THE COURSE
Craigowan is an 18-hole, semi-private club that seeks to provide Oxford County’s premier golf and social experience by consistently delivering exceptional value to members, their families, and guests.
COURSE FEATURES
Craigowan provides the perfect mix of elevation changes and rolling terrain. The fairways are perfectly manicured and the rough is a fair test for all levels of play. The greens are large and undulating providing one of the purest tests in Southwestern Ontario.
The greens are a mixture of bent and Poa. The tees are bent. The fairways are dwarf bluegrass — and the rough is Kentucky blue grass and fescue.
The course is outlined with tall maple trees that are absolutely stunning in the spring and fall. The changes in seasons develop a breathtaking variety of colours that is visually pleasing to all members and guests.
Craigowan is dedicated to providing a top conditioned golf course while maintaining full compliance with all environmental regulations and interfering as little as possible with our members' enjoyment of the golf course. Maintenance crews stay ahead of early golfers for as long as possible and then work in a manner which minimizes contact with players.
Mowing - Done daily, mowing reduces surface contact by removing leaf blades, and the rolling action of the mower helps to firm the surface.
Verticutting - Perpendicular mower blades cut into the turf, ripping out thatch, bringing it to the surface to be blown off or picked up in the catchers on the mowers. An aggressive verticutting and topdressing program begun at Craigowan in 2007 is starting to pay off; with each verticutting, less thatch is being removed while more sand goes in.
Topdressing - Topdressing allows the ball to ride higher in the turf, reducing resistance and smoothing the playing surface by filling in imperfections such as ball marks and spike marks.
Rolling - 5 times weekly after mowing, rolling firms up the turf surface and smoothes out high spots.
Aeration - Improves the overall health of the turf so that further stresses can be placed on it.
Irrigation - Moisture levels are monitored daily and irrigation amounts are carefully adjusted so as to provide adequate moisture for turf health without affecting the degree of firmness for the players.
Drainage - Both surface and subsurface drainage ultimately improves turf health and ball roll.
Plant Growth Regulators - Applied to restrict excessive shoot growth and enhance root growth and turf colour for overall improved plant health.
To begin my round, how do you recommend the first hole should be played?
With a fantastic elevated tee shot that will leave even the regular golfing member in awe, Number 1 at Craigowan will test golfers of all skill levels.
At 508 yards from the back tees, this gentle dog leg right to left is guarded by bunkers on the left and the right. Those looking for a risk/reward element are greeted with the possibility of cutting the corner on the left, while the smart play is a nice drive up the right side. A creek 125 yards from the green will test players looking to get closer to the green on their second shot. The smart play is to lay up to the 150 yard marker. The green is protected by bunkers on the right while the front of the green is open, allowing players to run the ball up with their approach shots. The green is large, allowing for several exciting and challenging pin positions.
What is the best Par-5 on the course?
Number 4. It’s highlighted by the large maple tree which stands on the right-hand side of the fairway. You must play your drive against the tree line on the left side to give yourself a shot at the green or a properly positioned second shot. This short Par-5 (485 yards) provides all golfers with an excellent opportunity to score. The green is excellent as it incorporates a large swale in the middle and the high and low portions on the back and front respectively.
What is the best Par-3 on the course?
At 192 yards from the back tees, Number 9 provides a great test with an even better backdrop. The tee shot is slightly downhill with a deep valley in front. The green is protect by four bunkers and offers fantastic subtleties and movements. The tee shot is challenging enough; however the beautiful backdrop of the clubhouse will put your mind at ease.
What is the toughest hole on the golf course?
Number 2. Our “Signature” hole. After a generous starting hole, Robbie Robinson struck gold with this amazingly challenging second hole! At 453 yards from the back tees, the hole is tight and tree-lined, putting a premium on accuracy and distance. Most members and guests will hit their approach shot from 180 to 200 yards to this elevated green. Typically, a player will need to play for an additional 20 yards due to the severity of the elevation. A challenging green that falls off quite hard to the front and actually feels like a double green due to the swale in the middle. Par is an exceptional score any day of the week.
What is the most difficult green on the golf course?
The 17th green is always giving members and guests problems. The green is incredibly hard to read, as most putts will break towards the clubhouse.
Finishing my round (16, 17 and 18); is this a chance to salvage the round? Is it rough? Fun?
The last three holes at Craigowan provide players looking to break personal best the chance to do just that.
Number 16 is a short Par-4 dogleg left to right that requires ideal placement with your tee shot. The green is the longest from front to back and usually sees approach shots regularly from 150 down to 80 yards.
Number 17 is a great left-to-right dogleg with a perfectly-placed bunker 200-220 yards off of the tee. Shorter in distance, 17 allows golfers of all levels to utilize their scoring clubs creating a great chance at birdie or par.
The 18th hole is a long Par-5 where golfers will be well tested with this extraordinary uphill hole. The green sits halfway up the hill with the clubhouse on an angle offering a stunning panoramic view from the fairway below. There’s a large tier at the back of the green that will funnel balls back towards the pin placements in the middle and front of the green.
HOLE BY HOLE
With a fantastic elevated tee shot that will leave the regular golfing member in awe, number 1 at Craigowan will test golfers of all skill levels. at 508 yards from the back of the tees, this gentle dog leg right to left is guarded by bunkers on the left and right. Those looking for a risk reward element are greeted with the possibility of cutting the corner on the left, while the smart play is a nice drive up the right side. A creek that is 125 yards from the green will test players looking to get closer to the green on their second shot. The green is large, allowing for several exciting and challenging pin positions.
After a generous starting hole, Robbie Robinson struck gold with this amazingly challenging second hole. At 453 yards from the black tees, the hole is tight and tree lined putting a premium on accuracy and distance. Most members and guest will hit their approach shot from 180 to 200 yards to this elevated green. Typically a player will need to play for additional 20 yards due to the severity of the elevation. A challenging green that falls off quite hard to the front and actually feels like a double green due to the swale in the middle. Par is an exceptional score any day of the week.
After the difficult par 4 on #2, the 3rd hole offers up great diagonal angles which make for great strategy. With just a couple of bunkers in front and a bit of fairway on the left side of the green, you can play the shorter, safer side and keep the little fall off on the right side and the little valley in front of the hole from taking one from you.
Highlighted by the large maple tree which stands on the right side of the fairway you must play your drive against the tree line on the left side to give yourself a shot at the green or a properly positioned second shot. This short par 5 at 485 yards provides all golfers with an excellent opportunity to score. The green is excellent as it incorporates a large swale in the middle and the high and low portions on the back and front respectively.
Here you play from a high point through to the west end of the property with the church in the distance. An evolving hole, the fairway is fairly straight and quite wide with the tee ball having a right to left shape. The green is two tiered, so choose the right club.
A long par 3 with a 30-degree angle from the new tee deck, the green is quite receptive and sort of jumps out at you. This plays as the most difficult par 3 at Craigowan and a par here is a good score for anyone.
A nice downhill tee shot to a low landing area, then a subtle rise up to the green sitting on a natural plateau. The one and only proper line on this hole is to hug the left side of the fairway to have clear shot into the entire green. No need to risk the pond! The green is nicely contoured and runs very gentle back to front. It’s a troublesome hole if you’re not swinging well, or a hole that can be played aggressively if you need a birdie.
An outstanding short hole, this is one of the best short par 4’s Robinson has ever designed! Plenty of fun, plenty of options. The trees on both sides of the fairway frame this hole beautifully. It is generally a positioned hole off the tee, so you don’t even need the driver on this one. A challenging green presenting many great pin positions on either side of the valley
At 192 yards from the back tees, number 9 provides a great test with an even better backdrop. The tee shot is slightly downhill with a deep valley in front. The green is protected by 4 bunkers and offers fantastic subtleties and movements. The tee shot is challenging enough, however, the beautiful backdrop of the clubhouse will put your mind at ease.
A great hole with an unusual amount of cross slope, it plays from a high spot into a valley and then up to a nice plateau green. This is very much an option and placement hole. The best shot is a draw off the tee to use the slope most effectively but the hole does not require a driver to be played well. The old stone house foundation adds character and a sense of history.
A straightforward hole with a good green that slopes from front to back with bunkering around it. The large green makes players think twice about club selection
A stunning little par 3, the green for the 12th hole sits in a bit of a bowl just a little higher up than you think it does from the tee. the hillside behind the green serves as a great backdrop while the bunkers frame the hole beautifully. The wind can really swirl back in this corner of the course.
An extremely long par 5, number 13 takes you through some of the flattest terrains on the course but requires three good shots to go the distance. The green site is interesting with a big knoll in front of it. It’s delicate operation trying to get to this green, particularly with forward pin position.
An amazing shot from the top of the hill, across the valley to an absolutely perfect plateau green sitting right against the out of bounds line. Back left here gives you a lot of bail out room, but the plateau and the green itself with rolls make this hole interesting. Depending on where the hole is pinned the rolls can present varying degrees of challenge and intrigue.
The left side of the tee is the favored here. Anything slightly right will require some left to the right movement for the approach. With no mounds and some space between the trees, this hole offers great recovery shots – and that’s half the fun of golf; getting behind a tree and trying to hit a little punch hook onto the green.
Hole 16 is a short par 4 dogleg left to right that required ideal placement with your tee shot. The green is the longest from front to back and usually sees approach shots regularly from 150 down to 8o yards.
The 17th hole is a great left to right dogleg that has a perfectly placed bunker 200-220 yards off of the tee. Shorter in distance, the 17th allows golfers of all levels to utilize their scoring clubs creating a great chance at birdie or par.
The 18th hole is a long par 5 where golfers will be tested with this extraordinary uphill hole. The green sits halfway up the hill with the clubhouse on an angle offering a stunning panoramic view from the fairway below. There is a large tier at the back of the green that will funnel balls back towards the pin placements in the middle and front of the green.
