Warmond3807408

I found the course to be fairly flat and in great condition after all the rain we had but it had challenging undulating pin placements and small landing areas. No markers or stake for 100, 150 or 200 yards were around, they were on flat on the ground so I struggled with yardage when I do not use any GPS tools or rangefinders. Fairways were side-by-side so losing balls weren't a problem however some patrons picked up balls that weren't theirs.

I picked an early Sunday morning to play a Hot Deal round as a single player at Braeben. The weather was perfect for now, not a cloud in sight for the whole round. I was paired with a threesome, two of whom walked while I rode in the power cart with the third person. They were great company. I commended the two for walking because I walked this course and found it hilly which was great exercise and addressing the golf ball was challenging especially when I panted.

This links style course does not have a trees in the layout but up/down/side hill lies, well placed bunkers, fescue and blind landing areas such as the 3rd, 9th and 16th greens made my round interesting. I did keep my golf ball in the fairway as much as I can. Wind was not a factor at my round. Numerous commercial airplanes flew over because of the nearby Pearson international airport but I did not let that bother me.

I found the course layout to be mostly wide open and flat but numerous nicely manicured bunkers, water hazards and fescue were strategically placed. The greens had small landing areas as well. My strategy was to keep my shots down the middle all the time. The whole course was aerated a week and a half before our round so the green fee was discounted by almost half. The greens were moderately topped with sand which made my putts fast. It also rained moderately for a few days prior to the round so it made for a damp and sometimes muddy round. Half of my shots were plugged so there was a lot of lift, clean and place. I would like to try the course again in dry conditions to see how much further my drives will roll. Despite the conditions, I still enjoyed the layout.

The course layout has a good mix of tree-lined and wide open fairways and slight elevation changes that made my round interesting. It rained moderately for a few days prior to my round so I walked through some damp and muddy sections. Some of my fat shots were messy.

I went to the course a couple of hours prior to the round to play as a single. The pro shop did their best to accomodate me and ended up pairing me with another single. My round was slow because we were stuck behind a bunch of foursomes ahead. I still had a great time with good company from the single player.

It has been a wet and cool May so some spots on the course were damp and muddy. The front nine drained well so it was fairly dry and the greens were fast for my liking. The back nine did not seem to drain well, mosquitoes were plentiful and problematic.

The power carts were upgraded to electric and were equipped with detailed GPS, online scoring and USB charging ports.

The east course was a good test for me as an intermediate golfer. I had a good overall experience.

There were only two teeboxes, white and red. The fairways were mostly wide open without too many hazards or obstacles. The greens were mostly flat but the pin placements made it interesting. I played in the shoulder season so some parts of the course was damp to wet when I walked it. Overall, it's good course to practice before I play those more difficulty courses.

This course was more scenic than the Masters course. The elevation changes from tee to green made it fun and interesting. It demanded accuracy or else it resulted in a few lost balls for me. It was my first time and I am willing to try it again but after I have worked on my accuracy.

The clubhouse is beautiful with a great 19th hole food services (even though I did not purchase any food or beverage). The Masters course seemed to play long for me even though I played from the white tees with the father and son I was paired up with. Most of the fairways were fairly open with little undulations. The greens had undulations but they were like skating rinks for my golf balls because of the dry conditions at the time I played. I would play again with a discounted green fee.

At the beginning of the season, weeds were rampant on the course especially on the tee boxes. Now, at the start of the summer, they, along with the grass, are dormant.

This course has above average landscape to work on iron play.

I would definitely play here again.

To be fair to this course, I played as a single in mid fall and there was moderate rainfall the day before my round. The lower elevation holes (third, fourth and fifth) had wet spots and made the round a bit messy. Sand in the bunkers was heavy and wet because of the pooling. The greens were also punched out so the putts were challenging. A lot of leaves turned color and were on the ground so even when I had a great tee shot it had a hard time finding my ball under them. This is typical for playing golf in the fall. I also played with a family that just started out in the game so it made for a long round.

I played this course in the early fall and the scenery it offers was stunning especially by the green on the 9th hole. I saw possibly salmon or trout swimming up the streams and wished I brought a fishing rod and a filet knife for some on-course fresh sashimi.

Course design: Most of the par 3s had downhill greens which meant that I clubbed up. I found the par 5s to be long and arduous; a great tee shot left me with a uphill/downhill lie because the fairway can be narrow. Most of the tee boxes were dry, grass-less at most, and had lots of divots. +1 for the poor maintenance. This course is not walkable by any means.

Verdict: Beautiful, challenging course = high score.

This course was great for working on the accuracy of short iron and wedge play. Some of the holes had small landing areas or were well guarded by bunkers in the front. The last hole was a bit of a surprise because of the distance. Even though I was on the greens from the tee box, the undulations on the greens still make for a tough read on my putts, and three-putts kill! I sensed that there were a lot of hackers/beginners because the tee boxes had lots of big divots and the ball marks were scattered all over the greens. This course will give you a taste of what playing on its big brother, the Braeben Championship links course, will be like.

I went to the course expecting the pace of play to be slow because my experiences were such so I purposely headed to the course an hour early, playing as a single. Surprisingly, the pro shop told me that it is not a busy morning and I can proceed. On the first hole I was greeted by a foursome who allowed me to play ahead. What a gift!! I rushed on the first hole to get out of their crosshairs but playing subsequent holes turned out to be great as there was no one in front either. I was able to return back to the holes for a replay.

Though the course is not long, it is quite narrow and lined with trees and nice houses. I sprayed a couple of shots and felt sorry for the residents but luckily I played on Monday morning so the casualties should have been low.

For the weekend hacker in me, I came into this course knowing that it will be a tough course because it hosted the CN Women's Tour. I brought a few extra golf balls just in case.

I planned to get to the course early as I usually do but the drive from Toronto to Barrie on a Saturday morning caught me by surprise, it was unbelievably slow!! Mind you, I intended to play in the middle of summer cottage weather, but on a regular weekend. My tee time was at 14:00 but I barely got there on time, with no time to practise.

Playing as a single, I was greeted on the first hole by a threesome and because I was playing as a single the starter allowed me to play ahead by myself. What a bonus!! I had the course to myself with no one in front either. The course was well-maintained and challenging, with flowing undulating fairways and greens and small landing areas. This course required pi-point accuracy, even right down to the putting. Nothing hurts like a three-putt! The bunkers had very nice light sand. I finished the round in less than three hours so I went around to replay the front nine. What a gift because there was no starter after 17:00.

Asides from the horrendous Saturday morning drive from Toronto to Barrie, I would recommend this course to anyone who would like to challenge his/her accuracy.