek crossing roughly 100 yards short of the green.

 

[Junkyard]

Here is a slightly better angle showing the trouble lurking in the fairway short of the green.

 

[Junkyard]

At the par 4 sixth hole everything is laid out in front of you standing on the tee box. Play a drive over the right side of the fairway bunker to leave yourself in prime position to stick one tight for birdie.

 

[Junkyard]

The 7th hole is a simple par 3 - no real surprises or lurking trouble here.

 

[Junkyard]

The par 4 eighth is a tight driving hole - probably the narrowest fairway on the course. While you have to work to find the trees left or right, you will have a definite advantage if you can find the short grass.

 

[Junkyard]

The par 4 ninth doesn't bring a lot of trouble into play - just a gently curving fairway that also slopes from right to left. Take your tee shot directly over the lone fairway bunker and you should be left with a short approach to the mid-size green.

 

[Junkyard]

After posting the front nine, I'm really starting to get a feeling of deja-vu. The back nine starts off with yet another relatively simple looking par 5, again with a fairway that slopes gently from one side to the other. Nothing sneaky here either in terms of hazards, just a small piece of rock for visual effect at the tee box, and a couple of bunkers up around the green.

Wait a minute! Red stakes? Looks like a little bit of trouble lurking just short and left at the green....

 

[Junkyard]

The eleventh is a pretty straightforward par 3; bunkers left and right and a slightly elevated green require that you make the proper club selection and a solid strike but otherwise it is all right there in front of you.

 

[Junkyard]

The twelfth is another medium length par 4 that has a bit of visual stimulation off the tee. The fairway bunker right and granite outcropping left really make it seem like there is only a sliver of fairway in the landing area however this is all deception. Aim at the left edge of the rough that cuts back into the fairway and a well struck drive will leave you in the 'A' position.

 

[Junkyard]

Here is an enhanced look from the tee, and as you can see there is plenty of width in the fairway just beyond the fairway bunker.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

I should explain for those who have not been that the Muskoka area is Ontario's "Cottage Country". Located about two hours north of the City of Toronto, it's motto is "Once Discovered Never Forgotten". Every weekend from May to October highway 400 is packed with people looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the "big city" for a couple of days. While I have only ever been for golf, they tell me that popular activities are fishing, boating and hiking. With roughly 1600 lakes, if water's your thing this is the place.

The downside to the ruggedness of the terrain is that golf course construction is expensive; as a result there are only a handful of courses in the area. I have heard estimates that course construction is upwards of a million dollars a hole depending on how much earth needs to be moved to make it possible to play on top of the rock.

I can distinctly remember the first time we pulled into the parking lot at The Ridge; one of the staff brought a cart down to us in the parking lot. One of us commented that there were only about a half dozen cars to which the staffer replied "this is actually a busy day for us" Due to the remoteness of the course it does not see a lot of play - good for maintaining the level of conditioning, but bad as courses of this caliber need cash flow to survive. Add in a couple other better known/advertised courses with Muskoka Bay and Nick Faldo's The Rock and you have a superb course that few people know about.

I've seem this before! Folks spend a bunch of bucks on courses way out in the boonies, very few come to play, and they go broke! And they wonder why?! Short answer: We had to drive too far and pay too much! Get a clue!

 

[Junkyard]

The thirteenth hole is quite interesting as it is bisected by a creek that parallels the left side of the fairway and then crosses in front of the green which is set at almost a 90 degree angle to the fairway. It's one of those par 5s where you are almost forced to lay up to the end of the fairway as the risk of going for the green in two far outweighs the reward.

 

[Junkyard]

As this photo shows, there is zero bailout area if you choose to go for the green in two. Probably not a concern for the big hitters, but for mere mortals like me it's two shots down and one across for a GIR. Par is a solid score here.

 

[Junkyard]

Holes like the par 4 fourteenth hole are proof that the back nine plays slightly harder than the front. The view from the tee box makes it appear that you have about 5 yards of fairway width in which to land your tee shot but the fairway is wide enough to be forgiving for most golfers. The last place you want to find yourself however is the left fairway bunker; no good scores are awaiting you there.

 

[Junkyard]

Could you have ever guessed that there was this much fairway awaiting you looking from the tee?

 

[TCB2010]

Hey man real nice read going through and nice pictures. Place looks like it’s been cut out of a forest, neat natural rock, really green, thanks for sharing!