Golf Course Review: Osprey Valley Golf (Toot Course) | 8.6 Score
Location: Alton, Ontario
Architect: Doug Carrick
Opened: 2001
Par: 72
Tee — Yardage | Rating / Slope:
Men
Gold — 7,151 | 74.2 / 141
Black — 6,763 | 72.6 / 135
Blue — 6,379 | 70.7 / 129
White — 5,914 | 68.7 / 122
Red — 5,372 | 66.1 / 116
Women
White — 5,914 | 73.7 / 131
Red — 5,372 | 70.6 / 122
Yardage | Rating / Slope: 7,181 | 74.2 / 141
Saturday morning green fee: $$$ [$100-$149]
Caddie service: No
Walker friendly: Yes
Fairways: Providence bentgrass
Greens: Providence bentgrass
THE REVIEW
STARTER: Owing its irreverent name to the small freight and tourist trains that travel along a rail line through the property, the Toot Course hosts the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada’s Osprey Valley Open in July. It’s the first Mackenzie Tour event to be held in the greater Toronto area.
PLAY BECAUSE …: A high-quality golf experience without any semblance of a stuffy country club attitude, Osprey Valley offers true enjoyment from the game of golf to every type of player. The Toot Course’s wide, playable fairways are welcoming off the tee, but success will be rewarded most to the player who successfully thinks his way around the course.
TAKEAWAY: A golfer’s playground at every corner of the property. Perhaps no other golf experience allows a player to feel as fully immersed into the game the way Osprey Valley does.
RATINGS [1 to 10 scale, 10 being the highest]
Food | Beverage: 9.0
Pro shop: 8.0
Clubhouse: 7.0
Course difficulty: 8.0
Pace of play: 9.0
THE COURSE | Scorecard
Best par 3: No. 11 (189 | 172 | 149 | 125 | 112 yards)
Set in a sheltered hideaway away from the relatively open surrounding holes, the green is protected by a long carry over water and features a distinctive valley that swallows nearby shots.
Best par 4: No. 17 (440 | 428 | 416 | 320 | 304 yards)
Part of a spectacular finishing stretch. Cross bunkers challenge the player to take an aggressive line in order to set up a shorter approach and superior angle. Thick trees and a bunker set to the left and rear of the green give pause for the approach shot.
Best par 5: No. 18 (542 | 518 | 494 | 472 | 454 yards)
A classic risk-reward par 5. A platoon of cross bunkers force a player to decide between playing safely out to the left or taking on a long carry to set up a good look at the green, which is guarded by a pond in front and deep bunkers behind.
INFO
Phone: 519.927.9034
Website: www.ospreyvalley.com
Facebook: @OspreyValleyGolf
Instagram: @ospreyvalleygolf
Twitter: @ospreygolf