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Canada’s patriarch of golf course design, legendary
designer Stanley Thompson, came to
Montebello
in the 1920s with an
already impressive resume of brilliant designs on stunning but
inhospitable Canadian landscapes. With Jasper (1925) and Banff
(1928), word-of-mouth
had embedded Thompson in the consciousness of golfers as the country’s
master architect, and at
Montebello, a similar challenge
awaited him. The end result was a linksland playground for the elite
members of the Seignoiry Club for the club’s first 41 years, and in
the last three decades Montebello
has won its guests
over with its simple strategic charms and fine vistas of the surrounding
Laurentian Mountains.
The course is a
sporty 6,235 yards from the championship tees, but the modest yardage
can be very deceiving. Moving through stands of graceful old-growth
forest,
Canadian Shield
rock outcroppings and
dramatic elevation changes, the demand for accuracy and precision often
takes power and length out of the equation, as smart shots to particular
landing areas is an imperative approach. The idea of updating the course
and expanding its length has been bandied about for years, but as the
province’s second-best course in 1998, this Thompson original has
withstood advancements in technology to still present a classic
challenge of golf.
The course is
highlighted by a great set of par threes, which have always been known
as Thompson's strong suit. The first of these, the 173-yard third, plays
uphill to a deep plateau green protected as its most vulnerable point of
a cavernous bunker. A good play to a back pin requires a precise
200-yard shot, a task that can seem daunting standing down at the tee.
With no shortage of
signature holes, the visually arresting 177-yard sixth is just one in a
prized group. With the crown of a mountain sitting in the background,
the play is a middle or short iron off the shelf to a green pinched by
two broad bunkers. Plays to a front-right pin should be weary both of
the wind direction, and the thin stream that sneaks up on the green’s
front edge, as the slightest miscalculation can lead to a penalty
stroke. Like the ninth, at 175 yards, the margin for error is minimal.
In order to finish off the front side with a birdie or par, players must
strike a bold shot up the hill that carries the ravine and finds a
shallow green.
Both short holes on
the back nine are equally critical. The 157-yard 13th is also
played from an elevated tee to a green set across the valley, with its
front face protected by another deep bunker. A back bunker snares the
conservative shot, while the wide green with its sweeping and subtle
contours can fool even the most discerning putter. Likewise, the
200-yard 17th can aggravate putters, especially if they fall
to the difficulties involved in reaching the green. A long iron or
fairway wood here needs to move from right-to-left, fitting between the
long bunker on the left and the stand of trees at the right.
But
the course does not rest on the strength of its par threes alone. In
fact, the second, fifth and 14th holes surely rank among the more
challenging of Thompson's par fours. The second is a great use of
the lay of the land, with the hole flowing to the left. This promotes a
right-to-left shot to a green that is among the most inventive Thompson
greens we have seen. The large green with superb contouring and a
unique shape is framed by a bunker and a natural granite rock face.
While
five, which plays as a par five from the forward tees, demands a
challenging drive, the approach is a long one to a relatively welcoming
green. Par is a reasonable score as long as the tee shot finds the
fairway.
The
14th hole is the best on the course, a 415-yard par four that places a
great demand on the tee shot as well as the approach to a wild green
over the largest section of river on the
course. The natural beauty of this hole comes amidst the secluded
forest, on the farthest point of the land from the clubhouse.
The
most spectacular view on the course comes on the tee of the fourth hole,
the first par five on the golf course. The tee is perched high
above the fairway, affording a great view of the river valley, but a tee
shot heading off-line will be hurt even more by the additional
elevation. Despite the temptation of hitting a career-long tee shot, the
smart play here, especially in windy conditions, may be a fairway wood
or long iron that has less chance of carrying into trouble.
The
return to the hotel brings the golfer out of the woods, and onto a more
amenable parkland setting, but the finish is still strong. At 420 yards,
the final iron shot of the day will likely be a long one to a very
defined target. A miss in the front bunker will lead almost certainly to
bogey or worse, but the setting offers consolation. With the Chateau
Montebello awaiting your return, it’s easy to understand why this
charming and rugged oasis on the
Ottawa River
has been attracting
common guests and political dignitaries alike for generations. The
atmosphere is of authentic Canadian respite, a rich and timeless
microcosm of area’s history and beauty.
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