www.freedom-oaks.com

(see Rating Criteria)

Course Profile Located along the Lake Erie shoreline in Dunnville, Freedom Oaks GC is the only new course introduced to the Niagara golf landscape in 2003. The course, designed by the owners and built on 122 acres of countryside used previously for a trailer park / campground, includes a blend of open holes and some that wind through heavily wooded areas. The 18-hole layout officially opened for play this spring and the unusually wet and cool weather experienced throughout Niagara this season - a bane to golfers - has benefitted the growing and greening of the course considerably (as it has for all courses). As might be expected, the new course is still very much a work in progress, requiring some maturation and work on cosmetics, but it definitely ready for play now.

While seemingly a bit short at 6014 yards from the tips, Freedom Oaks plays much longer, boasting three par-5s over 500 yards, a handful of par-4s over 375 yards, impenetrable treelines, numerous ponds, several OB areas, and firm, tiered, bent grass greens. On the kinder side, the wide firm fairways add length to good drives, most of the par-3s are short-to-mid irons, the rough is sparse, greens putt true, there are no bunkers, and three sets of tees accommodate players of all playing abilities. A renovated, turn-of-the-century farmhouse has become a charming clubhouse with an adjacent spacious patio.

Course Review
The test begins at the very first tee where even a well-placed drive might still leave a challenging approach shot around or over a large tree in the fairway. Avoid going right off the tee or left of the green. A par here is a very good start.
Long off the tee will afford birdie opportunities at holes 2, 3, 4 and 9, but approach shots are made more challenging by the very firm greens. Much of the way, bump-and-run approach shots are the way to go at Freedom Oaks, and it does have a "links" feel and look to it in places. The dog-leg par-4s (# 5 & 7) are particularly demanding off the tee, and a par at # 7 - undoubtedly the toughest hole on the entire course - will feel like a birdie. The par-3 8th hole with its minuscule island green is always tough and requires a high approach shot that lands softly and sticks. Expect to be in the water, and celebrate if you're not.

On the back nine, a good mix of length and accuracy off the tee is the key to scoring well. The par-5 11th and 14th holes are reachable in two, and the par-4 finishing hole can be driven (but not without the potential for disaster). The large pond between # 11 and # 13 tells the tale, collecting enough golf balls to stock a driving range. The par-3 12th and 15th holes are short irons to large greens. It is the 13th hole - a dogleg-right par-4 through a tunnel of trees - that will most test the driver (and drive you must).

The sheer length of the par-5 16th (567 yards) and the par-3 17th (202 yards) makes them tough enough. At the 18th tee, it is time to put up or lay up - either carry it 240 yards to an elevated green or lay up short of the fronting pond. As a popular auto commercial invites - "drivers wanted" - but judging by the number of balls in the pond, many golfers have overestimated their driving abilities.