 | Alberta Bound | Sep-1-2006 |
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| Greens: |  7/10 | The greens were good and the fringe was consistent. The greens were a little slow, as they had not been cut for a day or two. |
| Fairways: | 6/10 | Fairways were in good shape and the new nine were filling in very well. There were a couple of holes on the new nine that still need a season more to fill in. Bunkers could have used some work |
| Tees: | 6/10 | The course has three tees from which to choose. The blues extend the course about 800 yards. The tees were in good shape with the usually items at each tee box. |
| Course Design: | 7/10 | This course opened a new nine a year ago. Given that the back is only one year old it is in good shape. The front nine starts with a nice par three. The next three holes are lined with mature trees with number 4 slopping left to right. Five goes up a large hill to a plateau at the top where you will tee off on six which is another nice par three where the green is below the tee by about 50 feet. Number eight is sloping downhill par 5. On nine you are again on an elevated tee with a small creek crossing the fairway and trees on the right and left. The new nine starts with a long (580 yd) par 5, then a par 4 with the green well below the fairway. The next hole is great little par 3 across a wide ravine. Number 15 is a very short par 4 (250 yds) followed by another good par 3. Seventeen is good par 5 and 18 ends a little way from the clubhouse. If you are walking it would be a little difficult with the elevation changes and some long walks between tees. I liked the design and the lay out. |
| Value for $$$: | 7/10 | This course offers good value as not too many 18 hole course can be found for $30. When the back nine is a little older then it would be very good value. Given the, layout and scenic nature it is worth your while to pay it a visit |
| Difficulty: | 7/10 | This course is not easy especially from the blue tees. The length of the course is 6356 from the back. They do not have an index or slope so I could only estimate the difficulty level. I decided to play the whites as it was much shorter, only 5600 yards. |
| Scenery: | 8/10 | This course is situated overlooking the Battle River and the Battle River Valley. With the elevation changes you get some very nice views back along the valley and to the hills in the distance. This is a pleasant change from the more traditional view of large blue skies and farmer fields that you get on many country courses. |
| Staff: | 8/10 | I found the staff to be very pleasant and helpful and they were happy to answer my questions. |
| Clubhouse: | 5/10 | The club house is small and there is a nice patio. The pro shop is not very well equipped but they do have rental clubs, balls, hats, tees, and a small amount of clothes. They offer drinks and a basic menu. |
| Other Intangibles: | 5/10 | They have a number of RV north of the course and they are selling off home sites on the new nine. The area where they are selling has not been finished and does take away from the looks of the back nine. Cart paths were limited and on a few occasions I was not sure about what direction I should take. I did have to search a few times for the tee boxes. They rent power and pull carts. I din not see a beverage cart during my visit. |
66/100
With Dorchester expanding to 18 holes it has become a more attractive course for those that visit the near by recreation area. Give the course a couple of more years for the new nine to mature. Right now it is worth the visit and now you have one more course to play around the lake. Try the course and you will enjoy the day and the views. I think this course might have the nicest, four, par threes around Edmonton. |
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