Something for golfers of varying abilities

RICHVIEW GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

Oakville, Ont. -- There's something to be said about a golf course when the person in the pro shop is asked what the green fees are and, on answering $45, apologizes, explaining, "It's the weekend."

Or where the starter might encourage you take a mulligan off the first tee if it's not too busy, or where the club professional's office is a little desk in the corner of the pro shop right beside the couch and television, a nice place to pass a rain delay.

The Richview Golf and Country Club has these qualities, as well as an 18-hole layout that strikes a balance between reasonable, accessible golf for high-handicappers and testing, challenging golf for lower handicappers.

Chip in the fact that Richview is one of the more conveniently located courses -- it's two kilometres north of the Queen Elizabeth Way in Oakville -- and it's hard not to feel good about the place.

It has all the pieces that the ritzier clubs nearby boast, but they're not quite so polished. The main building is a big barn that houses the pro shop, the carts and the dressing room that has those old steel lockers that you had in high school.

Getting to the washroom requires a walk along a broad walkway in the barn, with the smell of gasoline from the cart garage hanging in the air. The place is function before form.

The barn is fitting as well, for, amazingly, given its location, the Richview is not an oasis of green surrounded by subdivisions, but just another track of green space surrounded by farmland.

The only hint that you're not a long way from the hustle and bustle of greater Toronto is the steady hum of traffic on nearby Highway 25, but that's only in play on the four or five holes closest to the busy road.

The first pair of holes at the Richview neatly reflect the friendly, course-down-the-street quality of the place.

The 383-yard par-four No. 1 wouldn't fall in the demanding category -- the fairway is wide and the green is largely undefended. It provides a nice chance to start with a par.

Similarly the second hole, a short par-five, 484 yards, which has two mild doglegs, lacks any hazards that make par some kind of abstract concept for players who don't hit the ball on a rope and stop it on a dime.

But let's not suggest that the Richview is a pushover. The first par three, the 141-yard third hole, is tough, with a small target that punishes shots missed to the left and long. Trying to chip close from either of these spots is made difficult because of a sloping green.

By then you settle into the place and its rhythm of straightforward, less than straightforward and kind of hard.

The par-three third also captures another characteristic of the course -- its par threes are all quite demanding. The third hole is the shortest, but the front nine includes two more par threes that measure 172 yards and 179 yards, respectively. The 15th is 214 yards, with the green nestled in the woods.

The Richview isn't extremely long by today's standards; it measures only 6,121 yards from the tips. But there is really only one gimme hole -- the 290-yard par-four fourth, a slight dogleg that's in reach for just about everyone.

The par-five eighth measures only 412 yards. Despite its length, it does stand up as a par five in that it demands a longish iron off the tee to avoid the creek on the right.

If there are eagle aspirations, a laser-like tee shot up the left side is necessary. But even if you take the safe route, an accurate second shot is needed to get around the dogleg.

It's important to get a par there if you can because the next hole, the 350-yard par-four ninth, requires a 180-yard carry with little bailout opportunity, which can translate into a double bogey in a hurry. Get through that, and all of a sudden you feel as though you're on a different golf course.

The 10th hole is a wide-open par five, but it takes three good swats to get there in regulation; and the 11th, 12th and 13th holes all twist through the woods on the back of the property before you come back to the more open front half with, it is hoped, a decent score still in reach.

Then when things may be looking a little bleak, back come the wide-open spaces. The Richview is like that: giving hope, taking a little back and then giving some more.

Where: Two kilometres north of the Queen Elizabeth Way on Bronte Road (Highway 25).

Statistics: 6,121 yards, par 70, with a rating of 69.3 and a slope of 115.

Head Professional: Bob Sneddon

Fees: $38 Monday to Thursday; $42 on Friday; $45 weekends and holidays; $28 every day after 3 p.m; $22 every day after 5 p.m. Carts cost $30 or $17 for a single rider.

Facilities: Driving range, putting green, club rentals, lockers, restaurant and banquet services.

The word: A course that alternates wide open, accessible golf with challenging, interesting holes. Worth a visit.

Contact: 905-827-1211