Shoal Lake’s Lakeside layout is a gem

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/08/2022 (1132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Along the Manitoba section of the Yellowhead Highway, you will find a number of Manitoba towns with fantastic golf courses. Many of these courses feature terrain that many Winnipegers would not be used to — such as hills.

However, if you’re not looking for any extreme elevation changes, there’s a great spot along Highway 16 that keeps the elevation changes small, and has photogenic, beach-side fairways. Plan a stop in Shoal Lake and hit the links at Lakeside Golf Club.

This course is also a part of a nicely serviced campground. If you have your own golf cart, this may very well be a place to spend a couple of days. Road tripping with your boat? Feel free to moor up to the golf course’s dock during your round, then head out back on the waters of Shoal Lake to your rental cottage or special fishing spot. The clubhouse has full restaurant facilities, and the town itself offers many choices for dining and shopping.

The club’s first hole is an inviting par 4, and you tee off towards the west onto a fairway that starts wide but narrows around the green with a significant tree line. Hole 2 is a reverse; you tee off in a narrow bush line but the hole opens up towards the green. Hole 3 goes west and is another par 4. However, a large water trap, dead centre of the fairway, tests your ability to hit a decent drive. It you’re too short, your ball’s getting wet. While playing these three initial holes, look for some of the decorative benches and stonework.

Next is hole No. 4, a par 5. From the back tees it runs 600 yards and doglegs left. I have played Lakeside a couple of times now, and this hole seems to have my number. It isn’t that different from any other long dogleg in the province, but this one is personally intimidating. After the bend, it narrows towards the green. As you play the hole, you can see where sand traps used to exist, and I’m happy they have been removed from play.

Hole 5 is a nice par 3. On the green here, look east, and you begin to see some of the many beautiful lakeside scenes. Hole 6 heads west again, away from the lake and towards the campground. The fairway is wide, and there are not too many hazards to fret about.

Hole 7 is quite interesting. It’s a par 5, but doesn’t seem to intimidate as much as the aforementioned four. You start off on a nice, wide fairway, but you need to play to the left to start, as there is a large jut-out of bush, mid-fairway on the right. After you round the bend, you then need to play right, because of a bluff that juts out from the left just before the green. The reward? A green along the lake’s edge. The next hole is a par 4, and plays along the beautiful shoreline. The fairway goes slightly uphill, and the slope is higher on the right than left. I would recommend playing to the left if you can.

The real treat is the final hole. It is a short par 3 that plays downhill towards the lake shore. Take it all in, but remember to club up, as the green is downhill. Overshoot on this one and the lake takes your ball. Once complete, you again circle to the clubhouse that has an outdoor deck, offering you one more chance to look at the vistas.

Lakeside has a decent number of golf carts, but one can easily walk it. There are elevation changes but nothing sudden or taxing. It’s well worth the visit, and green fees are quite reasonable. If you need more information, visit lakesidegolfclubandcampground.com/golf.html