BECOME A ‘FREED GOLF INSIDER’ AT MUSKOKA BAY, DEERHURST, VALLEY CLUB AT HORSESHOE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — Peter Freed tells me his Muskoka Bay Golf Course should be ranked “No. 1” in Canada.
He laughed Thursday afternoon when I asked him about its #24 score this month in the biannual Score golf magazine rankings of the top 100 courses.
Two years ago it was No. 22 — and as high as No. 9 in its nearly 20 years of operation.
Still, this makes Muskoka Bay the top, most accessible public/private course in Muskoka, just 10 spots behind Ovinbyrd in Foot’s Bay — which is much more exclusive and less accessible to most local golfers.
Other Muskoka courses ranked included: Bigwin #40, Rocky Crest #42, Port Carling #48, Muskoka Lakes #79 and Taboo #89.
At the unveiling of his “exclusive multi-property Membership Program” — with his two nearby clubs Deerhurst Highlands and The Valley Club at Horseshoe — the founder and CEO of Freed Corp. said: “We are thrilled to introduce Freed Golf as the ultimate membership program in Ontario.
Freed Golf “aims to redefine membership experiences in Ontario, offering unparalleled opportunities for golf enthusiasts.”
“We’re very excited about it,” he told me in an interview beforehand at an outdoor soirée for current and prospective members overlooking his signature course.
“We’re renovating Deerhurst and Horseshoe Valley (returning it to 18 holes from 12). A lot of things to be excited about. We have hundreds of members already, and we’re growing our membership. This is a big step for us.”
The three courses are either “semi private or public.
“And now they’re going to be private resort courses for certain months of the year. So access is going to become increasingly limited to (only) members.”
Freed said “I built this course in 2005 and opened it in 2006.” And he bought the other two courses “almost three years ago.
“In the last 10 years (Muskoka Bay) has really grown a lot. It continues to evolve.”
He said the joint Freed Golf venture will offer guests exclusive benefits and privileges in Gravenhurst, Huntsville and Barrie, including unlimited golf rounds, priority tee times, access to special events, and discounts on accommodations and dining.
He said he wasn’t sure if the Maple Leafs will be back next month as part of training camp where they golf and bond.
“They’ve been here many times and they’re always welcome back.”
For sure he will have one former Leaf with him at the course.
Along with Huntsville Olympic gold medal snowboarder Dara Howell, who was on hand last week, he’s brought in former Toronto Maple Leaf Darcy Tucker to be a second “brand ambassador.”
“I’m honoured to join the Freed team as an ambassador for their brand,” said Tucker, who will be at Thursday’s Deerhurst launch.
“Their commitment to providing guests with premium hospitality and resorts is unparalleled, all while showcasing their deep passion for a world-class golf experience.
“As an avid player myself, I’m excited to help inspire and connect golfers around the world, sharing the beauty of the game at some of the best courses in the world,” he said in a release.
Carrick and “huge” course changes next year
Among the more than 75 invited guests was Doug Carrick, the course designer who said its 18 holes “have held up really well” since he began designing it two decades ago. He said he hadn’t played it for a couple of years, but looks forward to another round soon.
He was enjoying a drink and chatting with long-time friend Chris Goodman, the golf superintendent at Muskoka Bay where he’s worked 20 years.
Carrick said he’s not involved in the Deerhurst or Horseshoe courses.
“It’d be nice if he was,” said Goodman.
Skyline cut Horseshoe back to 12 holes, and Freed wanted it returned to 18.
Carrick called it “a great property,” which Goodman agreed was “wonderful, but it needs a lot of treatment. Like it’s really closed in. It needs a ton of tree work to open it up. … We’re really happy with it.”
Goodman added he thought the club’s Score ranking this year was “pretty good,” topping five other great clubs in Muskoka and only being surpassed by Ovinbyrd, which is “very private.”
He said Muskoka Bay hasn’t “done a lot different” this year that would affect its position.
“We built a new tee on the 18th hole. Here and there we tweak it a little bit for playability for some of the beginners. Just to make it a little softer for them.”
But “a lot of new courses have come online as well. Other ones that haven’t been ranked in the past have started ranking. And there was a club that didn’t allow women play, but now they allow them and so they put them in. And there’s a lot of clubs out west in B.C. and whatnot. So it shuffles around.
“We’ve been as high as #9. So we shift around year to year. It depends on how many rankers get out, too.”
Asked about the rankers’ anonymity, Goodman said “they are listed in the magazine.”
He did say “a lot of it is sometimes how much you advertise with them to move up the leader board a little bit.
“It’s fun for some people to look at and for the average golfer.”
Goodman said his course doesn’t change much.
“We’ve built several new tees for playability. And it looks like we’re going to do a bunker renovation here next year, which will make a big impact on the aesthetics of the golf course. So that will be huge. It’s about a $2 million upgrade. So it’s fairly expensive and time-consuming. It’ll change the whole look of the place a long ways.”
He said “it’s like anything; you’ve got to change the shingles on your house every 20 years.
“It’s just one of those maintenance things you have to do. It’s expensive, but you have to do it to keep current.”
He said he doesn’t know if the Leafs are coming back.
“I heard they are. I don’t know. We get a lot of hockey guys here in the summer that cottage in the area.”
Goodman said, talking of the new membership program, that there had been kind of an informal sharing allowing players to play Freed’s three courses previously.
And while some Club Link courses have given over land to condo development, there remains lots of property in Gravenhurst (850 acres) to avoid that needing to happen. This as a second luxury resort hotel continues to build skyward at Muskoka Bay.
Freed also has 19 new lots opening east of the course with a half dozen homes underway.
Triple crown golf club portfolio
The establishment of the $200 million triple crown golf club portfolio is set across 2,000 acres of Ontario’s most picturesque landscapes and complemented by world-class amenities and programming, says a handout, which claims it to be the largest owner operator of hotel and resort communities in Canada, according to its president Corey Shepherd.
Tucker and Howell will play a pivotal role in embodying the values and spirit of Freed Golf, working with the brand to highlight the offerings of the properties and encourage families, couples, and individuals across the country to experience the unique combination of tranquility, leisure, and recreation each destination offers.
The launch was the first of two — including one Thursday at Deerhurst — to give current and prospective members a firsthand look at a Freed Golf membership.
For more information about Freed Golf go to https://freedgolf.com/
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