Öviinbyrd (2023)

Without question, some of, if not the most interesting golf courses in the world are the ones sprinkled on top of the crinkled landforms best-affiliated with linksland against the various oceans of the world. Sand, after all, a huge asset when designing and building golf, and the recent ressurgence of the importance of sand in building the world’s best golf courses—from Pacific Dunes to Barnbougle, Cabot Links to Castle Stuart and everything in between—proves that. Not that golf has outgrown those locations. Rather, golf has expanded to various locations not neccesarily known for ideal ground to build golf on. One of those locations is the rocky, swampy landforms of the Canadian Shield, and most notably, The Muskoka’s just north of Toronto. Best known as the wealthy escape for Toronto’s upper-class to get away from the city and enjoy the cottage life, the secret of the Muskoka’s became more well-known in the 1990s, and as expected, a golf boom incurred. Many of those layouts belong to Canadian architect Thomas McBroom, who lives in the area. However, it wasn’t until 2007 when the region finally had two legitmate heavy-hitters in the Canadian landscape: Muskoka Bay, a gruelling test through some severe terrain at the hands of Doug Carrick and Ian Andrew, and Öviinbyrd, Thomas McBroom’s magnum opus.   Holes to Note   Third hole, 432 yards; Rather than most of McBroom’s other notable designs, Öviinbyrd is the least flashy and most subtle. For some, this might come off as sleepy. However, it highlights the elements of the site the best and showcases the core elements of what makes golf in this location appealing. The gentle dogleg left graciously plays over a small rockcropping, with its charming green sitting seamlessly into the landscape. Ö’s total bunker count never reaches 50 across the golf courses, and the 3rd illustrates why: a single bunker does the trick.

  Seventh hole, 482 yards; the opening third at Ö is a relatively tame introduction to the golf course, with four middle-length par 4’s, a reachable par 5, and a middle-length par 3. However, once the golfer climbs up the picturesque 6th and reaches the 7th, the meat of the golf course is here. A downhill, attractive tee shot, much of the first swing of this stern two-shot hole relies on getting the ball in the fairway. After that, navigating the uneven lie to play into the difficult, perched green complex awaits those successful off the tee.

Eighth hole, 195 yards; Among the single most attractive, intimidating, and natural par 3’s in the country, the eighth is best presented without commentary.

Tenth hole, 327 yards; Drivable par 4’s are a uniquely modern flavour to the world of golf architecture, but when done right, they present a fascinating and thrilling addition to a round of golf. Take the tenth at Öviinbyrd as the poster child, for example, with the green’s front edge being just 270 yards as the hole bends around the natural wetlands and swamps of the region. That said, the green complex’s surrounds are without a doubt the most extreme on the golf course, with enough short grass to make the unprepared pitcher of the ball fearful for a second shot close-in.

  Fourteenth hole, 230 yards; In a country full of great one-shot holes—from the 4th at Banff Springs, to the 16th at Cabot Cliffs, to the 6th at Greywolf, or the 9th at Jasper Park, and so forth—finding the space to enter your hole in the discussion is certainly a tall task. Nonetheless, McBroom’s efforts at Ö presents a respectable gander, with the 14th being the most iconic hole at this very private escape. A true Hail Mary in every sense of the word, the tee shot plays high above the green with golfers teeing off atop a large rock outcropping. The green, funnelling balls to the middle section, is receptive, but such length, this is no doubt a difficult swing.

A closer look at where the golfer tee off from presents a true sense of scale and depth. It would be hard to imagine a round of golf at Öviinbyrd without this hole included in the routing.

Sixteenth hole, 401 yards; Much like the opening stretch, the 16th is a gently-presented two-shot hole. However, the intensity is far higher than the beginning of the round, with a surplus of granite rock outcroppings present from start to finish. The tee shot turns relatively hard around the inside corner’s rock hazards before the approach plays over them yet again.

No doubt, golf is and was meant to be played seaside across the sandy soils of the British Isles and coastline, but golf’s expansion to such regions have presented a wide variety of landscapes, styles of golf courses, and unique layouts to explore and seek out. Öviinbyrd proves that: while its similarities to anything one would consider a “links” golf course might be zero, there is engaging, exciting golf to be had here, and as a result, stands tall amongst the crowd of golf courses in the Muskoka Region and Canada alike.