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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 Golf Club provides a public golfing experience like no other in Ontario.  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 South Course
- 7/11/02 -
The South Course is the longer of the two layouts, measuring a whopping 7432 yards from the tips. The blues
play at 6943 yards, good enough for the championship tees at most courses. White tees on the South measure
6476, and will be the tees of choice for most golfers, as the front tees play to 5671 yards. Any way you look at it -
this is a hitter's course. The general opinion is that the South Course presents more shot possibilities and
requires greater concentration and sound strategy off the tee. It certainly helps if you can hit it straight AND long! The greens are oversized and quick, but mostly mildly undulating.
 The opening hole is the toughest hole at Angus Glen, and is also
one of the prettiest. Be sure you have warmed up before you take your place on the first tee. A drive hit over the bunkers on the left side will end up in a prime spot for the approach. Land
on the fairway and chances are good that you will catch a down slope and gain yardage on the roll. Hopefully this is the case, as the second shot enters the green from an angle that plays over
an intimidating water hazard. Par is a great start here, and bogey is not bad. The second plays level from one
set of tees, and extremely uphill from the other. Be ready to make the adjustment on this mid-range par three with
a double-tiered green. There is plenty of room off the tee on the par four 3rd, though the well bunkered green is
best approached from the left side. After another fairly open tee shot on # 4, you are left with a challenging
second shot to putting surface set 25 feet below the initial fairway. There is almost 100 yards of room in front of
the green for those wishing to lay up. A tee shot hit along the right side of the fairway is the recommended play on the fifth hole,  which bends to that side, angling away from the pond on the right. The sixth is a picturesque par
three from an elevated tee with water all along the right side. Aim for the flag as this green is quite undulating. Ditto for the putting surface on the seventh, which is a reachable par five for
long hitters.  The downhill tee shot can be intimidating, as mature trees flank both sides of the narrow fairway. The eighth is more playable than it
seems off the tee. It is important to stay clear of the tall white pine on the right side of the fairway, and to land on the correct portion of this long
slender green. The finishing hole on the front often plays into a prevailing wind, which makes this par five play longer than the posted yardage. If the
wind is up, the next stretch of 5 holes plays extremely tough.
 Number ten demands an accurate tee
shot hit just left of the right side fairway traps. The approach plays uphill and makes this a 3 shot par four for many golfers. The green is two-tiered and slopes right to left. The 11th
is a long and demanding par four into the prevailing wind, and is followed by a brutally tough par three with only five yards of room between the green
and the marsh in front. The 13th is an interesting dogleg right par four that plays downhill. It features a very tight approach into the wind, with some
bail out room short right. There is plenty of room all along the right side of the fairway, and all the way to the green
on the long par five 14th, which can be reached in two by long hitters. Nine bunkers along the way create shot
options here, though most of them were not very good for me…Anything short or right of the green on the long
par four 15th will fall into a grass hollow, creating a tough pitch to a raised green. It is better to be left of the
putting surface here. The par five 16th will require three shots to reach for many players. This is true for all the par fives on this course, which cannot really be looked upon as great birdie opportunities. If the wind is blowing on
the par three 17th, it will play havoc on tee shots hit with any spin - and send most towards the depression and bunkers on the right side, which are the
deepest traps on the course. Number 18 is a gorgeous closing hole, featuring a beautifully sculpted fairway that bends towards the left.  The approach is
quite challenging, as a marsh comes into play about 120 yards out and a pond guards the right side of the green. The picture of the green complex behind the water hazard is postcard material.
One can only imagine what the PGA players will go through on Sunday of the Canadian Open. The finishing hole has the potential for high drama,
and high numbers can be posted if the prevailing wind packs some punch during the last nine holes of play. It is
always a pleasure to play a PGA Tour course. The service here is better than one can expect, with rangers,
hosts and cart people courteously attending to the needs of each golfer. We had perfect weather for our round,
but all the carts at Angus Glen come equipped with rain covers to protect your clubs during inclement weather.
You pay top dollar for a first class operation and will not be disappointed with either of the courses, or the
facilities of this property. Call ahead for a tee time - make a day of it and prepare to display your "A" game.
Click here for detailed information on this Ontario Golf Course.
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