One of the selling points of golf in Canada is golf course developers tapping into the variety in terrains they have to work with up here, creating true works of art, especially when talking challenges for the golfer while working in jaw-dropping visual backdrops. Personally, the golf travel experiences I have had playing on courses carved into B.C.’s west coast mountains, like Big Sky and Nicklaus North, tell a completely story when matched up against ClubLink courses through southern Ontario, like King Valley.
North Bay, with a population of just over 50,000 people, a 3.5-hour drive north of Toronto (a four-hour drive west of Ottawa), is perched on the east shores of Lake Nipissing. There’s no better place in Canada than North Bay for picturesque landscapes, with its lakes, rolling hills and forests.
The Laurentian Skill Hill and the Duchesnay Falls Trails are popular attractions for those who seek hiking and outdoor activities. During the summer people travel there for a wealth of boating, fishing, swimming, and cycling experiences. It’s just a wonderful place, marked by its welcoming, friendly atmosphere.
Golf travel: North Bay in the summer
But golf? You bet. In the summer up here the temperatures range from 20 to 25 degrees C (68 to 77 F). Occasionally the temperature can rise above 30 degrees C. Humidity levels are moderate to high in July and August, making it seem more warm than it is.
Then there’s the fact the summer days are longer – in late June, around summer solstice, North Bay experiences over 15 hours of daylight. And those breezes off Lake Nipissing provide a welcome respite from the summer heat. So for those reasons, the conditions are perfect, so pack your golf clubs if you’re taking a drive there.
North Bay Golf and Country Club
Everything in North Bay for the golf enthusiast starts with the North Bay Golf and Country Club, designed by Canada’s greatest golf course architect, Stanley Thompson, making full use of the terrains and contours of the natural landscape. The club hosts provincial and national events. But that’s a private course, so you’re not going to get on. However it makes a bold statement about the quality of golf courses in the region.
Pinewood Park is an 18-hole par 56 golf course with tree-lined fairways and well-manicured greens, is easy to walk, located right off Highway 11 on Pinewood Park Drive. Make a day of it – The Match Eatery is right across the street. You can play the course in under three hours. Weekday rate for 18 holes is $30, $31 on the weekends.
Osprey Links Golf Course
Golf travel: North Bay’s natural terrain provides picturesque backdrops and challenging golf courses
Osprey Links Golf Course is a popular destination for people who come to North Bay and want to golf in large part because of its picturesque views. Located in Callander, just ten minutes south of North Bay, it is an 18-hole championship course that plays 6,442 yards from the championship tees, professionally designed for every level of player.
You get the best of both worlds here – a front nine that’s more like a traditional links style course with eight strategically placed ponds, then a back nine that’s cut out of the forest, with tree-bordered fairways and extreme elevations. Green fees are $50 if you’re walking, $71 if you need a power cart. Stay at the Sunset Inn on the Park, where you can finish off your day on the links with a swim, then head over for a Prime Rib dinner next door at Churchill’s, one of North Bay’s premier fine dining establishments.
Highview Golf Course
Like so many other golf offerings in the region, Highview Golf Course in Powassan is popular for its challenge – varying degrees of elevation and hazards, fairways cut deeply into forests, wonderfully manicured greens. It’s $35 for 18 holes. The 18-hole, par-72 golf course also offers up several hotels along Lakeshore Drive on the shores of Lake Nipissing.
Clear Springs Golf Course
Clear Springs, situated in Chisolm Township, was voted the sixth best course on the Golfers’ Choice 25 hidden gem courses to play in Canada in 2022. The course features eye candy in the form of a beautiful Northern Ontario backdrop, along with narrow fairways, water hazards and sand traps to test the seasoned golfer. At 18 holes, and a par 72, Clear Springs received a 4.6 out of five-star rating by NBC Golf Pass. Just $41 for 18 holes during the week, $45 on weekends – and $115 for three rounds with a multi-play pass if you really love the couse and want to stick around for multiple rounds.
Top image: Shutterstock
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
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