Royal Niagara Golf Club - Old Canal Course
About
The Old Canal Course is one of three nine-hole courses at the Royal Niagara Golf & Country Club. Situated between the scenic Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Trail, the Old Canal Course is named after the historic 120-year-old Welland Canal that borders it. The challenging layout was designed to championship standards, employing several tricky elements including carefully sculpted fairways, rolling greens, and king-size bunkers. True to its name, the golf course features plenty of water throughout. There are several dramatically placed tees perched on the edges of the canal, providing stunning scenery that is unmatched in the Niagara region. All three courses at Royal Niagara Golf & Country Club were built to the same high standards, but each one offers a unique set of challenges.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 36 | 3563 yards | ||
| Blue | 36 | 3307 yards | ||
| White | 36 | 3099 yards | ||
| Red | 36 | 2739 yards | ||
| Green | 36 | 2240 yards |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 72.5/140 | 382 | 521 | 413 | 426 | 218 | 576 | 171 | 443 | 301 | 3451 | 6984 |
| Blue M: 70.7/134 W: 77.1/142 | 363 | 505 | 385 | 400 | 177 | 538 | 148 | 415 | 280 | 3211 | 6515 |
| White M: 68.2/128 W: 74.5/137 | 340 | 482 | 356 | 374 | 154 | 519 | 127 | 390 | 270 | 3012 | 6080 |
| Red M: 65.6/112 W: 70.3/131 | 312 | 439 | 292 | 334 | 133 | 432 | 107 | 364 | 265 | 2678 | 5407 |
| Green M: 62.2/106 W: 66.2/119 | 235 | 360 | 225 | 275 | 133 | 385 | 107 | 290 | 265 | 2275 | 4450 |
| Handicap | 12 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 8 | ||
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Course Details
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Father's Day
Great round warmed up on practice green and range. Beer is steep $$ but overall experience was great. Greens are nice and fairways also, challenging.
Just OK
Overall not bad value for money. Greens were a bit shaggy and could have been better for this time of year. Feels like course is not getting the attention it needs and pro shop/starter process seemed not very well organized either. 9th hole on the Old Canal course was a huge disappointment! I presume it was a previous Par 4 that has been reduced to a short Par 3 for what appears to be concerns from residents leaving next to the golf course
Great facility with great staff
Course was in great shape, club house was very organized and friendly.
fun course to play!
Have played here numerous times an all three courses and it is one of the better kept courses in Niagara. The layout is certainly original on old canal and forces you to get creative. The entire course is challenging and just a lot of fun. The beauty of this course alone is worth a visit. Highly recommended.
Condition not great.
Good, challenging, interesting layout. Disappointed in the condition of the course, for a Kaneff Property. The fairways were too long. The greens were in poor shape with aeration holes, and some winter kill. The tees were in poor shape, and not even level. I expect more from Mr. Kaneff.
Great Scenery
Course has outstanding views, great over all condition and can play short or long if you are an advanced player. Only downfall we encountered is we started early (7:30am) anf they was no kitchen staff!
First 3 holes
If you've never played here before, watch out for those first 3. Listen to the guys in the shop and play conservative. These holes will bite.
Fairways good condition, tees a little rough, greens bumpy and long (doesn't anyone know how to fix their pitch mark?) I did 10 on one green.
Both of our carts had to be replaced part way through round, batteries not charged. Velcro on one cart for rain cover worn out so cover would not stay up.
Royal Niagara
Great round at the Iron Bridge and Escarpment 9's. Having the 3x9 combinations available makes the facililty an appealing option.
Greens were a little fuzzy but rolled true on the breaks.
Some narrow fairways will challenge the risk / reward player.
Good luck on the 580 yd par 5 on the Iron Course. it changes direction and asks you to hit your approach to a slightly elevated green. You can shoot 5.........you could also shoot 9.
Much better condition
Royal Niagara has had a bad reputation lately, the winter to start 2014 didn't help that. The course conditions were great this Victoria Day weekend, with the exception that the greens are simply too furry at the moment (although that'll help the weekend warriors). Fairways and tees are in great shape, bunkers are good and the greens are at least consistent. Always loved the layout, and in this shape it's worth the drive out from the GTA.
Quick outing
Course was not busy at all. Probably because early on Mother's Day. Course conditions we okay, bunkers in need of some more sand. Weeds growing on the fringes of greens, but overall fairways were in great shape and so were greens. Golf carts getting a bit old
but still okay. Had a good time and weather was good.
Small greens
Loved certain holes. Fabulous look to them. As a once a week average golfer I found the greens hard to locate with my approach shots. Precision is a necessity. A lot of drop offs around the greens.I was chipping all day long.
Made for a difficult day for scoring.
Great course
Enjoyed playing this course with a variety of hole challenges playing from the blues. Fairways forgiving but strategy required especially near water holes,also long carries required on par fives due to punishing bunkers. Greens were hard and tough to stick but rolled true as still recovering from winter wear. I would return to play betting the greens are lightening in the summer and surrounding foliage filling in and providing depth to this superior course.
Season opener
We played Iron Bridge and Escarpment. For this early in the season the course is in quite good condition. Surprisingly dry, greens are pretty slow but not wet.
Overall a real good first round.
lots of elevation changes
Course condition excellent for early spring, greens a tad slow but expected for this time of year. If your in the Niagara region you should play here, you will not be disappointed.
great early season golf
for early April the course was in great shape. storm the evening before and no signs of rain.
pretty challenging course with a nice layout and I can't wait to come back and see it mid season.
early morning on a tuesday so pace of play is hard to judge, there were not many on the course.
Not expected
The course was a little moist but i have played in much worse conditions and been able to drive at least 90 degrees.. this was cart path only, no reason at all. Also , had a golf now time, but was charged full rate, had to come back in to the manager, who did not know how to reimburse me through the debit machine...ended up getting a coupon for further use another time, but not sure if i will play it again. Used to play this course 20 times a year but not now... be careful what they charge at the course....
Too expensive for early course conditions
too expensive for early course conditions, plus it was cheaper just to book direct with the course then golf now, I will consider my options when booking again.
Enjoyable Course.
I just really enjoy this course. I've heard bad reviews via word of mouth and Internet reviews. Respectfully, I must disagree. The practice area and driving range is very nice and so is the clubhouse. I think I've played here three times now. I love the setup. Suits my game, grip it and rip it off the tee. They give you lots of room. Your approach will require more precision with well guarded greens and water. Escarpment is my favorite. Greens are very good, if I can recall so are the bunkers. Overall, very fair and enjoyable layout. Today, April 3rd, I think their 2nd day open for the season obviously conditions are terrible in comparison to in season. It's not even fair to judge a course at this time of year, I'm just glad they were open. I'm sure things will get back into excellent shape as the season progresses. I got a Red Hot Deal on GolfNow so value for money was excellent.
This is good course
I played some time on this courses because the regular price is too high for me ,hopefully they will put more often in the golf now hot deal,that I can play more on this course,thank you.
Pleasantly surprised
Pleasantly surprised after reading all the bad reviews - Old Canal was challenging requiring precision, Escarpment more wide open and shorter. Fairways were in good shape and greens were not bad considering it was fall golf.
Overall, an enjoyable experience - will be back