Parked about a kilometre off Highway 400, southeast of Barrie, Tangle Creek is a really good course that offers reasonable green fees. (There’s probably no better value within a 40-minute drive of the downtown core.) Opened in 2002 on a piece of high ground that peeks out over farms and forest, the course was one of architect Rene Muylaert’s last designs. The opening nine is mostly links style, heavy on the mounds, fescue and sloping greens, with the eponymous creek cutting through the fairways. The back loop, which is a stronger nine, is more traditional country club, bending through the woods and past ponds. The were some glitches when the course first opened, especially on the third, fifth and sixth holes, where the carries from the tee over the water were too far for mere mortals. Those problems were fixed with the addition of more than a dozen new tees, and almost every hole on the course is now equipped with five different decks. The other big change is a handsome 26,000-square-foot clubhouse that opened at the beginning of 2006. Techies will also be fascinated by the new GPS system that’s been installed in all the carts; the large screens not only roll out exact yardages and picture-perfect views of hidden greens, but they also allow players to order lunch from the clubhouse.