Oak Island golf course, located at Oak Lake Beach south east of Brandon, is only a couple years old. I golfed it for the first time today. Here are my impressions:
There was some buzz about this course potentially being one of the top in the province. I am not sure it will achieve that status, but it is a nice course in many ways. Of the courses in Manitoba, I would say it is most similar to Buffalo Point. It is located right on the lake, with the lake actually coming into play on only two holes, but some other holes had nice views of the water. Actually, the design of some of the holes reminded me a little wee bit of Highland Links in NS, (which is a complement).
I played the blue tees (2nd longest) and found myself hitting 3 or 5 wood off a lot of tees. 6 of the first 11 holes are par fours between 320 and 350 yards, most with at least a slight dog leg, so it's usually wise to play if safe off the tee. There aren't too many grip-it-and-rip-it holes. Fairways are sometimes narrow. There is a decent amount of rough to work with, but it is thick in places. hazards include water, marsh, bush (lots of it), sand waste areas, and mounds of deep fescue. All of the greens are protected by at least one bunker, and sometimes you'll also find deep grass pot bunkers.
The greens were hard, medium-fast , but generally in good shape, and with lots of contours. Fairway # 4, which is very low-lying, was in bad condition, but otherwise the fairways were OK for a new course. The sand in the bunkers was terrible ... very hard ... like hitting off pavement with 3mm of sand covering it.
Nice club house with two patios and pretty good food. I had a buffet dinner.
Verdict: 3 stars. Should be a four-star course (ie. top 10 or 12 in the province) if they are able to soften up the greens and get some decent sand in those bunkers.
Price: $60 incl tax and power cart (no GPS).
(c/p on the dark side)
There was some buzz about this course potentially being one of the top in the province. I am not sure it will achieve that status, but it is a nice course in many ways. Of the courses in Manitoba, I would say it is most similar to Buffalo Point. It is located right on the lake, with the lake actually coming into play on only two holes, but some other holes had nice views of the water. Actually, the design of some of the holes reminded me a little wee bit of Highland Links in NS, (which is a complement).
I played the blue tees (2nd longest) and found myself hitting 3 or 5 wood off a lot of tees. 6 of the first 11 holes are par fours between 320 and 350 yards, most with at least a slight dog leg, so it's usually wise to play if safe off the tee. There aren't too many grip-it-and-rip-it holes. Fairways are sometimes narrow. There is a decent amount of rough to work with, but it is thick in places. hazards include water, marsh, bush (lots of it), sand waste areas, and mounds of deep fescue. All of the greens are protected by at least one bunker, and sometimes you'll also find deep grass pot bunkers.
The greens were hard, medium-fast , but generally in good shape, and with lots of contours. Fairway # 4, which is very low-lying, was in bad condition, but otherwise the fairways were OK for a new course. The sand in the bunkers was terrible ... very hard ... like hitting off pavement with 3mm of sand covering it.
Nice club house with two patios and pretty good food. I had a buffet dinner.
Verdict: 3 stars. Should be a four-star course (ie. top 10 or 12 in the province) if they are able to soften up the greens and get some decent sand in those bunkers.
Price: $60 incl tax and power cart (no GPS).
(c/p on the dark side)
