Golf in Stratford

The Bogey Golf Tour grants golfers a chance to take to the links and compete against fellow amateurs in tournaments scheduled at some of the finest courses in the London, Windsor, Detroit, and Kitchener/Waterloo areas. At each event, scratch golfers compete in the Birdie division, 0–15 handicaps square off in the Par division, and 16+ handicappers trade pinpoint approaches and sequined divot tools in the Bogey division. The top five finishers in each division receive prize money—which can be paid out in gift certificates or cash—and the Tour also holds prize competitions for longest drive, closest to the pin, and 3-iron jousting. The Tour publishes the results from each tournament in local newspapers, and players can chart the peaks and valleys of their careers on the Tour Members list, which compiles all of their tournament results. Along with providing an outlet for amateur golfers to exercise their long-suppressed competitive side, the Tour and its sponsors have raised $74,000 for various area charities since 2003.

Widder Station Golf & Country Club

Widder Station Golf & Country Club's hilltop clubhouse cuts an impressive form on its perch between the first tee and the 18th green. With a deck bordered by white railings and a towering spire that adds a gothic detail to the bucolic space, the building offers a scenic locale from which guests can look out onto the winding streams, dense tree lines, and golf-cart flash mobs that populate the 18-hole, 6,272-yard golf course. The relatively open, par 72 layout challenges golfers with two ponds and a stream that runs from one end of the course to the other, features that come into play on nine holes. The course concludes with dramatic flair at the 18th hole, which has earned a reputation as the hardest hole due to its 502-yard length, a tricky, dogleg-left fairway, and the green's giant airbag that opens erratically as golfers attempt putts.

Inside the clubhouse, a deli and pro shop cater to the needs of guests' depleted stomachs and golf bags. In the winter, Widder Station transforms the course's open terrain into a haven for snowmobiling events, during which guests can glide down the tree-lined trails while doing their best impression of the Ice Age mastodon gangs that once cruised over ancient glaciers.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,272 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 69.3 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 120 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Scorecard

Widder Station Golf & Country Club's rates fluctuate during the day and week.

The high-definition simulators at Jarzie’s Indoor Simulated Golf virtually transport players to such legendary loops as Bethpage Black, Pebble Beach, and Banff Springs without the hassles of international travel and exorbitant greens fees. In addition to producing accurate three-dimensional renditions of nearly two dozen courses, the computerized system captures critical swing parameters such as ball speed and launch angle, allowing players to better their game as they pummel shots down fairways, shoot for the flagsticks, and try to outrun each hole’s computer-generated yeti. When combined, the clear video playback and swing analysis also highlight areas of weakness that can later be addressed during private lessons with the resident CPGA professionals.

Wedges 'N Woods Golf Academy helps players of all experience levels build their skills at its comprehensive practice facility, complete with driving, chipping, and putting greens. A fully irrigated tee deck allow guests to practice landing on the 10 target greens using every club, and practice bunkers challenge golfers to get out of the sand before the tide washes away their castle. CPGA professionals offer various levels of instruction, combining modern teaching techniques and video analysis to correct golfers' swings and mental approach to the game. The academy also maintains an 18-hole miniature course surrounded by natural landscaping and sand traps, providing mini golfers their first step toward their quest to attain the Mini Masters' coveted green sweater vest.

At Fescue's Edge Golf Club, the white blooms of queen anne’s lace sway alongside ponds dappling 96 acres of tree-lined fairways. Though most of the nine holes on the par 70 course nestle up to towering pine trees, some also incorporate these water hazards. On the par 4 fifth hole, aquatic obstacles sit on either side of the fairway, forcing the player to work as precisely as a bomb technician wearing a white shirt and eating a meatball sub. Sun-soaked sand traps, straight fairways, and five sets of tee boxes await players on other holes.

Off the course, cartfuls of players warm up at the driving range, where grass tees simulate the real course. Shelves at the pro shop brim with clubs and other equipment from brands such as Callaway. Fescue's Edge Golf Club also runs a banquet hall and full-service restaurant, where frothy glasses clink together on tables with scenic views of the course.

In 1914, golf-course architects incorporated the three branches of the Sydenham River to form a wishbone in the middle of Bear Creek Golf Club's 6,154-yard layout. Coming into play on nine holes, the waterway factors prominently into the par-5 10th hole, where it flows just beyond the tee box, crosses the heart of the fairway, and snakes along the front of the green, providing an ideal venue to practice skipping ball markers across the surface. Tall trees hover at the edges of most fairways, waiting to complicate play after errant drives or approaches.

After putting out on 18th green, guests can watch fellow golfers traverse the course from the raised deck at Bear Creek’s Golfview Restaurant. Inside, aromas of chicken wings, quesadillas, and burgers fill the air along with the warmth from a stone fireplace, where golfers can destroy incriminating scorecards or Petrarchan sonnets they wrote about their sand wedge.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,154 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.8 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 128 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard