Lewis Estates Golf Course

The pro shop and restaurant are all housed under the gabled roof of a modern styled clubhouse. Check‑in was friendly and efficient, and it was a pleasure to see a stable of newer 2023 Yamaha carts, the undisputed kings of the fairway. Staff interactions were consistently positive from arrival to departure.

 

It was under a ceiling of overcast skies that threatened rain as I teed off on the 530 yard, par 5 opener at Lewis Estates. The wide fairway turns lazily to the right leading to a large green set in the midst of three gaping bunkers. It's a nice introduction to the character of the course.

This parkland course is lined by poplars and spruce, threading its way through a backdrop of surrounding residences. Standing on the large, flat tee boxes, golfers are given great views of the particular hole they are playing. Fairways were maintained to a nice standard and the rough should you find it was fair and playable as opposed to penal.

The green complexes presented inviting targets and were consistently receptive to solid approach shots. Speed of the greens was an easy adjustment as the practice green provided an accurate indication of the pace out on the course. Pay close attention to the numerous undulations and swales on the greens if you're looking to pencil in any birdies on the scorecard. 

True trouble is modest, only a handful of water hazards and just over fifty thoughtfully placed bunkers that can shape decisions from tee to green. 

There are a number of holes that stand out. Holes 4 and 7 on the front nine are tremendous fun, and 11, 12, and 17 showcase how well the routing takes advantage of the available terrain. 

Practice facilities include a driving range that reaches out to around 285 yards and a practice putting green roughly 7,700 square feet in size. The cart paths were a mix of older and newly paved sections along with stretches of neatly tended gravel. Early morning showers helped to keep the dust to a minimum.  

Lewis Estates stands as a classic parkland design, crafted in 1989 to exacting standards by Bill and John Robinson, in collaboration with Geoffrey Cornish. The pro shop is well stocked and the restaurant offers a quality menu and is an ideal place to relax after your round.

Overall course conditioning, service, affordability and the consistent playing surfaces provide for a memorable round of golf.

This course is friendly to recreational golfers, the average woman golfer, and challenging enough for the best players. The course is 6742 from the tips with 3 more tee options to choose from. There is not much elevation change from hole to hole. Quite a few of the holes have elevated tee boxes that play downhill to wide tree-lined fairways that give you a relatively level lie to the green. Most fairways have some bunkering or water hazards strategically placed to catch errant drives. Most of the holes are straightforward with a few doglegs and two holes the 7th and 11th that are tricked up requiring a 200-yard drive then a 150-yard approach over water and sand. The 3 pars are a mix of medium to long shots and two of them are over water. The 5 pars are fairly easy with a minimal amount of trouble and quite reachable in two for the long ball hitters. The greens are well bunkered with most open at that front to allow shots to run up onto the greens making them a little easier for the recreational players and short ball and low ball hitters. The greens are large with little undulation but the subtle breaks can baffle the best of putters. The clubhouse is one of the nicest looking ones in the area with a large restaurant and bar that serves gourmet quality meals. The pro shop is small but sells everything you would need and there is a large putting green and a driving range that unfortunately has matt tees only.

It is good to see that Lewis Estates is back on track after the past couple of years. The greens have finally started to improve. Some still have some winter damage and some sodded patches but most are in good to wonderful condition. The greens have been some of the quickest we have played this year. For the most part, the fairways are in good condition, there are a couple that is still pretty rough and this seems to be an ongoing issue with these holes over the years. The tee-boxes were in good condition but could use some levelling. The staff was friendly and the Starter was very informative about the course rules and Covid-19 restrictions.