Lists. We love producing them. You love reading them … and debating them … and second-guessing them … and so on. And that’s fine by us. What follows here is an honest attempt by a varied collection of volunteer evaluators to produce a ranking of Canada’s best golf courses. Is it foolproof? No. Perfect? No. A conversation starter? We think so. So, follow along with our countdown and enjoy.
As golf continues to shed its reputation as a sport of exclusion, SCOREGolf has made the decision to disqualify any clubs that are not gender inclusive in their membership policies from eligibility for the Top 100. The game is not yet where it needs to be on this matter, but it is getting there, and we are evolving with it.
– Jordan Bitove, Publisher of SCOREGolf
100
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
A Jack Nicklaus Signature course featuring fairways that blend seamlessly with tall trees and
several lakes, Northern Bear is this year’s Top 100 bubble course. Long a popular pick for public
golfers around Edmonton, the course is subtle and enjoyable.
99
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The Mt. Lorette course at Kananaskis Country has yo-yoed on recent lists and is now in the 99th
spot. Its gorgeous Rocky Mountain setting is no doubt the layout’s defining quality, though
Lorette’s playability helps it score high on fun factor.
98
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
An original Willie Park Junior design that was overhauled by Stanley Thompson and restored by
Jeff Mingay, Beaconsfield is a well-regarded course that requires pinpoint accuracy. The
signature 15th, backed by a 30-foot rock wall, is appropriately called Gibraltar.
97
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Cataraqui, near Lake Ontario in south Kingston, is sometimes plagued by conditioning issues,
but its Stanley Thompson design is of high quality and the course has one of the best sets of par
3s in Canada. Like all Thompson courses, the bunkering here is fascinating.
96
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The Hawk Course at Priddis Greens, designed by Bill Newis on spectacular property, struts its
best stuff in the middle of the round where elevation changes amid the foothills of the Alberta
Rockies dominate the routing.
95
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The two nines that largely comprised the club’s composite course for the 2023 RBC Canadian
Open, Oakdale’s Homenuik and Knudson layouts complement one another. Stanley
Thompson’s Homenuik nine is hillier while Robbie Robinson’s Knudson nine is subtle. Ian
Andrew did yeoman’s work improving the overall layout.
94
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Bill Robinson’s Eagle Ranch is a lovely resort course with some cool holes built along ancient
bluffs overlooking the Columbia River. Sandwiched between the Rocky and Purcell Mountain
ranges, the picturesque layout navigates meandering creeks and streams.
93
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Stanley Thompson was given some amazing parcels of land to work with and that was certainly
the case at Peterborough, Ont.’s Kawartha. The course moves brilliantly and its bunkering is
sensational. As he often does, Thompson gives and takes with his par-3 holes at this course.
92
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Les Furber didn’t hold back when designing the original course at Predator Ridge. The thrilling
layout relies on heavy elevation changes, pot bunkers, rollicking greens and wispy fescue to
overload the golfer’s senses. It’s a fun ride and checks in at 92 on this year’s list.
91
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Links, the ocean-side design by Bill Robinson, makes its Top 100
debut after Hurricane Fiona destroyed trees that had choked fairways and obstructed views.
With the hardwoods gone, the course has improved. Its vistas are complemented by excellent
green complexes.
90
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Point Grey is a solid David Ayton, Jr., design enhanced in recent years by Riley Johns, who
constructed three new holes of fine fescue grass. The bunkering here is awesome throughout,
and if the club purses a masterplan put forth by Johns, it will surely rise in these rankings.
89
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Designed by Ron Garl, Taboo was refreshed by Alan Chud and the club’s turf team. New white-
sand bunkers have beautified the resort course in Ontario cottage country, though the granite
rock outcroppings that define Muskoka golf still take centre stage.
88
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
A Stanley Thompson design tweaked by different architects over the years, Royal Mayfair sits
above the North Saskatchewan River and features holes meandering through tall evergreens.
Restoring the course back to Thompson’s vision would elevate Royal Mayfair further.
87
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Thomas McBroom’s Deer Ridge in Kitchener, Ont., abuts the Grand River and is full of strong,
strategic holes that prelude one of the toughest finishing stretches anywhere. The downhill,
water-fronted-and-flanked par-3 16th is particularly strong.
86
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The Old Course at Wolf Creek was Rod Whitman’s first solo design and the hometown architect
delivered with native fescue areas, nasty pot bunkers and spacious, undulating greens. The
resort has seen better times but Whitman’s courses there are no less intriguing.
85
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Dundas Valley’s trademark is most definitely its difficult, yet ingenious, greens, which are
heavily influenced by the Niagara Escarpment the Stanley Thompson design fits into nicely. The
home course of Mackenzie Hughes, the property features a lot of movement from tee to green.
84
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Cobble Beach is a stunning links-like course on the shores of Georgian Bay. Though the
highlights are those holes running towards the water, such as the cascading seventh and
lighthouse-hole 17th, Carrick’s inland work is good, too. Severe collection areas around greens
make missing targets a problem.
83
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
All eyes will be on the Blue Course at Royal Montreal come September’s Presidents Cup, but
the club’s Red Course is equally worthy of praise. The course remains largely as Dick Wilson laid
it out, with small greens and doglegged holes making positioning paramount.
82
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Subtler than its Mountain Course counterpart, but still dramatic thanks to its rocky and wooded
terrain, the Valley Course at Bear Mountain is a lovely track. While roomy off the tee, the Jack
and Steve Nicklaus design is defended by tiered greens and waste bunkering.
81
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Southwest of Edmonton, Windermere is an excellent test on the banks of the North
Saskatchewan River. The river comes into play on the back nine, while inland water hazards also
protect par. The peninsula-green par-3 12th is one of the layout’s more daunting holes.
80
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Doug Carrick’s Copper Creek makes use of varied terrain, with several front-nine holes winding
through a wooded valley and most of the back nine laid out over tabletop land. The drop-shot
10th, guarded by water, tempts golfers with how much of the hazard they wish to take on.
79
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Stanley Thompson’s 100-plus-year-old Muskoka Lakes is a short but charming course with some
wonderful par 3s and a number of exciting short par 4s. Its lovely setting and fine finishing hole
have helped it to a Top 100 position for the first time, and it debuts at No. 79.
78
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
With two Rod Whitman nines built a decade apart, the Links Course at Wolf Creek is favoured
slightly over Whitman’s original course at the Edmonton-area club. That’s likely because of the
newer side, where Whitman’s trademark blowout bunkers and cool greens really shine.
77
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The opulent Magna is a big, bold, bunker-filled course by Doug Carrick that played host to the
best women golfers in the world at the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open. Conditioning is marvellous
but the architecture is good too, with Carrick’s par 5s here particularly well crafted.
76
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Edmonton’s Glendale is the design work of former Stanley Thompson associate Norman
Woods. Built through a forested landscape, its front nine features a unique routing of three par
3s, three par 4s and three par 5s. Overall, the property is quite dramatic and picturesque.
75
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The late Brian Magee bypassed big-name architects to design his Black Bear Ridge course
himself and the result is commendable. The Belleville, Ont., course features several wonderful
drop-shot holes and a climbing par-5 closer that demands your attention.
74
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The lone remaining Canadian design of A.W. Tillinghast, Scarboro was built on a dramatic
property full of drops, twists and turns. The east-end Toronto layout has several great short par
4s and a unique finishing frame where golfers must hit across a road in front of the tee deck.
73
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
The word on Graham Cooke and Wayne Carleton’s Talking Rock has been out for a while now.
The pair altered a routing by Les Furber and created a fantastic course with dramatic mountain
views and an amazing finishing hole along Little Shuswap Lake. The course was largely spared
from last summer’s devastating area fires.
72
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
Thomas McBroom’s Wildfire uses parts of the Canadian shield for aesthetic beauty and
secluded playing corridors. The course traverses through a variety of different landscapes, with
woodlands, marshlands and heathlands coming into play and McBroom mixes bold holes with
subtler efforts.
71
HOLES
PAR
LENGTH
SLOPE
RATING
One of his later Muskoka-area efforts, Thomas McBroom’s Ridge at Manitou is tamer than
some of his other courses but is nevertheless quite dramatic. Once again, McBroom
incorporated rocky outcroppings into his design with the par-5 18th, featuring a lake backdrop,
the best hole here.
