Oak Lake Golf Club will surprise you

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/08/2024 (763 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During my stay in western Manitoba this summer, I had to go to out to Elkhorn on the Trans-Canada Highway. On my way back on said highway, on a beautiful summer day, I came across a sign for golf. Well, you know that always catches my attention. Before long, I was driving through a cute little town serviced by both a busy rail line and Canada’s famous highway. One horse here, a post office there, and I happily ended up in the parking lot for Oak Lake Golf Club.

‘Humble’ is how I would describe the initial vibe of this offering. The clubhouse is small and simple, but it does offer a full dining room and kitchen menu. There is a varied fleet of golf carts, but they appeared to all be in decent shape. The score card is white with black ink, with no advertisements, and a simple vector line map of the course. Even moving up to the first tee does little to tarnish this first impression. Hole 1 is flat, open, and a par 3. The fairway grass was very healthy, but could have used a trim. The green was in excellent health, but it also needed a haircut and played very slow. At this point, I thought to myself this is a cute, simple little smalltown course designed to teach folks how to play the game and give folks something to do in the milder months.

All that came to a crashing halt when I came off green one and looked up – and I do mean up – at hole 2. Where did that hill come from? Look at all these trees! Hole 2 is a narrow fairway, all uphill, with thick namesake tree growth on either side. Adding to the challenge is the green location. At the very top of the fairway is a berm that immediately dips down to a flat area where the green is hiding. What happens if you overshoot the green? Your ball rolls down into a significantly deep ravine. The hole only 215 yards but it is marked as a par 4. File my preconceived notions under G. This is a golf course you have to take seriously!

Hole 3 has a green, but you can’t see it from the tee. What you can see is a sign that says the green is only 100 yards away, a deep ravine between you and where this supposed green should be, and monstrously tall oaks that hide the green from your view. Just take a shot, aiming south-southwest, and hope you didn’t undershoot or overshoot. Hole 4 is more uphill struggle, but the hike is less severe than at No. 2. Here, you’re going to struggle with the undulations of the fairway, as there are no less than four slope changes. It is a par 3, but the green is tucked up into a thick-bushed corner to the right. Hole 5 is also a par 3, but its fairway is high-ridged on the right and sloping severely down to the left. Overshoot this 150 yard par 3 and you’re in that ravine again. Fortunately for me, I was able to circle my score on this hole. I would just ask you to all the scores surrounded by squares on my card.

Hole 6 is an elevated tee overlooking a long par 4. You need to hit a long one here; the first 150 yards of this fairway are similar to a ripple chip but it does flatten out towards the green. Hole 7 is another par 4, but there’s only one oddly placed red pine to contend with. Coming home on 9 is a wide open, obstacle-free trek back to the clubhouse. The rail runs along 9, and when I was there a long freight train came thundering through.

If you want a spot to teach folks the game, or if you’re intent on walking the course, play holes 1, 7, 8, and 9 twice. Leave holes 2 to 6 alone. If you want to really see how good you truly are, come on out and play the whole thing. This beautiful, ‘humble’ course may have you eating humble pie.

Call (204) 855-2641 for tee times. You can also find it on Facebook, at facebook.com/oaklakegolfcourse