North Granite Ridge
Summary: Value Rating = B+
North Granite Ridge is a scenic course to play. It is located in the cottage country part of central Ontario and is built on landscape that offers a lot of variety – boulders, trees, granite ridges and of course, elevation changes. This is a beautiful area of Ontario. Playing this course in the fall is recommended.
The course is nicely maintained but isn’t as well manicured as you will see on the more expensive resort courses in this part of Ontario. The layout has taken advantage of the natural terrain so you get the true experience of this landscape. You can walk this course but be prepared for many ups and downs.
Green fees are in the $55 to $60 range – you pay a bit more on the weekend. Twilight rates can save you money and offer the best value.
North Granite Ridge is located near Huntsville, Ontario – the actual address is Port Sydney, a small community near Huntsville. The course is accessible from highway 11.
Check out their website www.northgraniteridge.com for more details.
Play and Value Evaluation Rating Table
| Scenery | A some nice views from the higher elevations and many large trees on the course |
| Mix of Holes | B a reasonable mix of holes |
| Consistency and Condition | A- course is in good shape and is nicely maintained |
| Character | B some memorable holes, especially those where you shot from higher elevations to lower fairways or greens |
| Golf Challenge | B need to keep the ball in play (out of the forest) to score. |
| Tee Shots | A good sized fairways requiring reasonable accuracy |
| Fairway Shots | A mostly flat lies on the fairways |
| Pin Placements | A greens offer some interesting pin placement choices |
| Putting | A very consistent and good putting around the whole course |
| A Chance to Recover | B- landing in the forest usually results in a sideways recovery shot or a penalty stroke |
| Intangibles | an above average course for this area – the price in comparison to the nearby resort courses makes North Granite Ridge attractive. |
Refer to my evaluation criteria to see how I judge and rate the courses I’ve played.
Some Details:
You do need to control your ball flight off the tee to score well here. Once you get along the edges of the course and into the forest, you will encounter difficulty. If you are able to control your ball flight most of the time, you will find North Granite Ridge an easy course to play.
You will use most of the clubs in your bag if you play from the blues. Playing from the white tees makes the course less challenging. On a number of holes you will be hitting to elevated greens. Some of the fairways appear narrow but there is typically ample room – they seem narrow because of the tall trees along the edges of the holes.
I’ve played the course 3 times – 2004, 2007 and 2009. In 2009 the layout was re-arranged and you now play what use to be the back nine first. My average score is 92 (low score is 88). A typical round for me on this course includes at least 1 penalty stroke and a couple of sideway shots out of the woods back to the fairway.
My Evaluation Details:
Scenery – Some great views of the Muskoka landscape.
Mix of holes – a good mix with bends both right and left.
Consistency and condition – the course is in good shape.
Character – nicely carved into the existing landscape.
Golf Challenge – you should score well if you hit the ball relatively straight and avoid the forest
- tee shots – medium width fairways
- fairway shots – The fairways will give you good lies, some uphill approach shots to the greens.
- pin placements – The greens are medium size and sloped with flat areas.
- putting – Putting was average speed and consistent across all holes.
- greens – The are well maintained.
- a chance to recover – stay out of trouble or you’ll be hitting a lot of recovery shots sideways back to the fairway.
Other Observations:
The putting green is small but it does give you a good feel for what you’ll experience on the course. The staff is friendly.
I do enjoy the challenge and feel of the more expensive resort courses I’ve played in the Muskoka area in comparison to North Granite Ridge but this course offers good value and some great scenic views. A little more polish and North Granite Ridge would rate higher, in my opinion.
Their website offers some great pictures of the course. I recommend you check those out to get a feel for the course. I have included some of my photos – not as good as you'll see on their website.
Comments appreciated – reach me at – Lane@lifepast50.ca