Glen Abbey Golf Club

Glen Abbey Golf Club: The big dimension golf course and impressive facilities at Glen Abbey mark this out as one of the top championship courses and tournament venues in the Greater Toronto area. The practice and teaching facilities are state-of-the-art. Onsite you'll also find the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, as well as a large and imposing clubhouse.

Glen Abbey's open parkland front-nine loop has all the hallmarks of a well-crafted modern Jack Nicklaus design. Laid out in a relatively flat area of spacious parkland, the good-width fairways are flanked by mounding and numerous large bunkers, which continue to threaten around the greens. Water needs to be carried from tee-to-green at the par-3 3rd, and again at the par-3 7th. The par-4 9th is also played to a water defended green.

The change of scene at the par-4 11th could not be more dramatic, as you plunge downhill into the valley of Sixteen Mile Creek. The valley floor provides a wonderfully quiet woodland setting for the next four holes, with towering maples and steep brown bluffs lining the sides of this narrow enchanting valley. While you're down in this lower section of the course the creek plays its full part in proceedings, needing to be crossed five times.

After the wonderfully natural creekside stretch, you climb back up to face the par 5-4-5 finishing stretch on the course's "upper" level. Three open parkland holes await on this challenging Nicklaus-style finale. Prolific bunkering threatens your tee shots at 17 and 18, while water closely flanks the front and rightside of the final green.

Glen Abbey's modern layout provides a thoroughly enjoyable and challenging outing. Certainly a top-quality and memorable location to visit if you are in the Toronto area.