A New 9 at Saskatoon Golf Club
By Tom Lang
The already bustling Saskatoon Golf Club near Caledonia opened a new 9 holes in mid-June called the Silver Course that’s drawing more attention than the club thought it would.
That’s understandable, because it’s an excellent layout that adds new features on the property that already had four sets of 9-hole courses and is a popular home for league play that alone accounts for more than 1,300 golfers each week all summer. The Howard family has had to allow play only four days a week in the beginning to give the new and still tender grass on the Silver time to recuperate from the traffic.
The first hole is a very attractive par 4, with a sand trap left and a stand of trees sticking out from the right at a distance where many drives land. On the tee you can see the green trying to peek through those same trees, where all the lower branches are trimmed, and ground brush is gone for golfers to retrieve and hit balls out from trouble more easily.
The second hole is a blind tee shot starting the long par 5. The 4th and 5th holes are separated by several dozen tall White Pines framing both holes, providing a distinct “Up North” vibe. All the fairways have some variation of rolling terrain sure to provide some side-hill lies.
I would call the 6th the signature hole, a par 3 crossing back over the same creek golfers had to carry off No. 4 tee. The green on 6 is lower than the tee boxes and backs up to Hole 2 that sits high atop the hill separating each green, creating a bowl effect on No. 6. The 8th hole is a long downhill par 3, giving the course a par 35 overall.
Two tall, mature Maple trees really caught my eye. The first is near the right dogleg bend of hole 5, about 60 yards back from the middle of the green and almost middle of the fairway. The second Maple sits at the right front edge of No. 9 green. Both have all the limbs of the lower half trimmed off so golfers can go under the leaves canopy with their approach shots, but slightly off shots could smack right into the thick trunk. Yet like Lee Trevino likes to say, “aim right at the tree trunk and you’re sure to miss it.” That said, they are a little imposing, but will seem very cool come fall color changes.
The new Silver Course sits near the Gold Course (est. 1992) on the north side of the road that splits the property. They will be bundled as one 18 course and the current Blue and White Courses will be bundled as a second 18. The original Red Course will be used mostly for a stand-alone 9 that’s popular with the older crowd and beginners but can be added to any mix. A huge newer open-air pavilion can seat 200 people for outings and weddings.
More info at: https://www.saskatoongolf.com/
