Semi-Private (June-August private, shoulder season public times available)
Doug Carrick (2001)
20th in Canada (SCOREGolf)
In the Muskoka area, golfers are blessed with an abundance of good golf options, and one near the top is Bigwin Island, a 2001 design from Canadian Doug Carrick. Part of the allure of a place like Bigwin Island is, as the name suggests, the island factor, where you take a boat to the golf course from the mainland. Pretty cool, and quite unique, as Canada has nothing like that.
Part of the allure also comes from the interesting history of the island, with Stanley Thompson originally building a golf course here and the club being a booming place back in the 20’s. But in 2001, Doug Carrick completely started from scratch and built his own 18 hole golf course.
The par 4, 1st sets the scale for the golf course’s theme: big, bold, and friendlyA beautiful mid-length par 3 down the hill, the 2nd feels like a fade is the proper shot shapeA lovely tee shot at the 550 or so yard par 5, 3rdThe short par 3, 4th is a lovely one shotter with a back right pin locationLooking back at the long, uphill par 4, 5th with a view of the Bigwin Island watch point
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The signature par 4, 6th plays severely downhill, taking off yardage from the 462 yardageA cool green complex with a collection area left carved into the hill, with a nice bunker right on the par 5, 7thA fairly standard mid-length par 4 at the 8thMy vote for the best hole on the course, the 408 yard par 4, 9th plays from an elevated teeThe short, uphill par 4, 10th’s tee shotA perched green complex on the long, 450 yard par 4 11th awaits playersPlaying similar to the 2nd, the 12th is a par 3 that calls for a fadeThe 13th starts an interesting golf holes. The 404 yard par 4 features a cool green complexThe par 4, 14th was one of my favorite holes, and a tough tee shot visually to decide where to hit the ballOn the short par 5, 15th, Doug Carrick flexes his bunker prowessThe longest par 4 on the course, the 472 yard 16th plays slightly uphillThe penultimate hole at Bigwin Island is a 204 yard par 3The 574 yard par 5, 18th is a fun risk-reward par 5. From an elevated tee with the lake to the right, this gives you a good chance at birdie
Doug Carrick designs good golf courses, and usually, they’re pretty. Bigwin is both, it’s not great, nor bad. It’s stunning and fun, and something that you could enjoy every day of the week. As you can see, it’s nothing crazy, and not too architecturally interesting, but the round is enjoyable and something worth a day trip from Toronto.
Have you played Bigwin? What are your thoughts? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!
Based in Toronto, but having lived in Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Arizona, and Texas, I have been lucky enough to see over 400 golf courses and counting!
