Bombing around Blumberg’s nine-holer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2022 (1510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hello, and welcome back to Out on the Back Nine, where we look at nine-hole golf courses around the province. This column hopes to inspire Winnipeggers to get out on some road trips to have nice walks on beautiful landscapes, only to, as Mark Twain suggested, have them spoiled by a game of golf.

It has been a slow start to the golf season here in Manitoba. A long, long winter and a wet, wet spring have challenged golf operations so far this spring. However, with last week’s warm temperatures, it seems we are making the turn into summer.

We will start off this season fairly close to home. One must warm up and tweak one’s game before venturing out too far into the wilds of Manitoba. Just south of the Trans-Canada Highway on the way to Headingley lies John Blumberg Golf Course. Many folks know there is an 18-hole course there, and the last five holes along the Assiniboine River are certainly worth playing. Many folks also know there is a full driving range and practice green at the facility, too.

However, a lesser-known fact is that the 18-hole layout surrounds another, nine-hole course, which is the subject of today’s article.

Compared to the other nine-hole offerings inside Winnipeg, this one plays more like Assiniboine Golf Course, in that there are par 4s and 5s. Courses like Crescentwood and Harbour View are par-3 courses. Blumberg’s offering has two par 5s, three par 4s, and the remaining par 3s add up to 34. Although this is not the toughest course around, it has enough personality to challenge any level of golfer.

Expecting a nice, gentle ease into a game of golf?

Well, you sort of get your wish, but not really. The first hole is open and flat (the easy part), but it is one of the par 5s (the hard part). If you haven’t got your long game sorted out yet, it may intimidate. The second hole is par 3 playing at 200 yards, but most of that is over water. Things don’t settle down for the beginner or “out of shape” golfer until the third hole — an easy, open par 3.

I would recommend you walk if you are able. I took a riding cart because the skies looked like rain when I played. I regretted my choice. Since I kept hitting my ball into the second and sometimes third cuts, my ride was very much like riding an army jeep on some bombed-out back road in a war zone. I did notice that the ride on the fairways was smooth and nice, so I guess I should just learn to hit straight. Another problem was ball colour. If you played a white ball, you’d lose it amongst all the seeding dandelions. If you played a yellow ball, you’d lose it amongst all the blooming dandelions. I played orange, and I am thankful I had a couple of those in the bag.

When you finish playing four, mind where you are.It would be very easy to start playing the 18-hole course as one of its tee boxes is close to the fourth green and one of its greens is also close by. The flags for the nine-hole track were yellow when I was playing. If you sink your putt on a blue-flagged hole, you are lost. If you do get lost, look for the “happy fellow” signs marking the yardage; these are the nine-hole tee-box indicators.

At the end of hole 6, the other par 5, you find that the green is fronted by water. You can’t see that from the middle of the fairway and it’s not indicated on the scorecard map, so watch your third shot here. Hole 7 is a short par 3, but the tee and the green are both elevated, and a gully with water cuts any fairway out of the picture. Hole 8 is a reasonable par 4, but there is a creek in the middle length-ways, and the bridge over that creek is right in the middle of the fairway. Again, neither of these is indicated on your scorecard map.

Hole 9 is, in my opinion, the signature hole of this nine-hole offering. Trees, a rare sight at Blumberg, line both sides of the fairway on this 170-yard par 3. Just before the hole, there is water traversing the link from side to side. To top it all off, the wide and shallow green has a severe slope… you guessed it… towards the water hazard. One saving grace for beginners is that there is a large mound behind the green. So, if you hit long, the hill should save you. If you hit short, well, I’m sure the ducks will find your ball someday.

They are in full swing at www.johnblumberggolf.com, but there are still some wet patches. I saw a mallard duck using part of a golf cart path as his swimming hole. If you’re venturing out there for a round after a good rain, I would call the course first to get their status.