Muskoka Bay Golf Course, Back 9
No. 10 - Purgatory, 445 yards / par-4
The back nine begins with one of the toughest par-4s on the course and signals that the layout is going to step it up a few notches over the closing holes. The goal on this strategic gem is to take a drive down the right side, catch the fairway down slope and allow the ball to roll with it leaving a much shorter second shot to the green. If you don't want to challenge the forested corner, then there's a generous plateau landing area to the left that gives the golfer a good view of the hole, but a much longer shot into the green. The hilly fairway then winds its way to an elevated green site that drops severely to the left with a deep greenside bunker in play. There is another jagged rock outcropping to the right of the green that the unlucky few will have to contend with.
No. 11 - Bad Baby, 165 yards / par-3
This is the shortest of the four par-3s on the course playing just 130 yards from the middle tee decks, but it's not necessarily the easiest. A charming beaver pond and dazzling wetland makes for an imposing hazard to cross to one of the smallest greens on the course. There's not a lot of room to miss on this tightly forest hole. With pin positions on the right or left side of the green one will have to work the ball with a draw or fade to bounce it in and get it close. Firing a shot at the back, right corner promises to be one of the toughest shots of the round. The green is perched up but flanked to the right side by a large imposing bunker that sits patiently below the green. Don't make the mistake of hitting to the 17th green - even if it looks like the easier of the shots!
No. 12 - Alps, 550 yards / par-5
No. 12 is an interesting par-5 that stretches some 550 yards from the tips. The elevated tee shot requires a drive through a scenic gap in a rock ridge that runs down the right side of the hole. An imposing slope that funnels balls into the middle of the bowl shaped fairway dominates the left side of the rolling fairway. The hole then opens up and reveals a large manmade pond that skirts the left side of the undulating fairway with only a thin strip of bluegrass rough to prevent balls from rolling freely into the water. The second shot is somewhat downhill with the safe play along the right side of the fairway. Then it's another uphill shot as the long narrow green rises some 25 feet to a forest knoll with a bunker cut into the hillside on the right side approach to the green.
No. 13 - Bunker Hill, 414 yards / par-4
The aggressive line is to take it over "Bunker Hill" an imposing and bunkers hill to the left of the fairway on this sharp right to left dogleg. The big question is do you have enough power to clear the mound or will you get stuck up in the bluegrass rough and wish you had played it safely down the right side where there's a more than generous landing area. This is one of the few classic golf holes on the course - it's certainly not as rugged as the others and as the shortest of the par-4s on the back nine there's a good chance at birdie if played smartly. There are two bunkers to the front right of the green and one to the front left as well with a nasty swale running through the green.
No. 14 - Himalayas, 593 yards / par- 5
From here on in, the course picks up in intensity and drama that is matched by few courses in Ontario let alone Canada. Nobody, except for perhaps a PGA Tour pro, is getting home in two on this 593-yard, par-5 that seems to stretch for miles. This will be the one hole that you're praying for a great tee shot to set up the next two shots. With three massive rock outcroppings staring you right in the face off the tee it's easy to understand why the holes is called "Himalayas." An angled, elevated tee shot is safely played to an upper plateau to the right of the fairway that gives golfers a distant view of the green. A more risky route is to try and fly the rock ridge to the left of the fairway and take a shortcut to the green, but it's a dangerous shot because of the imposing rock face. A drive that's short will land in a lower bowl leaving a blind uphill second shot. The fairway opens for the second shot but drops off significantly to the left and it's not a place you want to be when going for the green. As well, a daunting granite rock outcropping sits some 20 yards in front of the large bunkerless green. It slopes slightly with a fall off front and there's another rocky hazard at the front right corner of the green that comes into play.
No. 15 - Alcatraz, 440 yards / par-4
The next two holes can make for a killer one-two punch. This is a very strong and long par-4 with a scenic view to match from a fabulous elevated tee. Off the tee, there is a small valley to cross and the rock ridge to the left that should not come into play. The fairway on this gentle dogleg right slopes severely from left to right. You really want to try and hit a draw into the fairway, or bring the ball in from the left side and let it kick down the fairway slope. In relation to the landing area the green is level, but a valley cuts in front of the green so it's a good idea to take an extra club on this one or you will be watching your ball roll backwards. There is a hulking bunker on the front right of the green and a catch bunker to the back left to add to the drama.
No. 16 -Gibraltar, 458 yards / par-4
Once you have caught your breath after No. 15, it's time to grip it and rip it on another monstrous par-4. The best tee shot is a draw on this dogleg left and long ball hitters will want to try and catch the down slope over the horizon. The rock out cropping that runs the entire length of the hole right up to a dramatic cliff overlooking the green make this hole unique in Canadian golf circles. The fairway follows the natural contours of the land and rises 30 feet to a large flat green that is receptive to most shots. The green site drops off radically to the right and a massive bunker along the front edge is one that should be avoided if you want a chance at making par. There's a good chance that at least one person in each group will be bouncing a shot off the rock wall to the left of the green so be careful!
No. 17 - Waterloo, 214 yards / par-3
The final par-3 of the day is no "gimme." In fact, it may prove to be one of the toughest holes on the course, but its natural beauty will take the sting out of most bad shots. At just over 200 yards from the tips, the best bet is to be a little long as this hole crosses the same beaver pond as No. 11. A low-lying rock outcropping sits at the back of the tee deck while the wide, shallow green has been tucked gently into a small opening in the forest canopy at water's edge. There is no room to miss anywhere on this shot and you don't want to flirt with the rock outcropping at the back right corner of the green or you could be bouncing into the forest.
No. 18 - Home, 460 yards / par-4
No. 18 is without doubt one of the most demanding finishing holes Doug Carrick has ever created. He even smiles when talking about its design and then you know you're in trouble or at the very least, par is a very good score on this closer. The tee shot is as demanding as they come with a long upward climb across a grassy valley to the elevated fairway that's framed by stately pine trees with one of the narrowest fairways on the golf course. A fairway bunker down the left side may come into play for long hitters, so the best bet is to stay right. If you don't hit it long and hard here to reach the landing area, you'll be left with a blind uphill second shot and little chance of making par! The second shot from the fairway landing area needs to avoid a sand bunker to the left of the green and a rock outcropping on the right.
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Note: Hole descriptions provided by Muskoka Bay club.
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