Greensmere
Summary: Value Rating = B-
Greensmere Golf & Country Club has a few personalities depending upon which of the soon to be four 9 hole layouts you play. As of the 2008 and the early 2009 season there 27 holes open with another 9 expected to open later in 2009 or 2010.
The course is typically well maintained and provides a good golf challenge when you play Black and Gold nines. The White nine layout is very open and less challenging. The fairways provide room to spray the ball around a little but on the Black and Gold nines you do need to keep your shots under control to avoid playing out of the forested areas. The greens are relatively large and provide many pin placement options but the greens are mostly flat with few contours and undulations.
A better than average course to play if you play the Black and Gold nines – hence my B rating. If you mix the White nine in, my rating decreases to a B- or C+. The White nine just isn’t very exciting.
The course is located in a rural area of west Ottawa near Carp and is easily accessible from all parts of Ottawa. In terms of scenery the course has some elevation changes but for the most part doesn’t offer any great views of the surrounding areas.
The price is good – less than $40 Monday to Thursday (excluding cart) – so the course does offer value. I would recommend that you skip the White Course (links style, open and not as challenging) and play a combination of the Black and Gold nines. You can view course information at www.greensmere.com.
Play and Value Evaluation Rating Table
| Scenery | C few if any spectacular views of the surrounding area |
| Mix of Holes | C average |
| Consistency and Condition | A- course is typically in good shape and well maintained |
| Character | B- Black/Gold layout is more interesting |
| Golf Challenge | C+ average golf challenge |
| Tee Shots | B good sized fairways |
| Fairway Shots | B flat lies on the fairways |
| Pin Placements | B large greens offer many options but mostly flat greens |
| Putting | B mostly flat greens |
| A Chance to Recover | A most errant shots can be hit back onto the fairway unless you go OB or in the water |
| Intangibles | play the Black/Gold combination for a more challenging round and avoid the White course |
Refer to my evaluation criteria – www.lifepast50.ca/topic-list/golf/reviewcriteria
Some Details:
Having played the White Course (the links style, mostly open set of 9 holes) a few times, I’m not that excited to play it again because it doesn’t offer much to make it memorable. It could be toughened up a bit to make it more challenging and thus more interesting by enhancing the greens with more levels and undulations.
The Gold and Black nines offer more challenge as they are located in woodland areas which require more accuracy.
The overall layout and golf challenge is just average. More undulations and contours on the greens would raise the golf challenge and increase the overall score. You can’t beat the price though.
Par 3 5th hole on the Black course is probably the nicest hole on the course with water on the left partway up the fairway and near the green, and some trees behind and to the right of the green. Depending on the pin placement you can end up a long way from the hole on this nice sized green.
Greensmere is a player friendly course that provides an enjoyable walk but there are some spots where you might appreciate a cart – the elevated tee on the Black 3rd hole and the elevated tee on the Black 7th are two spots where some walkers will need a moment to catch their breath after the uphill climb to the tee. There is a long walk on the Black 9 from hole 3 to hole 4.
My buddies and I have played Emerald Links a number of times over the years. My average score at Greensmere is in the 86 / 87 range. This does reflect that most of these rounds included in easier and more open White nine.
Generally speaking you will find Emerald links pretty player friendly. It is a popular course in the Ottawa area and can be very busy. You can also find the pace of play a bit slow when it is busy or when the club is hosting a tournament.
When the course first opened, the tractor integrated into the middle of the fairway on the Black 8th hole was an interesting site but it is a bit dated now and could be removed. I’m sure it comes into play for some golfers and would be a frustrating obstacle to play around. With some adjustments Greensmere could be a gem.
My Evaluation Details:
Scenery – no beautiful views of the surrounding area – some elevation changes.
Mix of holes – Just average on this front.
Consistency and condition – The course was well maintained and in good shape.
Character – overall the course just average on this front with the Black/Gold layout providing more character
Golf Challenge – the course does offer some challenges…..
- tee shots – for the most part you have good size fairways to hit onto.
- fairway shots – mostly flat lies everywhere, even in the rough.
- pin placements – lots of choices because the greens are a good size.
- putting – the greens are average speed.
- greens – the condition of the greens is good and the greens are mostly flat.
- a chance to recover – most errant shots can be hit back onto the fairway without problem although there is water on some holes and some rougher forested areas.
Other Observations
The staff has always been very friendly.
The practice green is a good size and provides good variety when you warm up your putting.
For general information about other courses in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region, check out the www.ottawagolf.com – a good golf information source.
Sorry no photos.