Angus Glen Golf Club (905-887-5157)
Proud host to the PGA Tour's Bell Canadian Open (South Course 2002, North Course 2007), Angus Glen provides a public golfing experience like no other. The facility has already hosted the 2001 Telus Skins Game
and the 2001 Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open, proving that it can accommodate world class events while providing award-winning service. In fact, Angus Glen was
rated the # 1 Public Facility in Service by Score Magazine in 1998 and 2000. When it opened in 1995, Golf Digest Magazine ranked the South Course the Best New Course in Canada!
A new 65,000 square foot clubhouse was completed in June 2001, adding state of the art facilities that allow
Angus Glen to host major tournaments as well as large corporate and special events. Two beautiful banquet
rooms are ideal for groups of various sizes, and the exquisitely appointed dining room serves breakfast, lunch
and dinner, while providing an ideal setting for the golfing public, and for outings, meetings or social occasions.
Men's and women's locker rooms feature comfortable dressing areas and showers, with top notch amenities.
Their world-class pro shop is staffed by CPGA professionals, and offers brand name equipment and clothing. A
driving range, short game area and putting greens are on property, with complimentary balls for your practicing
pleasure. The Angus Glen Golf Academy was chosen as the home of Score Golf Schools, which offer private
and group instruction with it's staff of PGA professionals. It is little wonder that this facility is often chosen for corporate outings and events - as Angus Glen has it all!
The South Course has matured nicely, and features a wonderful combination of natural valley-land holes and
rolling terrain. Water and preserved wetlands along with 108 sand bunkers and finely sculpted fairways, greens
and tees provide visual splendor. Water, in the form of ponds and streams comes into play on 10 of the holes,
and provides challenge and aesthetic beauty. The North Course opened in 2001 and is generally more open,
with fairways and green complexes dotted with deep sod faced bunkers, reminiscent of Scottish links courses.
Both layouts are well marked, with yardage blocks on all the tee boxes measured to the center of the green. 200,
150, and 100-yard stakes are visible on the par fours and fives, and sprinkler heads are also marked. The South
Course features color-coded checkered flags for their pin placement system, while the North Course uses small
color-coded flag indicators for front, middle and back. Be sure, to pick up a yardage booklet, available for each course, as they are stock-full of information and hole descriptions.
The North Course
- 7/08/02 -
The North Course opened in 2001, and is a Carrick-Morrish designed layout that provides a links style feel with
rolling dunes and unique sod-faced bunkers. Seventy-six sand traps are scattered about the course, many strategically positioned to challenge shots hit off the tee. A creek brings water into play of three of the first nine
holes, and two lakes provide watery hazards on four of the holes on the back-side. Generally speaking, The North Course is more open than the South, with wide fairways and generous landing areas.
This course is extremely long however - though it is the shorter of the two Angus Glen layouts at 7314 yards. There are 5 sets of tee boxes here, measuring 6913 from the golds, 6483 from the blues,
6055 from the whites and 5462 from the front tees. Avoid the fescue and deep bunkers, particularly around the fairways, and you can put up some low numbers. This is a big hitter's paradise!
The opening hole is a par five that plays uphill off the tee and bends right to left. Long hitters that clear the
bunkers on the left side of the fairway will have a good angle to the green that is well protected by a deep sand
trap. The par four 2nd features a similar shot shape off the tee, and plays downhill to a putting surface sloped back to front. The third is a short but challenging par four that will test your accuracy off the tee and on the
approach. Be careful not to drive it through the fairway. There is significant room to lay up but you will have to avoid the bunkers on each side. A
middle position will afford the best approach to the green which angles 90 degrees from the 100 yard marker. After a short and fairly simple par three
over Bruce Creek, we find the easiest par five of the layout on number five. Avoid the pot bunkers and your route to a birdie or par is fairly simple - as
long as the prevailing wind (which is in your face) is not too strong. This stretch of holes, numbers 3 through 5, is the most score-able segment of
the layout. Pot bunkers, an undulating fairway, and grass hollows near the green provide the challenge on the par 4 sixth, which plays long from the back two tees. Bunkers short and a
steep slope past the putting surface on the dogleg right seventh create the demand for an accurate approach. Missing left is not bad here. The eighth is a beautiful downhill par three that requires one club less off the tee.
Accuracy is required to reach the green, but bail out room short provides a good option. The closing hole on the front demands a well placed tee shot.
Avoid the creek and nine bunkers on this hole and a birdie opportunity is possible. Pay attention to the pin placement however, as the green is sloped back to front.
The back nine presents an interesting
contrast, as four of the first six holes play around 2 massive ponds. The water hazards line the left side of the fairways on numbers 11,12,13 and 15. Framed by fescue and dunes,
the par four 10th plays uphill into the prevailing wind. Deep fairway bunkers right and greenside left combine with the hole's difficult length
to make this the number 1 handicap. The eleventh plays extremely tough if the wind is up. Bush and tall grasses right and the water hazard left create the need for an accurate tee shot. A safe lay up on the
second shot will leave you with a short iron approach to a narrow green complex. The water is not so much in play on 12, as there is
ample room right and center. A tee shot over the left side of the bunker complex on the right will play well, anything right of that will find
heather - and she is not looking very sweet here. The approach to a sloping green must avoid the 4 bunkers that have it surrounded. The
par three 14th is the seventeenth handicap, and is better played long than short. This precedes an interesting tee shot over water on the par five 15th. Length on the initial two shots is
required to set up an approach to an elevated green. Grip it and rip it on 16. There is plenty of fairway, though
mounding throughout will created some uneven lies. The bunkers in front are nearly 30 yards from the green, so go for the flag here. The 17th is the toughest par three on the North Course. Bruce Creek, trees, bunkers and
heather all come into play on errant shots. The safest best is short right, where ample room allows for a little bump and run to the hole. Number
18 is a gorgeous closing hole, with a beautifully sculpted fairway leading uphill towards the clubhouse. This third ranked handicap is
best played to the left side, and will require an extra club on the approach. You should find a level lie on the fairway, leaving a long iron approach to a mildly undulating green.
The North Course provides significant challenge, particularly on a windy day, and especially on the segment of holes 9 through 15. The
initial 8 holes provide an opportunity to get off to a good start, and to create some positive momentum going to the backside. As with the
south Course, the playing conditions are wonderful from tee to green, and the service from the bagdrop to the
clubhouse and on the course leave nothing to be desired. Though the weather was perfect for our round, we
noticed that each cart had rain protectors on the backs, to keep clubs dry during inclement weather - a nice touch
. This will be a wonderful venue for the 2007 PGA Canadian Open, and can now be enjoyed by the golfing public as they prepare the course for this prestigious event. Highly recommended!
Click here for detailed information on this Ontario Golf Course.
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