OUT OF BOUNDS: Gilbert Plains a great challenge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/09/2016 (3534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GILBERT PLAINS — Southwestern Manitoba has one of the highest rates of golf courses per capita in Western Canada. The Shilo Country Club, Clear Lake Golf Course and Oak Island Golf Resort are among the tracks avid golfers in Westman frequent with regularity.

If you haven’t been out to play it, add the Gilbert Plains Country Club to your list.

Located 30 kilometres west of Dauphin, Gilbert Plains is nestled in a valley with a swarm of trees on the western edge of the town. The Valley River also weaves through the par-71 layout and comes into play on the first, second, ninth, 10th and 18th holes.

The back nine, which opened in 1997, is nearly 400 yards longer than the front side — from the tips — and is by far the more difficult of the two nines. If you think the course record is in jeopardy, you’re sadly mistaken.

Dale Murray fired a 10-under 61 on Aug. 5, 1997, which was before some of the holes were switched around. Ryan Horn’s 8-under 63 on Oct. 15, 2007, is the course record on the current layout of holes.

Sixty-one or 63, you might need that many golf balls to finish your round on the 6,396-yard course. Well, maybe not that many balls but accuracy is the most important element of your game if you’re to fire a solid score at Gilbert Plains.

Don’t be surprised if you’re forced to pitch out of the trees or layup on par 4s because of perfectly, or unfortunately-placed timber.

The dogleg right opening hole measures just 327 yards and along with the 13th is the shortest par 4 on the course. Playing far enough left off the tee — the river comes into play if you launch one too far to the right — will leave a view into the green and a solid opening birdie opportunity.

Conversely the 424-yard second is the longest par 4 that requires a strong tee shot to a wide fairway. Like No. 1, tee shots fanned right have the potential to end up in the river. Approach shots need to be mindful of finding the right part of the two-tiered green as uphill and downhill putts are tough on this green.

The third is another dogleg right that eclipses 400 yards. You’ll have to hit the ball far enough down this split fairway to have a look at the green. Shots into the green play slightly longer than the yardage notes so grab an extra club to reach.

An awkward tee shot at the par-3 fourth is next. Only 169 yards, this hole requires golfers to play over or left of a wide tree guarding the right side of the green.

Two solid birdie chances follow at five and six. The only worry at the 345-yard fifth is a quartet of trees in a staggered row about 90 yards from the green, while the 457-yard dogleg right sixth is the lone par 5 on the front side. Bunkers on either side of the fairway can thwart a run at the green in two but hitting the fairway will give golfers a green light to attack.

The 380-yard seventh might be the most perplexing hole at Gilbert Plains. A very slight dogleg right, this hole’s biggest defence is a massive tree smack in the middle of the fairway at about 130 yards. Its reach is wide and shots from 160 yards can cause havoc, so being left or right of it is key. You can’t even run the ball low under the tree as there’s a pond short of the green.

After the dogleg right par-4 eighth, No. 9 provides a great chance to make birdie. Only 125 yards, shots are hit across the river to a deep green. The back right pin is difficult.

The back nine begins with two tough holes. Drives at the 399-yard 10th are played across the river but don’t bite off more than you can chew, plus the green might be the biggest on the course and is guarded by a wide bunker in front. No. 11 sports a nearly 90-degree turn left from the middle of the fairway to the green. Taking two or even three clubs extra on approach shots for the 422-yard hole isn’t a bad idea.

A brief reprieve awaits at 12 and 13. Only 510 yards but playing across a large valley and towards the grain elevator in the background, the par-5 12th provides a good chance to recover a stroke or two lost at 10 and 11. The green at 13 is guarded by a bunker in front but is one of the easiest holes on the course.

And feel free to play from the 13th fairway while playing 12, and vice versa. It might just give you a better angle on shots into the green.

At 195 yards, the 14th hole is the longest par 3 at Gilbert Plains, although it plays sharply downhill to a wide green.

Between 11 and 15, the back side sports a couple of brutes but 15 might be the tougher of the two holes. Measuring 562 yards, getting home in two is almost impossible and not based on the yardage but because of the twisting nature of the hole as it doglegs left. Tee shots must not go into the pond left or the trees left, and lay-up shots must be hit short of the creek that runs through the fairway about 140 yards short of the green.

To top it all off, the green is quite slippery. Good luck!

Like 11, approach shots at the 396-yard 16th are played uphill to a green you can’t see. But the 174-yard 17th plays back downhill.

Tee shots on the dogleg left 18th hole must be hit far enough past the trees that overhang on the left side just to ensure a view of the green. Hugging the right side of the fairway also works but a drainage ditch that runs just beyond the fairway will gobble balls up. Golfers get a free drop from the ditch but should Gilbert Plains make it a hazard there’s no question the home hole would become its most difficult.

Oh yes, and approach shots are played back across Valley River.

Gilbert Plains isn’t among the longest courses in Westman but has its share of dangerous and scoreable holes. A true test for any golfer.

DIVOTS: Souris and Glenwood Community Golf Club is holding its annual Labour Day Classic on Sunday and Monday. The two-person scramble tournament costs $160 per team and includes a practise round on Saturday. To register, call the clubhouse at 204-483-2988 … Clear Lake is hosting its Senior Men’s Golf Tournament on Wednesday. The shotgun start begins at 11:30 a.m., and costs $50 for members and $75 for non-members. To register, call the pro shop at 204-848-4653.