danglobal

One of the best days for golf so far this year - perfect weather. Unfortunately, the golf course was showing some significant "winter kill" on many of its greens which made putting a real challenge. Pace of play was slower than should be - we waited on all but 3 tee boxes before we could safely hit. I'll go back later in the summer / early fall and hopefully the greens will have come in by then.

This is the earliest date (May 31st) I have ever played at Hockley Valley. Like much of the eastern part of the country we have had an usually lengthy winter followed by days (sometimes weeks) of excessive amounts of rain. Fortunately, this course is very hilly and really only a couple of holes were affected by standing water / mushy fairways. That said, the rough was very thick and tall. This course (like most) is all about hitting the fairways and position on the greens. Due to various elevation changes club selection is also a key. The course seemed to be in mid-season form with greens rolling "true" but perhaps a little slower than they will be later in the summer. Completed my round in 4 hours flat. Plan to play this course again later in the year (maybe even fall) when my game is more rounded into shape.

Have played here 5 or 6 times now so I know the course fairly well - i.e. where and where not to hit it. During my rounds I have learned a couple of things. One - short is better than long on approach shots. Most (if not all) of the "trouble" is beyond the green. Two - keep the ball in the "short grass" (i.e. fairway). The rough here is immediately beside the fairway and today was somewhere around 5-6 inches deep. The ball has a tendency to settle down making it very difficult to determine what kind of shot will result out of it. The fairways are well groomed and for the most part wide enough to hit. Lots of elevation changes - especially on par 3's making club selection critical. This is not your "average" golf course. My favorite time of the year to play is early/mid fall. Colors are brilliant.

For anyone who has played this course you will know that it is built on what once was "wasteland" - it was a dump site for the City of Mississauga. They have turned it into a challenging "links-style" course that can play very differently depending on the weather and the tee boxes selected. The yardage on the card belies the difficulty and therefore correct club selection is critical. Many of the holes are uphill and/or into the wind which is always present to some degree as the course is quite elevated in places. The rough height (at least today) was about 3+ inches and it is immediately next to the fairway on most holes - i.e. there is no "first cut" or "semi-rough". So, knowing how your shots will react re distance and direction is key. Also, for those not having played this course often (this was my 3rd time) it is critical to know which way the fairway bends and where the safest spots to land your ball are. GPS units were available on the carts which helped a great deal. Course conditions overall were good with only a couple of greens still showing some damage from this past winter. Putts rolled true for the most part but many of the greens have significant undulation so pace is very important to avoid 3 putts and more. The fairways were quite wet in spots which prevented balls from rolling out on some holes but for the most part that wasn't an issue. Round was completed by 4 golfers in just over 4 hours. Tee time was 10:00AM and finished just past 2:00PM. No significant waiting and no holding anyone else up. I'm working on improving my "mechanics" (aren't we all) so using the range and putting green helped there as well. All in all a great day (not too hot), good company and fun golf !

Have played this course many times - but always a challenge. Only 2 holes are "flat" (1 and 18) with the rest playing either up or down hill with many elevation changes. You could describe this course as "target" golf to some degree. Usually the wind is up which makes the course even more challenging. There is something for every player with 4 different tee blocks changing the yardage considerably - but not necessarily the degree of difficulty. In order to score well, this course requires both your physical and mental focus for all 18 holes. The key is the tee shot. If that is in play that sets up the rest of the hole - regardless of par. If the tee shot is not in play then achieving par is very difficult. If playing for the first time, it's best if you can play with someone who knows the course. Elevated tees make clubbing a challenge - especially on par 3's. Course features no sand traps and very little water to worry about. Always a challenging experience that makes you want to go back and improve on your best score. On this day I happened to play with a wonderful husband and wife couple. Golf always provides one with an opportunity to meet great folks - wherever you are.

Had not played this course since the mid-90's and had been told of an ownership change.

Unfortunately at least 6 greens out of 9 were in bad to very bad shape. Not sure if it was winter kill or what but much of the putting surfaces on many greens were void of any grass.

Holes were challenging enough because of length but bad greens left a "bad taste".