Toronto (Colt) - Ontario - Canada

Dating from 1876 Toronto Golf Club is the 3rd oldest golf club in North America. The original course was being engulfed by suburbia, so in 1909 the club purchased new land in Mississauga, and employed renowned English architect Harry Colt to design a new course. Colt was the secretary at Sunningdale, and went on to design many of the world's great courses- so it was a good choice.

In some ways the land at Mississauga resembles his home course at Sunningdale, and Colt has fashioned a timeless heathland type course which is one of Canada's finest.

Three Canadian Opens were held here before 1927, but it dropped off the rota as the professionals overpowered the course. Nevertheless, Toronto GC had a significant impact on Canadian golf- Stanley Thompson grew up caddying at Toronto, and studying the course and went on to become the doyen of architects in Canada.

In recent years Martin Hawtree was engaged to refurbish the course, and by all acccounts he has done an outstanding job, bringing the course back to the top echelon.

As a visitor, the experience at Toronto is as good as it gets. The old world feel of the club house and surrounds and superb service levels make you feel quite special. But it is the course that will bring you back, and I loved the experience.

Colt's routing makes the most of the natural terrain, and the natural undulations make for interesting, strategic golf. The front nine is more difficult to score, but the back nine can give you a chance to recover any indiscretions. I thought the stretch of holes from 9 to 13 quite outstanding.

Notable holes include:

- Hole 2- North- a beautifully bunkered, longish par 4 with green running away left to right, and strategically bunkered.

- Hole 6- Barn- a short par 4 with a large fairway bunker drawing the ball off the tee, and nicely bunkered green

- hole 7- Plateau- a dramatic long par 3 played diagonally over a large chasm

- hole 9- Valley- a very pretty par 5 through a valley

- hole 10- Pulpit- a classic Colt short par 4

- hole 11- Clubhouse- a demanding longer par 4 with an elevated green

- hole 18- Home- a short dogleg par 4 finishing in front of the clubhouse which requires an accurate tee shot to set up a closing birdie. It's a nice way to finish

Toronto Golf Club is a class act, and Martin Hawtree looks to have done a pretty neat restoration job. I thought his restoration at Lahinch was excellent, and Toronto proves that particular job was no fluke.

Peter Wood is the founder of The Travelling Golfer – click the link to read his full review.

Harry Colt visited Canada and gave us Toronto Golf Club. Being one of the oldest clubs in the world elevates the stature of this landmark, and with its recent renovation, I’m happy to report that TGC was a memorable day out. Any chance I get to see Colt’s kidney shaped bunkers and breath-taking cross bunkers is an opportunity I can’t turn down. Classic Colt in abundance and the smile returned to my face. The green complexes have survived well with time and the depth perception challenges make you think twice. The stretch of 10 through 17 will make any Colt fan find a way on this Canadian layout.

Yes Toronto is way too low. It's is almost as good as St George's which is ranked #1. This course has a superb variety of holes particularly the par 4s: a nice mix of greens sited on plateaus and at fairway level. The green contours are intricate and varied. The bunkers are well placed and the right scale, but they need to be scruffed up a bit: more natural appearance. One of Colt's Top 10 and Canada's first great course.

I am surprised that Toronto is not listed higher, I think it top 10 or 5 depending on your tastes. I can understand that it may not be as highly visited as other courses and course privacy must be respected. I think Toronto is extremely well-routed, has exceptional holes and especially sublime green complexes (my favorite is the 5th, one of my favorites anywhere). Toronto is a low-lying, subtle course with a very high level of overall quality, in some players' eyes perhaps suffering from a subtle rather than nearly-impossible final hole as is the current vogue in design. Discrepancies in tastes and what constitutes the "best" will lead to differing opinions, but one should never pass on Toronto Golf. Multiple types of terrain and looks are seen, angles come into play on nearly all play holes and strategies are often determined from the green backward depending on a particular pin placement.Personally it is my favorite of the top two you have listed + Toronto GC, but I have not played all of the top 10 listed in Canada, but surely it is of a quality deserving inclusion in the ten.