| Find The Perfect Match At Brudenell River |
Page 1 of 2  Rodd Brudenell River Is Recommended By Golf Digest 'Places To Play' As, “Outstanding, Plan Your Next Vacation Around It.” - Photo Courtesy Rodd Brudenell River by Gayle Moss (www.golfgal.ca) They say that good things come in threes and when you visit Rodd Brudenell River, you’ll know exactly what that means. My husband and I recently wrapped up our Big Break PEI discovery trip at Brudenell and were delighted to stay and play at one of PEI’s finest golf vacation spots. Rodd Brudenell River offers its guests: 1. A beautiful 4-star resort with all the amenities you could want in a golf and beach facility. Recommended by Golf Digest, Places to Play as “Outstanding, plan your next vacation around it.”, and ranked as one of the top 6 Best Golf Resorts in Canada by Score Golf Magazine, Brudenell provides its guests with a wide variety of room options, including guestrooms, junior suites, large hospitality suites and cottages, plus great dining, Spa treatments, aquatic activities and, of course, exceptional golf. 2. The Brudenell River Golf Course Long recognized as the most popular golf course on the Island, this friendly par 72 course offers forgiving fairways, receptive greens and a unique 6-6-6 design (6 par 3’s, 6 par 4’s and 6 par 5’s). 3. Dundarave Golf Course Dundarave meanders around the outside of the Brudenell River Golf Course, providing beautiful views of the Brudenell River, while offering golfers the uncommon experience of having every hole isolated from every other hole on the course. You won’t find people beside you as you play, and wayward balls won’t pop in from parallel fairways (there are none). You’ll rarely hear FORE on this golf course as every hole stands alone. It also boasts close to 120 red sandstone bunkers (I think course architects Dr. Michael Hurzdan and Dana Fry shared at least one thing in common – sadism. Those traps are brutal!) We only had time to play one course on our trip and it was a tough call which one to choose. Both courses have so much to offer. Brudenell is probably a better choice for higher handicappers as it plays a tad easier, with a course rating of 72.6 and slope of 137.  Dundarave's 5th Hole Is Aptly Named 'Tranquility' - Photo Credit Gayle Moss We decided on Dundarave (hey, we’re always up for that extra bit of challenge – a perfect match for the nasty architects who flaunted sticky bunkers everywhere they could) and headed out with our hosts, Mark Derry, Golf Shop Supervisor, and Blair Smith, General Manager of Rodd Brudenell River Resort. The course was in excellent condition, even though the high season hadn’t quite started. Whatever winter damage had been done to these links was long gone. There were no excuses for a bad round, as hard as I might have tried to find one. We started behind a golfer in a kilt and knee socks, so I really thought I was on another continent and soon we were transported into one. Being alone on a course, with no interfering holes is a highly unique experience. It was a bit magical actually – quiet tranquility I haven’t experienced on any other course I’ve ever played. When you reach the 9th hole, you are a very long way from anything close to civilization. There were lots of great tips and tricks that Mark and Blair shared with us along our 4-hour golf journey, but here are four memorable holes which will give you a taste of what we experienced that day. Although we really enjoyed the first four holes of the course with rolling fairways that loved to serpentine left/right/left.., sneaky carries across washes and undulating greens, the 5th hole (called Tranquility) was where we stood up and realized that this course can be surprisingly “deceptive”. Frankly, IMHO there’s nothing tranquil about this hole or its protective bunkers surrounding the green. Message to golfer – Ignore your sense of distance and play this longer than you think.  Dundarave's 8th Hole Is Their Signature Hole - Photo Credit Gayle Moss Number 8 is considered Dundarave’s “signature hole”. What where they doing…signing in blood? Haha…just kidding. This is a great hole. First you get to carry a large tidal marsh off the tee on this 324-yard par 4 (from the whites). If you make it across, you might feel safe, but don’t get ahead of yourself. The architects love that. Now they’ve got ya! From this safety zone, it’s skinny minny all the way to the green (including the green) and you’ll be asking the golf gods to add target golf skills to your repertoire. And if you’re not into praying on golf courses, you might consider going long to avoid those right greenside bunkers at the front. NOT! There is nothing for you over the green but trouble. This is a shot maker’s hole and one we wished we could have played over again to get it right. Lots of fun – lots of frustration. AKA The perfect golf hole! And the view was pretty nice as well. ☺ |
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