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May 2013

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You can buy tickets to golf tournaments like US Open packages and tickets to the Ryder Cup golf, plus the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and British Open golf packages.
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Cooke Municipal Golf Course -- 'more than 100 years of great golf'
Cooke Municipal Golf Course -- 'more than 100 years of great golf'
Cooke Municipal Golf Course -- 'more than 100 years of great golf'
Cooke Municipal Golf Course -- 'more than 100 years of great golf'

Cooke Municipal Golf Course -- "more than 100 years of great golf"

 

Cooke Municipal Golf Course
“more than 100 years of great golf”

by George Bowditch, Saskgolfer

Established in 1909, the Cooke Municipal Golf Course has hosted 5 National Championships (the most recent being the Canadian Mid-Amateur in 2009) and numerous Provincial Championships over its long and storied existence. Located in the heart of Prince Albert, the Cooke Municipal Golf Course is truly a golfer’s paradise. Consistently rated as one the top five public golf courses to play in either Saskatchewan or Manitoba by Score Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, this 18-hole par 71 course will challenge golfers of all abilities with its gently rolling terrain and quick greens.

The Cooke Municipal Golf Course is rich with history and noteworthy news. Just check the golf course’s beginning.

Cooke Municipal's history can be traced back to 1909, when a few men from the "old country" who played the game at home, gathered to form a club and lay out a small nine-hole course on land south-east of the City which then belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company.

They then formed the Prince Albert Golf Club and with each following year the game became more and more popular. In 1924, after settling a three-year land lease dispute, the City of Prince Albert obtained "an informal undertaking" from the government of Saskatchewan for the lease of the property. The city in turn signed a ten-year agreement with the Prince Albert Golf Club provided the land be used for golf purposes only.

Darcy Myers is the Head CPGA Professional at Cooke Municipal Golf Course and he explains the 12th hole is the signature hole and that you have to be at the top of your game to conquer it.

“The signature hole, the par 3 12th, ranges from 110 yards and can play as long as 181 yards. The tee shot plays from a slightly elevated tee box to a long but narrow green, which is protected by a water hazard on the right and two pot bunkers on the left, putting a premium on accuracy. With prevailing winds pushing shots toward the water hazard, 3 is a good score any day.”

The Cooke Municipal Golf Course has a driving range, two short game areas, CPGA Professionals to help you sharpen your game and a well-stocked pro shop to help you with all your golfing needs and fashions to look your best.

The Cooke Municipal Golf Course is complimented by a spacious clubhouse with a licensed restaurant, lounge and deck overlooking the golf course. My Place offers a unique and casual dining experience in the beautiful surroundings of Cooke Municipal Golf Course.

The restaurant and lounge is the perfect place for that early morning breakfast, lunch with your clients or dinner with that someone special. So whether it’s after a long day at the office or before you head out to the game we have a spot for you and your group. They will host parties, meetings and special events and offer full catering services as well for your event.

They love to throw special events and parties and there is always new things in the works. They will help you host your next birthday, anniversary, fund raiser or when your place is just too small. Whether it’s a corporate or a family event they have a main lounge as well as private rooms as well as the largest patio deck that you can book in Prince Albert.

The staff at the Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert will make your visit one to remember. They have been following great tradition for over 100 years so you know they know how to make it most enjoyable. Just show up with your clubs and they will do the rest.

Cooke is a must play when in the area. Call the golf shop at (306)763-2502 or visit them online www.cookegolf.ca

White Bear Lake Golf Course

Greebryre Golf Resort

The Scorecard

observations by George Bowditch

In Southwest Saskatchewan the golf courses are slowly starting to open and trust me, it is none too soon! Winter has tried to keep its firm grasp on the country until May it seems. Now the daunting task of getting the courses ready to play can begin in earnest. Here is hoping that with all the snow that the Province of Saskatchewan has received that every course avoids damaging flooding. If you do have some problems, please contact us at Sask. Golfer and give us an update of your situation.

This month at Sask. Golfer we are featuring Cooke Municipal Golf Course, a must play golf course if you have not already done so. With over a 100 years of golfing history under its belt, you be sure to enjoy your entire golf day at the Cooke.

Besides all the great 18-hole grass green golf courses here in Saskatchewan, we also have a great number of 9-hole gems that you should try out if you are passing by them. Over my years of golf I have played many of these tracks and they are very good. Courses such as Katepwa Beach, Hidden Valley, Rock Creek, Unity, Lac Pelletier, Willow Bunch, Lashburn, Cypress Hills and Eston and on and on are sure to entertain you and test your golfing skills to the fullest.

There are also some very unique golf courses that I have played over the years and I guess the wildest course I played was the Uranium City Golf Course. Before I teed off with some of the local residents they told me that there were a few local rules. One was you could only take six balls with you and the golfer that had the most left at the end was the winner. If you ever had the chance to visit Uranium City you would know that the entire are is Northern Shield rock and in this case the fairways and the green were just blasted out of rock. You were given a small piece of carpet and that is what you hit your shots off of and then you were at the mercy of the rocks. You hit the ball then went to find it. If you found it then you got to hit it again until lost. I think my round lasted six or maybe seven shots. Sales of quality golf ball here were very slow of course.

Why don’t you send me some of your more memorable golf stories and what happened to you. It will make great reading and as long as they are suitable, I will put the stories in my next Scorecard.

I still want to hear any news that you may have about your region as far as golf goes, whether there are changes at your club or whatever. How about letting me know about your hole-in-one or tell me about someone in your home club that is doing something special for your club or the game of golf. Golf is such a great game so let’s share our tales with the rest of the readers.

Please email me at golfman@bowditchpromotions.ca with any news on the world of golf especially in Saskatchewan.

Yours in golf,

The Golfman

Golf 4 Cancer Classic

The 3rd annual Golf 4 Cancer Classic will be held on June 14, 2013. Our prime objective is to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. We do this by providing a great day of golf for our participants. Golfers have 3 golfing options for the tournament. They can play 18 or 36 holes or golf all day! Some golfers have played as many as 63 holes!

Each golfer receives:

An opportunity to spend time in the beautiful Qu’Appelle valley at the historic Echo Ridge Golf Course.

complimentary green fees

complimentary shared power cart

complimentary continental breakfast, lunch & steak dinner

complimentary golf shirt

complimentary golf ‘goodie’ bag

an opportunity to win great prizes

a personal web page with the Canadian Cancer Society for fund raising purposes

a good feeling being part of a great fund raiser for cancer

Golfers are asked to raise a minimum of $500 for the Canadian Cancer Society, with 100% of all money raised by the golfers going directly to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Thanks to our corporate sponsors, the golfers, volunteers and everyone who made a donation the tournament has raised over $55,000 the first two years.

For information please go to:

Website http://www.golf4cancer.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Golf4Cancer

Twitter http://twitter.com/Golf4Cancer

The Links of North Dakota

North Battleford Golf and Country Club
North Battleford Golf and Country Club
North Battleford Golf and Country Club
North Battleford Golf and Country Club

Cape Breton Golf

 

Cape Breton Golf

“The line is just left of the bunkers, at that notch you see in the mountain in the distance,” says my grizzled caddie as we ponder the shot. However, at this point, the round barely underway, my mind hasn’t fully engaged in the task at hand. I’m just tickled to be here; on Cape Breton, on Canada’s first true links course, and one of the hottest new golf destinations in North America.

The second hole at Cabot Links, a daunting par-5 with a green perched high above the rippled sea, features a blind approach shot. Careening through a gorse-lined gully with a gnarly collection of wind-sculpted bunkers guarding the crest of the hill, the hole is a riveting reminder of what authentic links golf is all about.

Surprisingly, I hit a wind-cheating 3-wood that never leaves the target. “Aye,” my caddie says in his heavy Nova Scotia accent. “We’re going to get along real good today, boy. Real good.” Unfortunately, it was one of only a handful of good shots I hit during the round. Nonetheless, he had me at “Aye.” And Cabot Links – a beautiful and barren old-world links of the finest order – had me on the first tee.

Actually, ever since a late fall visit five years ago, with the eye-popping autumn colors at prime, the entire province of Nova Scotia has held a lofty position in my mind. And, with its stunning coastline peppered with quaint fishing villages, its vibrant Celtic music scene, its amazing coastal highway – the world-renowned Cabot Trail – and some of the friendliest, down-home folk you’re ever going to meet, the island of Cape Breton, especially, is a place I’m fond of.

To be completely honest, it’s not really a place you’d think would be home to two of the greatest golf courses in Canada. It’s too small, too remote, and too rugged and rural for world-class golf, you’d think. Indeed, with a total population of just over 110,000 people – many of whom have fishing, mining, and music in their bloodlines – you wouldn’t think golf would even be on the radar here. But, it most definitely is. And this small Maritime island is home to two of the finest golf experiences in Canada…eh.

The original “gem” on Cape Breton, in the cozy coastal town of Ingonish, is the venerable Highland Links course. Designed by the great Stanley Thompson in 1934, Highlands Links is a rolling, rambling, 6-mile crusade that’s long been considered a bucket-list course. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best layout – in terms of the quality of its golf holes and its masterful routing – in Canada. Unfortunately, its conditioning has, at times, been suspect. However, thanks to some fairly recent developments, that’s well on the road to changing.

What’s also changing in Cape Breton is the quantity of courses. While the historic Highland Links used to be the only valid reason for serious golf junkies to make the trip, there are now a few more fine courses to round out the getaway.

Bras d’or Links, a sprawling Graham Cooke design near Sydney, opened to high praise last year. The course serves up wonderful views of the lake and tips out at 7,100 yards so, make no mistake, you’re getting the full meal deal here.

Opened in 2003, Bell Bay in Baddeck is another relative newcomer that certainly merits mention. Although the course falls short in terms of ocean views, it’s isolated, tree-lined holes – and a stellar finishing run – yield a memorable day of golf in a secluded parkland setting. Another great reason to visit Baddeck is the Alexander Graham Bell museum, a Canadian National Historic site.

And, not surprisingly, given the fact that Bandon Dunes founder Mike Keiser is involved in the Cabot Links project, a sister course – Cabot Cliffs – is currently breaking ground and is scheduled to open in 2015.

However, it’s Cabot Links that is, at least for now, getting the bulk of the attention. The course, designed by architect Rod Whitman, is links golf in every sense of the word. While some Canadian courses have a hint of Scottish links (you know, the sandy, wind-blasted duneland near the sea), with perhaps a hole or two that might qualify, the entire experience at Cabot Links unfolds on beautiful and bona fide linksland.

The original visionary of Cabot Links (and Cabot Cliffs, which will be designed by the talented duo of Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw) is Ben Cowan-Dewar. As one of the fastest players I’ve ever had the privilege of golfing with (we played, walking with our caddies, in two hours and thirty-five minutes), Cowan-Dewar isn’t shy about the remarkable similarities his project has to Bandon Dunes, which is, unquestionably, the most successful major golf development the world has seen in the past decade.

“Like Bandon, we are walking only,” he says on the 3rd hole as I try to keep up with his brisk gait. “It’s how the game was meant to be played. You can take a caddie, but you don’t have to. You won’t find a GPS-equipped cart around here.”

Like Bandon, the emphasis at Cabot Links - which now boasts a cozy, 80-room boutique hotel and an outstanding restaurant serving, largely, local seafood - will always remain firmly fixed on the golf. As with Cabot Links, finding the absolute best routing for Cabot Cliffs will be paramount. The clubhouse and restaurant, or any other built structures, will play second fiddle to the golf. A residential component is not in the works.

Like many of the world’s premier links courses, a round at Cabot Links features plenty of interaction with the town, the beach, (five holes play directly along the sea, including a wonderful run from the 12th through the 16th), the small fishing wharf, and people strolling along the popular boardwalk.

While the run of holes along the shore are the most dramatic, the 11th, a tucked-away cape hole that swerves along the harbor, gets my nod as the best hole on the course. Like every hole at Cabot, it’s a puzzle that requires a thoughtful approach.

After three rounds at Cabot (tip: you can play more than one round if you play fast!), I needed to hit the road. After all, I still had a couple of rounds at Highland Links to look forward to. And, separating me from my next stop was three hours of the most captivating coastal scenery in North America. Unquestionably, the fact that the courses are linked together by the Cabot Trail adds immeasurably to the experience of golfing on Cape Breton.

Not surprisingly, my two rounds at Highland Links were highly memorable. Although the course was somewhat soggy, the greens were significantly better than the last time I played, something Parks Canada (the course is situated inside Cape Breton Highlands National Park and is owned by the government), have tried mightily to fix. Also, a bunker restoration and tree removal project - to help with turf conditions and to capture the incredible ocean views - have been completed. As far as the attention of golf connoisseurs from around the world? Well, thanks to what is already here - and what is yet to come - that’s been captured as well.

For more golf information on Cape Breton and to book your trip visit www.golfcapebreton.com.

Andrew Penner is a golf writer and photographer based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. You can visit him at www.andrewpenner.com.

The Links of North Dakota