Posted : October 29, 2014
Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.
Traditions are something that help define us. Family outings, celebrations and activities scheduled at meaningful times throughout the year give us a connection to our roots and something to look forward to. Having a close friend with the same passion for golf and a birthday 6 days before mine has given us a chance to share a birthday round for our tradition. One year we even decided to break out our oldest sets of blades and persimmons for a birthday round filled with miss-hits, laughs and memories. This year we decided to explore a new location for our customary fall outing and put Deer Creek Golf Club on our radar.
The Central Counties are dotted with hundreds of wonderful golf facilities. Most are single course clubs of either 18 or 9 holes. One of the few “mega” facilities, in the region is found a drive and wedge north of Taunton Road in Ajax. Located between Lakeridge and Salem, Deer Creek is one of the largest golf and banquet complexes in Durham Region. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, and hearing nothing but good reviews from people whose opinions I trust, put Deer Creek on my radar to explore.
A blustery September Saturday saw us with a tee time on the North Course at Deer Creek, playing the Ruby and the Diamond nines. With 45 holes of golf on-site, featuring 3 championship nines in play making up the North Course and another 18 hole South Course all running out of the same location the complex is a hive of activity. It was no surprise the parking lot had a healthy gathering of filled spaces. Additionally the Deer Creek family of facility has an academy course and practise facility located nearby at Salem Ridge and a further 18 hole facility at Glen Cedar nearer to Markham.
After a much needed coffee we met our playing companions, a husband and wife tandem from nearby Pickering. It is always an advantage when exploring a new course to get a little local knowledge, so having this couple who have played at Deer Creek for years help with club selection and put up with our antics for the next 4 hours was a good thing. One of the the things we learned from the time spent was that they are members of Deer Creek’s terrific Loyalty Program. Every dollar spent at the facility or at either of the other connected facilities gets points credited toward future purchases. This round of golf was free for our playing partners and they couldn’t have been happier even dealing with a couple middle aged birthday boys all afternoon.
The course was a treat that requires a great blend of precision and brawn to navigate the routing. Gently rolling over hills and skirting plentiful hazards woody, sandy and wet, the North Course Ruby and Diamond is the most challenging combination of the three nines. The water holes stood a cut above on the layout with the Diamond number 4 playing as the most difficult on that side. A tight drive with water and gorp on either side leaves a tricky layup to a short iron over water. The enormous green is guarded by water in front and right. The finishing three hole stretch at the Ruby is a shotmakers buffet. Hole 7 is a brute of a par 4 playing through a chute of trees off the tee and over a huge pond on the way to the target. Number 8 is a meandering par 5 with sand and water aplenty. This green is enormous with as many shelves as you would find in a library, making putting a real adventure if you find the wrong level. The finale is a lengthy par 3 all carry over water. What a closer!
Embarking on a new golfing experience at Deer Creek to carry on our birthday golf tradition, it was ironic to come off our final hole and see a party of groomsmen preparing for the celebration of a new family being created with the lovely bride close at hand. The spectacular Banquet facility was soon to add another great day of memories but in a different way. Traditions come in many forms, it was great that ours was extended at a place filled with so many memorable holes and a place that is the beginning of many other special milestones for others.
Deer Creek North & South
2700 Audl8888ey Road North
Ajax, ON
L1Z 1T7
905.427.7737
http://www.golfdeercreek.com
Rick Parnham
Associate Editor / Travel Writer
On The Tee Magazine
ontheteemagazine.com
Tour Supervisor
BAGS Junior Golf Tour
bags.on.ca
