Golf › Cottage Country
Bigwin Island Golf Club
- 800-840-4036
This was once the spot to spend the summer. Guests such as Clark Gable and Ernest Hemingway would board the water shuttle at Norway Point for the ride out to Bigwin Island, in the centre of Lake of Bays. The resort, with its 1922 Stanley Thompson–designed course, slowly went downhill; by 1970, it had closed its doors. Toronto developer Alan Peters and American financier Jack Wadsworth recently decided to resurrect golf on the island, and hired Doug Carrick to lay out a new course. This is a typical high-quality Carrick piece of work. Fairways are wide, so holes are very playable off the tee for the high handicappers; yet with raised greens guarded by deep bunkers filled with local silica sand, the course can jump up and bite even a scratch player. Carrick has also added some nice twists, including a tee shot on the 462-yard sixth that appears to float into oblivion (play it from the back tees); a split fairway on the ninth; and a sucker risk-reward par four that features a hogback fairway at the 14th. But tee it up at Bigwin while you can, because it will be completely private in a few years (July and August are already members-only).
18 holes, 7,166 yards, par 72
- Green Fees:
- May 14 to 31 $150; June $170; Sept. $190; Oct. 1 to 14 $150; fees include water shuttle
- Carts:
- power cart included in green fees
- Amenities:
- dining and banquet facilities, driving range (included in green fees), halfway house (barbecue, deli, locker rooms, pro shop), practice green
- Reservations:
- up to one week in advance
-
Bigwin Island, Lake of Bays (half-hour northeast of Bracebridge)
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