Golf in St. Catharines

P.O.W.E.R. Lesson’s founder and CPGA-certified pro Dave Hartmann follows the tenets of the Power Lesson golf-training regimen to help bolster the performance of his students. A veritable Johnny Appleseed of golf, the seasoned ace travels to various sites across the greater Toronto area, spreading golf wisdom and planting divot tools that soon blossom into argyle socks. The 60-minute Power Lesson serves as the basic unit of Dave’s teaching endeavours. He focuses on one element of his pupils’ game with video analysis, and sends them home with a video that summarizes the lesson and offers tips that players can use for future reference or play on a nonstop loop whenever their 9-iron needs to be lulled to sleep.

Whether golfers are coming in from the snow, the rain, or a downpour of golf-club-sized hail, the sun is always shining on the virtual courses of OnGolf Club. While making their way to one of five course simulators, guests hear the healthy swoosh of a finely swung club. Each station boasts a selection of 80 world-renowned courses brought to vivid life with high-definition projection screens and effects like elevation, different lengths of grass, and trees swaying in a virtual breeze. Simulators also churn out analytics on each swing while onsite pros offer golfing tips for beginning or advanced students. Additionally, guests waiting for their tee time can watch the world of outdoor sports on one of the numerous TVs in the lounge.

Forty-five hitting bays span the length of Markham Golf Dome’s indoor driving range, allowing players to groom golf games year-round. The six-storey dome covers 53,000 square feet, which could easily serve as a modern sports stadium or a blimp's favorite napping spot. Alternatively, the facility also hosts an outdoor driving range with 60 hitting bays, target greens, and chipping greens to help players hone long-range and short-game techniques. Each of Markham Golf Dome’s instructors has accrued more than 10 years of experience in helping players drive, pitch, and scissor-kick balls with the precision and consistency needed to achieve tee-to-green success.

Cresthaven Golf Club awakens the competitive spirit in golfers of all stripes with an 18-hole par 3 layout. With an average distance of 146 yards from tee to green, the abridged course lets players focus on approach shots, putting, and how best to fake a hole in one. Two lengthier holes throughout the round—the 210-yard 14th hole and the 223-yard 18th hole—will force duffers to unsheathe a wood or driver in order to reach the green. To expand its market to golf neophytes, the club rents out bags of clubs for those without a serviceable set or the ability to extract bejewelled drivers that have been wedged into legendary stones.

CPGA-certified instructor Clint McCormick developed his passion for helping others improve their golf games at the prestigious golf-management program at College of the Desert in Palm Springs, California. Today, Clint draws from years spent on the course, the numerous camps he himself attended, and the hundreds of golf balls he has whittled out of driftwood to create a personable, detail-oriented approach to teaching. During lessons, Clint evaluates each student’s swing mechanics and ability to discern between a groundhog and sprinkler head before imparting advice on everything from posture and form to advanced control of ball trajectory. At the end of each lesson, Clint gives his pupil notes and sketches out personalized practice routines accompanied by play sheets, helping students to improve their skills beyond the lesson. Clint also specializes in club fittings that are customized to improve any player's on-course results, especially those who play golf with a bag full of mannequin legs.

Links 4 Less bridges the gap between drop-in golfing and club membership. Card bearers can pack their clubs and set a tee-time with any of the club's participating golf courses, giving ample opportunities to test new drivers and spiraling golf cart stunts on different surfaces. Each course offers Links 4 Less members a discounted rate for both weekday and weekend rounds, as well as 9- and 18-hole challenges.