Cardinal Golf Club - East

We played in the East Wing course. It is a good course. The front 9 had more obstacles than the back 9. The course is well maintained and clean. The staff all over the facility are very friendly and helpful.

The golf carts are clean with electric motors (i.e. quiet and no fumes). I also liked the touch sceen in the cart which has a gps that shows the map of the course and the distance to different parts of the hole (i.e. to clear hazards, front of green, center of green, etc). No more guessing on your distance to the green.

I would have given my experience much higher reviews except for two things: carts can be locked/stopped, and pace of play.

First, carts that can be locked/stopped. This happened in the back 9 when our carts would just stop. We thought they ran out of battery but then the screen showed that it was locked and we should return to the cart path. I was playing with a 76-year old friend. He didn't appreciate that he can't take the cart anywhere .... at his age, it was inconsiderate to leave the cart in the path and make him walk to the other side of the fairway to make his shot. We later learned that the cart gets locked when you drive over soggy areas or when you are too close to the green (which we weren't). A message on the screen to indicate why the cart was locked would have been a user-friendly way to inform the riders of the situation.

Second, pace of play was too slow. It took us 5 hours to complete the round because there was a group that was taking too long. The marshals said they spoke with the group but nothing really happened, the group still took their time even if it was really backing up. I played on courses that were much crowded than this but we always finished within 4-4.5 hours.

In the past, none of my friends had anything nice to say about the course (nothing bad either). As a result, I wasn't expecting much. I was just happy to get a round of golf in at a reasonable price.

Considering all the dry weather we have had, Cardinal is the "greenest" of all the public courses I've played so far. You can tell they spend money on their course. Don't get me wrong, there are a few dry or dead spots, but overall the fairways have green to them, and the putting greens were great to roll on. I was also like to add that the course also has spent money on very nice golf carts. A large display screen for each hole and the carts themselves were strong & sturdy.

I also liked that the holes had some elevation changes to them. The staff working the carts and starter area were friendly. I would definitely go back to try the west course next time.

The course is in excellent condition, finished the round in 4 hours.

In short this course is very poorly managed. Took over 5 hours to play the round.

Course MArshall was useless and didn't know how to resolve the slow play issue.

Every tee box was a five or ten minute wait before tee off.

Very frustrating and certainly not enjoyable.

First time playing Cardinal, was very impressed.

Course has multiple elevations which are awesome, lots of par 4's and 5's and will definitely be back again.

Greens were in terrible shape.

Overall I am ok with course except following.

- I had to wait about 2, 3 minutes almost every holes due to the slow pace in front

- Putting green condition wasn't even, slow. Needs better maintenance.

Ok track for the average player. Have played here a couple of times and staff friendliness is hit and miss. More often a miss. If you get a special rate then it's good value.

very underrated course. Just fun and fair and good for the price

I've played Cardinal several times and it can get backed up on a weekend. That can happen on a public course but today was insane!! Not totally the course's fault, just a bunch of idiots on the course on a Labour Day. Guys, if there's an open hole in front of you, taking pictures of yourselves on the tee block is not recommended. I quit after 9 holes and got a rain check for another 9. The course marshals and clubhouse staff were apologetic. Made the best out of a bad situation.

Good course. Enjoyed the round. Good value, too. Would go again.

One of the best public greens around. Good lay out, strong par 3's and par 5's.
Great place to have a pint following the round.
Put this course on your list.

Finally decided to check this course out after seeing some good deals on golfnow for a while. Coming from the north end of Toronto it was a bit of a drive at around 45 minutes or so, but was worth it. The course was in great shape and provides enough variety to keep it interesting. The front 9 is more wide open, but has quite a few holes with elevation changes. The back 9 is definitely tighter and demands more accurate shots.

We had good time. Great value and good staff.
Course was in good shape.

Jay

We played the east course. The 2 nines are totally different; the first nine very challenging with many elevation changes and the second flatter but tighter. The greens were a little slower than I expect this time of year.....perhaps to keep tournaments moving along? Too bad, with slick greens I would recommend this course to anyone! The regular price is a little more than I would pay, but I go a deal. Convenient location.

I really enjoyed playing at this course! It's the easier of the 3 courses they have and I can only wonder how great their championship course is as I really liked this one!

Pace of play was 410 mins for a mid morning tee time on a Sunday East Course, doesn't get much better than that

The course is not maintained well, lots of dead grass everywhere, hole T's are in rough shape.

Pace of play was good but value for money was garbage.
I booked through GOLFNOW only to find out that the regular rate for 18 + cart was less than than what the GO usually charges.

Word of advice double check you are getting a deal or not.