Grateful for the round at Gretna

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/06/2025 (417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am always looking for an excuse to go south. Lately however, I’ve not been very motivated, at all, to head towards the 49th parallel. Then I remembered that last year I found a cute little course that was steps away from the longest unguarded border in the world. I also recall their collaboration with another course just down the road heading west along the border.

Checking to see if my memory is still somewhat intact, I headed to Gretna to see if the course was there, and it seems my memory isn’t faded completely. During my quest I found a sign that said… Oakview Golf & Country Club. It is located just north of the actual town and the only way to the clubhouse is from Highway 30. A GPS map might suggest going north up 7th Street. Don’t trust that; you will end up at a crude oil plant.

A few seasons ago I enjoyed another golf course with oak in its name, and teased the place a little, as it featured very few, if any, oaks. Here, the name is apropos. Trees are plentiful here, as are the variety of species, but oaks do play their part. Most are very old growth, even the strategically planted ones – which makes sense when you consider that the course was established in 1953.

Elevation changes won’t cause too many issues here, but if your ball likes to pretend it’s an extra on Sea Hunt, you’re in trouble, as Oakview features many water hazards. Hole 1 even has two; one lateral on the left and a large pond off to the right. The pond’s location is troublesome for average distance right hand hitters. Splitting the difference between the waters here will make for a drier round. It is listed as a par 5, but I was able to make the green in two. Hole 2 also has water, this time crossing through the fairway, then backing the green off to the left. The green is a tough hit, as the fairway narrows towards the green, and there are hazards are around it. Between the water and the green from 7 to 11 o’clock is a very troublesome deep sand trap, shaped like the inside of a canoe. Things finally open up a bit on the par 5 third hole but keep left – the farmer’s field on the right is out of bounds. There is a lone cottonwood two-thirds of the way down the fairway here. Its placement wasn’t a problem during my game, but its white seeds certainly were. Switch to a coloured ball on this hole.

Narrow describes No. 4. The fairway, the green, the chances of making par, all are very narrow on this hole. The green runs deep and is in the middle of a fortress of oak trees. The next hole is somewhat of a zig zag, and that refers to both the tee box junction with No. 3 and the fairway layout. You need to shoot left, as it is so very easy to bush it on the right. But you can’t go too far, because around 150 yards before the green, the fairway takes a very sudden dogleg right. This is a tough hole to figure out what distances you want to play to make par. After that hole, No. 6 is a nice, easy delight. Seven is also a link that almost suggests the course is trying to make peace with you. But that feeling doesn’t last long.

Up until No. 8 there isn’t a single par 3. Oakview has two of them, both on the last leg of the course, and both are tough. The first is around 200 yards long and, just in case you were wanting to over-drive it just to make sure it gets there, I need to point out that the water hazard returns and tightly backs all the eighth green. The tee shot must be accurate because, just before the green, trees from both sides jut into the fairway to an opening just a little wider than the green. Once you make the green, you are challenged yet again by a two-tier putting surface.

The last hole is visually stunning. Usually, I find it a challenge to pick a signature hole on each course I visit, but No. 9 has to be my pick here without contest. From the tee box to the water wall to the fountain, there is very little to criticize here – save, perhaps, the difficulty level. You need to place your 150-yard drive right on the green. You can’t undershoot, or you’re wet. You can’t overshoot, because the folks teeing off on 3 and 5 will have words for you. Left and right? Not recommended.

Oakview’s clubhouse offers a full Ukrainian restaurant. It has about 24 tables inside, a half-dozen on the west patio, and three more on the east patio. They have a fleet of electric cart rentals, and a modest pro shop. Visit oakviewgolf.ca to arrange your round.