Address:  1217 North Muldrew Lake Rd, Gravenhurst ON – Map this

About Muskoka Bay Resort: Stunning accommodation, exceptional dining, out-of-this-world golf. Framed by incredible views and unspoiled wilderness, Muskoka Bay Resort combines rustic luxury with an exclusive guest experience only 90 minutes from Toronto. Recharge by the infinity pool, dine exquisitely and play a life-changing round at Ontario’s most distinguished championship golf course. The resort’s premium accommodations range from Hotel Suites, 1&2 Bedroom Lofts, and 3&4 Bedroom Villas. blending comfort and luxury effortlessly.

Dining Options at Resort: Click here to view
Please note, reservations may be required for dinner at some of the on-site restaurants. Click the link above to see menus, hours, and to make a reservation.

Recreation: Click here to view
Many recreation opportunities to enjoy, with many activities included in your resort stay.

The top ranked public golf course in Ontario, and from your very first shot on the dramatic 1st hole, it is easy to see why.

There are two words that best describe Muskoka Bay … Sheer brilliance. Doug Carrick, one of Canada’s most prolific architects, has skillfully crafted a championship course characterized by breathtaking elevation shifts, dramatic granite cliffs and outcroppings of the Canadian Shield, deep wooded valleys, scenic wetlands, undulating fairways, and immaculate greens.

Hole 1 gives a great indication of what is to come with your round. An elevated tee shot with the Clubhouse perched high above one of the property’s dramatic cliffs, you are in for a day full of spell-binding beauty.

There are numerous holes that will leave you speechless at Muskoka Bay, but likely none more than Hole 9. The Narrows rock formations protecting the green are likely unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed on a golf course.

Hole 4 is also a stunner. From the elevated tee the entire hole is right in front of you, giving the golfer a dramatic, picturesque scene that epitomizes golf in Muskoka.

Be prepared, the last 4 holes might be the toughest finishing stretch in Canada.

The course has racked up numerous awards, including #10 golf course in Canada (Golf Digest, 2022), #74 on GOLF.com list of Top 100 Courses you can play in the World (2022), and most recently #7 public golf course in Canada by (SCOREGolf, 2023).

Keeping with the rugged theme synonymous with Muskoka golf, Taboo delivers all of the beauty of Muskoka into this Ron Garl design. 

Garl, an accomplished and award-winning international architect, incorporated the natural surroundings of the Canadian Shield, as well as environmentally sensitive natural areas into his design. This minimalist approach with detailed attention to the environment rings true through his design. In an age where moving 500,000 cubic metres of earthworks is commonplace in the design of a new modern course, Taboo’s total volume of earthworks came to only 80,000 cubic metres of earth and 15,000 cubic metres of rock blasting.

Garl was also wise to incorporate wider fairways to encourage playability. The result is a test of golf that is beautiful, natural challenging, and timeless.

The stretch of holes from the par-5 fourth to the par-3 seventh stand-out as one of the great stretches of golf in Muskoka, while the front and back both have dramatic par 3’s (3 and 11) that incorporate prominent waste bunkers that you can never be too careful with. Hole 10 features a great elevated tee shot, while Hole 12 is enjoyable from tee to green with the entire hole placed in front of you. Hole 18 is a great closer, a par-5 that sits behind a massive rock shelf. In a golf course full of dramatic and daring design, this is a great finale.

Interestingly enough, when the course broke onto the scene in 2002, they had partnered with Canadian great Mike Weir and the course at the time was acclaimed as the “Home Course of Mike Weir.” The timing was perfect considering Mike won the green jacket in 2003. The course and the pro are no longer affiliated, but it certainly is an interesting tidbit and one that is often remembered by golfers looking to tee it up at Taboo.

The course has been met with tons of accolades and awards over the years, most recently ranked #33 public course in Canada by SCOREGolf, 2023.

About Rocky Crest: Perched along the rocky outcrops of the Canadian Shield, Rocky Crest Golf Resort is located on beautiful Lake Joseph in Muskoka. Boasting comfortable and affordable suites, as well as luxurious villa, cabin, and cottages, Rocky Crest is the perfect spot for golf groups to unwind and have a little fun. Far from pretentious, Rocky Crest has a laid back vibe, lots of activities to enjoy, 3 great restaurants to dine at, and of course, on of the best golf courses in Canada on-site. 

Dining Options at Resort: Click here to view
Please note, reservations may be required for dinner at some of the on-site restaurants. Click the link above to see menus, hours, and to make a reservation.

Recreation: Click here to view
Many recreation opportunities to enjoy, many activities included in your resort stay.

Designed by one of the best modern era golf course architects Thomas McBroom, Rocky Crest Golf Course set the golf world ablaze when it debuted in 2000. With Rocky Crest, McBroom perfected the robust technique of using exposed Canadian Shield granite as a strategic hazard as well as to add character, a technique that is now synonymous with golf courses in Muskoka.

McBroom is a smart architect, designing a golf course that is visually stunning with tremendous routing through landscape and topography that you truly won’t find elsewhere. “Play the land as it lies” is a core philosophy McBroom implements into his designs.  But he also makes the course playable, with generous landing areas off the tee at Rocky Crest. From McBroom’s firm, “The mission always is to create 18 beautiful, dramatic, playable holes.”

Rocky Crest is a great test of golf, in a surreal, stunning natural environment. Cut out of the true wilderness, the course is characterized by dense forests and the rugged Canadian Shield. Rugged to its namesake, the course is a great blend of gentle and subtle routing (play the land as it lies), but has no shortage of flair, delivering dramatic, heroic and memorable golf holes.

There are a number of signature holes at Rocky Crest. Many holes are so memorable they will be etched into your mind forever. From the inviting 1st hole that sets the tone of what to expect, to coming in on the 18th with the grandeur Log Cabin Clubhouse (one of the nicest clubhouses you’ll find) as your backdrop, you will be amazed around every corner.

Hole #6: All of the par 5’s at Rocky Crest are exceptional. But none more so than Hole 6.  Golfers need to carry their drive over a tremendous canyon of exposed granite rock wall that reminds you just how special the property is. The landing area is deceptively generous.

Hole #8: A spectacular par-3. A large green well protected with bunkers short and a steep drop off the left side, anything but short on this one-shot hole is critical to score. 

Hole #12: One of those holes where the entire play is directly in front of you, you will appreciate the beauty and thoughtfulness of the design from the elevated tee deck.

Hole #16, #17 and #18: There is a case to be made that hole #18 is the signature hole on the course, playing into the dramatic Clubhouse. But really the last 3 holes are so interesting and different that this is a signature stretch to finish your round. Par-4 / Par-3 / Par-5, this is a great test of golf. 

The course has had no shortage of accolades since it turned the golf world on its head when it debuted in 2000. Named the third best course of the modern era in Canada (Golfweek), and most recently ranked #13 on SCOREGolf’s Top 59 Public Courses in Canada (2023)

Seguin Valley might just have some of the most interesting topography of all the Muskoka courses. Interestingly enough, the golf course is only a stones’ throw away from civilization, but getting out on the 2,000 acre property feels as remote as it gets.

Don’t be fooled by the yardage in the scorecard, 6,800 yards from the tips. The course plays longer, and even consider moving up a tee or blending tees to ensure maximum enjoyment. You really need to hit your approach shots to yardage, this course doesn’t allow you to roll  your shots into the green.

Back to the 2,000 acre property, it is very evident that the designer intended to incorporate the most dramatic elements of the property into the design. Cart only (no walking), there can be some significant distances between holes as the course searches for the next “jaw-dropping” piece of land to bring you to. The result is 18 truly unique, memorable, signature holes. 18 times you will step up onto the tee, take in the entire hole laid out before you, and smile in appreciation for something you have likely never come across in your golf adventures. It is a surreal experience.

There are a lot of holes on the course that will leave you in awe, but the undisputed signature hole is Hole #7. An all-carry tee shot across a large lake to a green on the other side, this hole can turn the tides of a round. Make sure you have enough club to carry the water.

Hole #15 is a standout as well. A short par 4, the lay of the land really impressed on this hole. Definitely a scoring hole if played correctly.

Seguin Valley has pushed its way into the rankings over the last few years. After being snubbed for the first decade of its existence, enough word has gotten around of this hidden gem in the Canadian wilderness that the course is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Recently ranked #43 on SCOREGolf’s Top 59 Public Courses in Canada (2021)

Another of Thomas McBroom’s Muskoka standouts, the Ridge at Manitou is in contention as one of his best Muskoka designs.

Out and back designs are a rarity, and a rarity to do well, but the Ridge shines here. Taking you into the vast wilderness for 9 holes, before ‘bringing it home’ with the back 9, McBroom masterfully routes 18 holes over 300 acres of meadowland, rocky outcrops, dense forests, wetlands, elevation changes, you name it. McBroom shows his brilliance again at Ridge, incorporating the beauty of the land into the design, but not making it a distraction. True to his design philosophy, “Play the land as it lies.”

The course has some great par-3 holes, often an indication of how exceptional a golf design truly is. Each of the five par-3 holes is different, from demanded carries over wetlands to precision shots to raised greens, each will excite you in its design and surprise you in its beauty. And no easy gimmy wedge shots either, each par-3 demands a longer club.

On the front nine, Hole#2 is a neat one. An elevated tee shot, dogleg right to an elevated green. There is definitely risk / reward for long hitters who want to take a shot at the green off the tee, 306 yards from the tips.

The signature hole is definitely Hole #18, perhaps one of the best finishing holes of golf in Canada. Potentially a scoring hole as well, this relatively short, downhill par-5 has a stunning view of the lake in the background as you bring it home with your second or third (or fifth or sixth) shot.

Interesting to note, the course hasn’t always been a great success business-wise. Initially opened as a private club, it was unable to get the necessary membership to make a business case. Opened to the public in 2009, the Ridge operated at low tee sheet utilization for a decade, largely due to its remote location. GolfNorth came in 2020 to operate, and may have even saved this gem from closing altogether. Fast forward to 2023, and new ownership and management have taken over, condition improvements are high on their priority, but so to is bringing the course private in future years. For those that appreciate a stellar golf course, get a round in at this must-play before the course becomes private.

A mainstay on all of the golf course rankings, Ridge at Manitou recently ranked #29 on SCOREGolf’s Top 59 Public Courses in Canada (2023)