Royal Stouffville Golf Course Review

Name: Royal Stouffville Golf Course - Championship Course
Location: Stouffville, Ontario (~45 min north of Toronto)
Type: Public with membership options
Holes: 18 (27 including executive par 3 course)
Length and Par: 5250-6625 yards / 72
Tees: (Shortest to Longest): Red, Gold, White, Blue
Website: https://www.royalstouffville.com/

Conveniently located just north of Toronto on Hwy. 48, the Royal Stouffville Golf Course offers great Toronto golf with an 18-hole Championship Course and a 9-hole Executive Course. The 18-hole course measures 6625 yards from the back tees and is a challenge for all skill levels.  It has gently rolling fairways, strategically bunkered greens and an assortment of woods and water to test your accuracy. The friendly staff at Royal Stouffville Golf Course look forward to seeing you soon!
https://www.royalstouffville.com/


Course Layout:
Pace of Play:
Staff:
Value:
Course Conditions:

Price:
Difficulty:

Overall Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Last year, Maples of Ballantrae Golf Club came under new ownership, resulting in a change of name to Royal Stouffville Golf Course. Seeing as we have previously reviewed the course, this gave us a unique opportunity to determine what exactly has changed under the new ownership.

Royal Stouffville is a scenic golf course designed to challenge golfers of all skill levels. Situated in Stouffvile (part of an area which I consider the golf capital of Ontario), the course tags itself as a full service golf facility; one that I found deceiving at first (in a good way). When you pull into the course and see the small (newly-renovated) clubhouse, you don't think you're at a course with full clubhouse facilities (including good food and dining areas), lounge areas, an outdoor patio overlooking the course, a driving range (albeit for lessons only), putting and chipping greens, or a fully stocked proshop. But it has all that and, in fact, the small cottage-like clubhouse gives off a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. The staff are also friendly and easy-going, even during busy times; all which give off great vibes even before you set foot on the course. New ownership has also brought in Stephan Kerr as Head Pro, longtime Assistant Pro at Nobleton Lakes Golf Club.

The course is best described as a parkland style course that's open yet tight in places, with water in play on many of the holes (in the form of different sized ponds). It's one of the more scenic courses I've played and one that uses trees and shrubbery for both visual purposes and toughness. Tee shots are usually required to be tight and straight on many of the tree-lined holes and natural areas/fescue ensure that any errantness must be avoided; accuracy is key on this course. The ponds and bunkers are also strategically placed in such a way that they must always be considered when hitting your tee shot, approach shot, etc. Elevation changes are also prominent on a few holes. Given all this though, the course doesn't play too tough and of course the tees you play from directly affect how much of trees, ponds, bunkers, etc. come into play on each hole.

Royal Stouffville Golf Course

The layout of the course as a whole is okay but due to the fact that many of the holes run side by side, you do get the feeling that a bad tee shot could end up on another hole's fairway. The holes remain separate from one another though, due to the trees that line each fairway, and are all very scenic (definitely worth putting down the club to take a picture or two) and individually well planned out. Houses do run along a few of the holes; a thought which always seems to creep into your mind when teeing off on these holes. It's also worth noting that unlike traditional parkland courses, the front nine does not end at the clubhouse and likewise the back nine doesn't start at the club house. In fact, at this course, the front nine ends and back nine starts in the middle of the course (as if it were one big course).

A few holes of note are #7, a par 5 set in a valley (be sure to take a look behind the tee boxes (across the street) for some scenic views). #10, a downhill par 3 over water where you tee off from a tree covered clearing in the trees (one of the most scenic par 3's I've ever played), and #17, a tree-lined par 4 that cuts through a forest, with a large lake behind the green.

The conditions of the course tend to be in great shape too. I played this course last after some rain and found that it dried up relatively fast (i.e. no puddles or soggy fairways). However, I did find that the grass on the tee boxes was slightly longer than usual, although this is most likely a single time issue. Pace of play is less of an issue now, I found, with a typical round taking just under 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Pricing has also gone down slightly as a result of the new ownership. 18 holes on a weekday will cost about $70 with a cart, with prices decreasing to $60 after 3PM and $45 after 4:30PM respectively. On the weekend, prices only increase by $5 for each time slot (excluding taxes). Specials offers and discounts are also available both online and via the course's e-club.

Final Thoughts:

Royal Stouffville is a scenic golf course meant to test golfers of all skill levels, while still playing reasonable. This, in addition to the cozy clubhouse atmosphere and  friendly staff, make this course a favourite of mine; one that I make an effort to play at least once a year. I would highly recommend this course to all golfers, especially those who want some nice views to go along with some great golf holes.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews



Have you played Royal Stouffville? How did it compare to Maples of Ballantrae? Let us know in the comments below!