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Typically my reviews are generally positive - even when things aren't exactly as expected. However, today I had an experience that I felt needed to be shared about those who take the game of golf and reduce it to something much less enjoyable because they don't exhibit the etiquette that the game is known for. This is my story of what will be my last game for 2020.

As a single player, I had a tee time booked through Golf Now for 10:20AM. I arrived at the first tee to find the 10:00AM and 10:10AM foursomes still waiting to tee off. I was asked by the marshal where were the two other players booked for the same time as me. I explained that I was a single and did not know who the other players were or why they had not arrived on time at the first tee. While I waited for the 10:00AM foursome to tee off (nearly 30 minutes behind) two more foursomes arrived - the 10:30 and 10:40 start times. After the first two groups teed off, the marshal said that he had no idea what had happened to the twosome that was supposed to play with me at the 10:40 start time so I should just go ahead as a single. I did that and the group in front of me invited me to play through which I was very appreciative of. When I arrived at the next tee (hole 2) I came upon a threesome who invited me to hit up and join them. They were walking and were "members". When I asked what tee time they had they said 10:40. I questioned that knowing that I had arrived on the first tee prior to 10:40 and knowing that they had been nowhere in sight. To that question one of the "members" yelled at me that they had teed off at 10:23 and that they all had i-phones and could read the time. With that I picked up my ball and drove back to the first tee and reported to the marshal what I had seen and been told. He confirmed (what I already knew) that he had never seen them and we both suspected that they had jumped ahead of both foursomes that were booked ahead of them. The fact that I had questioned their start time obviously struck a nerve. So, I told the marshal that I was heading back to the pro shop and that I was finished for the day - after 2 holes. When I told the individual in the pro shop he confirmed that he had never seen the "member" threesome and that he was not aware that they had teed off out of order. I told him I wasn't prepared to put up with 4 or more hours with people like that - "members" or otherwise. The individual understood completely and immediately issued me a "raincheck" good for 18 holes anytime next year. He also suggested that I contact the Head Pro which I will do. As I was about to leave for the parking lot the food cart arrived and the girl driving the cart asked me how my day was. I told her about my experience and she said she knew who the "members" were and that she could understood my frustration. The individuals working at the course were very empathetic and I appreciate their level of attention and concern as well as the action that was taken. My next step is to make sure that I can identify who the individual "member" was so that I can avoid any possible contact with him in the future. I am considering membership at this course for 2021 hopeful that the conditions we have been through in 2020 (Covid-19) will have been dealt with and we can get back to some level of normalcy. Woodington Lake offers two challenging 18 hole courses. They are making a large financial commitment and undergoing major renovations to the course(s) so conditions will be even better there next year. Their facilities are very nice and their staff is as good as anywhere. Unfortunately, they cannot control the attitudes and actions of players. I hope this message resonates with those who read it so we can reflect on our own actions and attitudes and remember why we started playing this great game.

Day started out at 18 degrees (celsius) and ended up around 5 degrees. This was accompanied by a howling wind from the north so all holes into the wind played 1-2 strokes higher and all holes with the wind played much easier. Next to last game of the year. Still lots of players despite the ever changing weather and temperature. Played from the tips. By the last hole I couldn't feel my fingers and just wanted to get finished. Golf season in this part of Canada is not meant for November !

What an outstanding day (weather wise) for golf considering the time of year. Perfect conditions. I had not played this course in about 20 years but once I got going I remembered most of the holes. For those familiar with the course you will know that they have a 3 x 9 hole configuration - Blue, Red and Yellow. My group played the Yellow / Red combination. The condition of the greens on the Yellow 9 were outstanding. Every approach shot held nicely and putts rolled out perfectly. The Red 9 had recently been aerated and top dressed with sand making those greens a bit slower and bumpier. That said, Glen Eagle is a good test of golf and rewards both distance and accuracy. The greens are very player friendly with not too much elevation change throughout the course. A very enjoyable round !

Cold and windy day made pulling the correct club(s) very challenging. In spite of lots of rain recently fairways and (especially) greens were in good/great shape. Played with a member and had a very enjoyable round !

There was good news and bad news on this day.
Good news: I played by myself as a single and finished 18 holes in just over 3 hours - even though I played 2 balls for most of the round. Greens were excellent as usual.

Bad News: The course was soaked from days of rain and most fairways were fairly sloppy. Some holes bordered on unplayable. Absolutely no roll.

This is a tough enough track when it's dry but when it is wet and sloppy it feels like work !

Played on one of the few warm days that may be available in fall of 2020. Covid-19 protocols in place.
Lots of confusion regarding golf cart availability and tee times. 3 different 8 hole configurations - Blue, Red and White. When I got to my first tee there were already 3 groups on the same tee. Maybe too many bookings because there was a wait on virtually every hole - all 18.
Course seemed to be in okay shape but lots of ball marks on every green. Players need to be more responsible both for themselves and for those following them. FIX YOUR BALL MARK AND AT LEAST ONE MORE.

I knew very little about this course before I played other than I heard it was taken over by Golf North a little while back. It is definitely an older style layout with many holes bordered by old, large trees. Keeping the ball in the fairway (like at most courses) is the key to shooting a good score. Normally I don't say too much negative but we had an experience today that I feel like I need to share. We were approached by one of the Marshall's during play on hole 6 or 7 and told that our group (4 players) was holding up those behind and that he (the Marshall) had been receiving complaints about slow play. Well, when we finished the 9th hole and walked off the green I noted that our front 9 had taken us 1 hour and 57 minutes to complete. I did the same for the back 9 and calculated a total of 4 hours 10 minutes for 18 holes. I know that these are challenging times what with Covid and all but (REALLY) can we ask that those marshalling our courses please apply a little common sense before "warning" players of slow play ? Wouldn't it be appropriate to ask the group what time they teed off and then everyone could look at their watches / phones etc. and determine whether they were on pace or not ? The old system of being able to "keep up" with the group in front may not always apply. What if they are less than a 4 some ? What if they don't count all their putts but prefer to pick them up ? The season is nearing its end in these parts and I'm sure that some who work in the golf course industry are happy to see that. We all should want to play "on pace" and I certainly include myself in that group. I just ask that those responsible for helping that to happen exercise a little better judgement before issuing slow play warnings. By the way, we couldn't play any faster because the group in front of us was JUST in front of us. We shared holes with them for much of the day.
In spite of this story - we had a great day and I met some really great people. That's what I love most about golf !!!

Course was in it's usual good shape. Weather had changed and was much cooler than forecast. This combined with a little wind kept the ball from flying as far as usual. Greens were a little bumpy - maybe aerated recently. Lots of ball un-repaired ball marks. People - if you are good enough to make a ball mark - FIX E'M !!!
It's the right thing to do !

Fastest round I think I've ever played at Hockley Valley - under 4 hours. Played as a single until about hole 13 then joined a twosome.
Course was in good shape with rough typically long as it always is. My next round there won't be until the fall.

Have played this course a number of times. Today was fairly quiet as we were expecting some major rain storms which thankfully didn't come. As a (primarily) par 3 course the emphasis here is on the greens. They seemed to be faster than in previous times which is great if you like speedy greens and I do. Was able to complete my round in about 3 hours due to light volume of golfers.

Great weather day - not as hot as recently.
Pace of play was very poor. Players need to be better educated on what they can do to keep pace. I was waiting on virtually every tee and between most shots. Even the worst golfers can play quickly if they employ "ready golf" practices. There is no need to watch every shot of the group - especially when everyone is in their own cart. This should SPEED UP play - not slow it down.
The Covid-19 virus is providing golf courses with numerous challenges. Slow play from golfers should not be among those challenges.

Had not played this course in 10-15 years. Obviously, Covid-19 has changed the protocol and that was fine.
Course layout was the same as always but the green conditions were different than I remembered. The first 9 holes green speeds seemed fairly slow but the back 9 were much quicker - not sure why. Pace of play was great at first - 8 holes completed in one hour. Then ran into the backlog - 2 groups only who would not move over. That made the round take the better part of 4+ hours. Considering the heat (35 degrees Celsius) it was a little extreme and not good for golfing tempo. At a cost of close to $100.00 (Canadian) I won't likely be back any time soon. Must say that my playing partner was great !!!

As we are still in "lockdown" status due to Covid-19 virus the conditions at this course are similar to all courses.
All green fees are the same for any time during the day and this has brought out a steady group of golfers.
Course is in need of work and greens are particularly slow. Layout is fairly basic with a few holes worthy of note. It's a good place to play "practice" rounds which is what I use it for.

This course is advertised as the "toughest par 3 course in Canada". I don't know about that but it certainly provides enough challenges - especially if you miss the greens. The rough is a combination of thick grass (3" - 6" tall) and then fescue grass which is everywhere. Historically, I have not played well at this course but today's round was much better than most. Credit that to combination of new clubs and better swing mechanics. Still learning new wedges which you need to have dialed in on this course. Only 2 par 4's (holes 1 and 18) but wish they had more. Most greens are quite large making them easier to hit but a challenge to putt. Lots of undulation. All said, an enjoyable day for what is likely the last game of 2019.

Played on what is probably the last week of the golf season for 2019. Lots of leaves (as to be expected) which made finding balls (even in the fairway) challenging.
Lots of rain during the previous few days created some "mushy" areas but greens were in good condition for the time of year. Although the ball definitely does not travel as far in the cooler fall air, the scenery makes it always nice to play this particular course at this time of year.
Always a challenge requiring use of virtually every club in your bag.

The course has been purchased and the focus at this time of year is on other things - i.e. getting the facilities ready for weddings etc. Most staff has been released - no marshall, no starter, no cart girl(s) etc. That said, the course conditions were as good as I've seen them here and I have played at this course for many years. It's an old classic layout with tree lined fairways and fairly flat greens. Pace of play improved as I was able to pass the foursome in front of me after 9 holes. Once in front of them I never saw another golfer until the 17th hole. Completed my round in 3 hours, 30 minutes.

Had been wanting to play this course since first seeing it two years ago. Since then had heard good things but had not had a chance to play it for myself until today. It is said by many that Loch March is the best course in the Ottawa are and maybe in Eastern Ontario. Well, I don't know about that but it is certainly beautiful. With 5 different tee decks there is enough challenge for virtually any kind of golfer. There is not one "boring" hole on the course. They are all extremely well designed with lots of options to play each one - regardless of how / how far you hit the ball. Greens were as close to perfect as possible - fast enough but very fair. The only issue for the day was the combination of the extreme heat / humidity and the deer / horse flies and mosquitos that had us running from shade and anywhere near trees or water. It made a perfect day a little less so. I'm told that later in the summer these "pests" will be gone and that will make for a much more pleasant day at Loch March. Plan to go back in the fall (Sep / Oct) and enjoy another round then. If you find yourself in the Ottawa area, I highly recommend that you try and play this course.

Have played this 18 (Legends) many times over the years. Always a challenge but always fair. Course was in good shape given the wet spring and start to summer. However, bunkers had very little sand in them making greenside shots tricky. Played as a twosome so completed the round in 3 1/2 hours - fantastic. Greens were the most challenging part of the round - as usual.

Played this course back in early June. While the condition was better this time (course had dried out a bit) the pace of play was slow - very slow. Waited on every hole at least one group. Put that down (in part) to Father's Day. That said it was an otherwise enjoyable round. Played as a single and was paired with some nice folks. Still some drying out to do but rough is up and thick so those who know this course will be aware to keep it in the "short grass". Will probably play this course a couple more times this season - especially in the fall.

Have played this course many times over the years. Received an outstanding deal from Golf Now so I took advantage. This course is on the shorter side but the greens are its protection. Yesterday they were brilliant. This is a surprise considering how many courses had difficulty after the winter we had. The rough was punishing as it had grown in very thick and tall. Like many courses, playing from the fairways here is the key !