French Flavor: Quebec, Canada
Most people don’t know that the real reason the province of Quebec wants to secede from the rest of Canada is to protect its golf courses. Perhaps I’m missing some of the political intrigue pitting French speakers against the rest of the nation, but Quebec’s golf destinations are worth trying to keep under wraps. While Montreal and Quebec City are the most European metropoli on the continent, visitors sometimes tire of charming, narrow lanes filled with shops and cafes, castle architecture and rich colonial history, and romantic French accents and eye-rolling waiters. Which is when many head out to a pair of stellar Quebecois golf destinations beyond the walls of these antique cities. Eighty-five miles from Montreal (400 from Boston and New York) lies the four-season resort of Mont Tremblant in the Laurentian Mountains. Tremblant boasts a year-round Euro ski village with 100 boutiques, restaurants and a variety of lodgings, but down the road a few minutes awaits a more intriguing option: Le Grand Lodge. Boasting 275 feet of private beach on Lake Ouimet and giant red cedar log architecture, this four-star cabin features 112 suites with private balconies, many overlooking the water. Inside, a double-sided 32-foot-high stone fireplace provides the ideal locale for sipping single malt in a leather chair at Le Whiskey Bar, or dining at Chez Borivage on the other side of the flames. The resort also offers such requisite treats as spa, fitness center and a dogsled in the dining room. A pair of cutely named golf courses unfurl at Golf Tremblant, a short cart ride from Le Grand Lodge. The Devil and The Giant are more than the names of characters in a scary children’s book. The Giant, designed by Thomas McBroom, is diminutive in comparison — 6,836 yards sculpted into a mountainside. That “Fee, fie, fo, fum” you hear may be the roar of either of two lakes or any of 52 bunkers. Elevated tees rated like ski runs from double black diamond to green circle offer tremendous lake views. The back nine opens with particular aplomb with a 406-yard par 4 named Flying Mile that plays along rocky plateaus to a green guarded by a lone bunker. It’s followed by par 3 Mystique, prettied up with a trio of bunkers languidly tempting from beside the green. The course entertained a few PGA Tour giants when it hosted the Skins Game in 1998. Around the corner from Le Grand Lodge, the 100-year-old Gray Rocks Hotel was Canada’s first inn. It’s still an atmospheric, luxurious hostelry, and not just because its two golf courses — The Beauty and The Beast — offer a fairy-tale combo. The Beauty, built 80 years ago, is scenic, relaxed and forgiving (unlike many beauties we know). It stretches 6,270 yards through lush valleys and hardwood forests. Wide fairways, open green entrances and modest bunkering make for an attractive walk. The sixth is one of the most beauteous here: 570 yards where tee shots must cross a deep, forested ravine without passing through the fairway into other trees beyond. The second shot may need to avoid a lone tree in mid-fairway of this double dogleg. The Beast, Gray Rocks’ championship layout, was designed by Graham Cooke, who crafted a 6,825-yard streamlined track that plays across elevated plateaus proffering mountain and Devil River views. Blind tee shots, huge waste areas, beastly elevation changes and tough lies characterize this particular monster. Interesting holes begin at No. 2, a 430-yard thrill ride that plunges several times between hanging platforms that eventually tumble to the water. Hit 180 to 200 yards off the tee to leave a long iron down to the receptive bowl of a green. On the back side, the 585-yard No. 13 requests a drive between lakes followed by second and third shots that thread water and sand. No. 14 plays to an island green formed by an oxbow lake that was once a bend in the river. The greens here will soothe even the most beastly putters: they generally have one subtle feature and roll true. The absolute antidote to corporate-style U.S. golf is Royal Laurentien Golf Course, a short drive from Gray Rocks and Le Grande Lodge. This homemade track designed and built by owner Gabriel Manard presents meticulously crafted and walkable golf art set amid lakes, streams, woods and waterfalls. It’s as good as most layouts designed by big-name architects, while exuding an intimate feel. The course has been ranked 65th best layout in Canada. Particularly stunning in fall, Royal Laurentien began as one green (now the 17th) devised by Manard for practicing his short game. After collecting 300 photos of golf courses he liked, and being prodded by family, he commissioned an aerial photo of his land and routed the course right on it. Two other courses fill out the golf menu in the Tremblant region. Le Manitou presents a 3,355-yard, par-58 championship short course designed by Darrel Huxham. Holes were inspired by places such as Ballybunion and Pinehurst. Guests of Le Grand Lodge can also test the private ClubLink Le Maitre Course, designed by Fred Couples. If Montreal is Quebec’s Paris, then Quebec City is the province’s Provence. Once you’ve walked the leafy streets and enjoyed a meal (or an overnight) in the historic Le Frontenac, head toward Le Malbaie in the Charlevoix region, 90 minutes away. On a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River stands the Fairmont Manoir Richelieu, which has attracted guests for more than a century. Originally built to cater to luxury steamship passengers, the first hotel burned down and was rebuilt out of stone in 1929. Rated as Canada’s golf resort of the year, the Manoir has 405 rooms, three restaurants, spa, casino, formal gardens, extensive wine cellar, art collection and the old-world feeling of comfort in the wilderness. The original golf course was designed by Herbert Strong and inaugurated by U.S. President Taft in 1925, but recently underwent a complete renovation by Darrell Huxham, who also created nine new holes. The course provides tremendous river views from virtually every hole and from the entire one-mile path from the hotel to Cardinal Point, where the clubhouse offers 720-degree views — which is to say you’ll look at the 360-degree views at least twice. Rock outcroppings, great angles, extensive mounding, greens encircled by trees and occasional blind tee shots characterize the golf holes. The river strongly influences the occasionally hilarious but often annoyingly impossible greens. The Saint Laurent nine opens with one of the most spectacular views in golf — from a tee box towering above a fairway far below and studded with bunkers, and the St. Lawrence River curling widely in the distance. No. 2, a short par 3 with the river beyond, seems to drop off into infinity. Holes 2, 4 and 6 are all terrific 3-pars of various distances that call for different types of shots. In fact, the variety of approaches required by the Manoir’s holes is one of its greatest treats. No. 5 is perhaps the best par 3 on property — 165 yards with a steep rock canyon and the river to the left, and an upslope to an amphitheater green protected by four bunkers angling from short right to back left. Beware the 295-yard No. 7 hole, where a local fox has been known to run up to golfers and actually grab their putters —which in some cases could represent a merciful intervention. The Tadoussac nine begins with a mid-length par 3 before presenting one of the toughest holes on the course — with bunkers in mid-fairway and one of the worst greens ever built. Has anyone mentioned that the putting surfaces slope hard toward the river? The lovely No. 3 hole is a tree-encapsulated oasis, whereas No. 4 requires a blind shot over mounds to a green 323 yards away. Visitors to Manoir Richelieu should also consider playing a quick round at the 4,933-yard Murray Bay Golf Course nearby. Founded in 1876, it’s the second oldest in Canada. FG Quebec: The Golf reader comments
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Water (no) HazardOct-Nov 2006
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