High Prairie and District Golf Club

You've got to take a short seven kilometer drive west of the town to find the local golf course. As you approach the clubhouse from the parking lot one can't help but notice that the clubhouse does appear somewhat tired and drab and could probably do with a little makeover. The small pro shop feels cluttered. This par 36, 9 hole course has been around since the early 1980's and the facilities do show it. Staff were pleasant and hospitable.

The opening 392 yard, Par 4 is straight forward. It takes a good straight drive up the left side to avoid the rough that creeps into the right fairway 240 yards from the tee. A good drive will set you up for your second shot into a small crowned green. The second hole is good fun, a short par 3 that requires your tee shot to carry the gap through the trees to a relatively flat, oval shaped green. It's a deceptive course but it doesn't pay to get too comfortable. The 3rd hole for instance is a dog-leg left, 537 yard par-5, that calls for a strong drive up the middle then asks for a disciplined shot to hold up short of the creek that cuts across the fairway and then another well executed approach shot into a small, slightly elevated green set back through a corridor of trees and shrubs. It's stroke index 2 on the card for a reason. Hole 6 which is stroke index 1 is another good test. This 593 yard Par 5 has a small creek that cuts across the fairway about 240 yards from the tee and then the fairway curls hard left around a forest of trees to a small green. That creek caught me on two occasions.

The grass in the fairways seemed to be inconsistent and somewhat scruffy in nature with lots of uneven ground. There is just a handful of greenside bunkers and water hazards include Iroquois Creek as it cuts through four of the fairways and there are three ponds of which only one should be of concern. The greens are varied in size and shape and were in excellent condition.

The course may have a few shortcomings but I think for the residents of High Prairie, they are lucky to have a golf course available.