First things first - there is nothing 'savannah' or 'links' about this course. I don't know where the name came from but other than being catchy it has nothing to do with the way that it plays. Overall the course was in excellent condition and had some interesting holes. The fact is that the course is a little short - only 6,213 yards from the tips (whites are 5,463 yards) - par 71. This leads to a number of par 4 holes that are rather short. The layout forces you to put your course management skills to the test - I failed.

At CDN$46 (power cart at $15 is recommended) for 18 holes it's a steal - the only problem is that the location is a bit of a hike from Toronto or the GTA.

While the course is not long, you can get into trouble fairly easily. In fact, in contrast to most other courses where trouble is dealt with and the round moves on, trouble at Savannah Golf Links seems to get worse and worse. I seldom had a flat lie unless I was in the middle of a fairway, fescue and brush seem to gobble up drives off the tee unless flirting closely with the fairway and any time the I was off the fairway and able to find my ball I always had overhanging branches or thick tree trunks to deal with. The bottom line is that 'trouble' at this course is going to cost you at least a stroke and two or three if you are not extremely humble about your predicament.

The scenery is excellent. There is never a house, building or man-made structure in view (other than the clubhouse) and the terrain is pleasing to the eye. Large mature trees surround the course and present shier own challenges on most holes. Cart paths are not paved but this does not take away from the 'look' of the course. Cart signs are very good around all the greens and do an excellent job keeping carts away from the greens to the point that the grass in front of the green is among the best we have ever seen. The course is a member of the Natural Conservancy of Canada and as such there are numerous naturalized areas that you are encouraged to stay out/off of. This, unfortunately is difficult as golf balls seem to be inherently drawn to these same areas. The chances of finding a ball in any of the fescue/brush is slim. There were noticeably more chipmunks on the course than I have seen in total during my 34 years.

The fourth hole is somewhat unfair and really needs to be changed. It is the shortest par 4 on the course at 307 yards from the tips (254 yards from the whites). The problem is the drive is somewhat blind as you are hitting to a landing area about 180 yards from the tee that is extremely small and even if you hit it the chances of getting a flat lie are very low. The hole then doglegs right at 90 degrees to a green that is at least 20 yards lower than the landing area. The complaint is that there are no yardage markers that we could find anywhere in the landing area to assist with club selection on our approach shots.

Best Hole: 15
Why: This short par four presents a difficult decision on the tee as many big hitters will try for the green from the elevated tee (316 from golds, 278 from whites). Unfortunately the green is well protected by water at the front left and sand on the front right. The entry to the green is extremely narrow. A higher percentage shot is to play a mid iron off the tee along the right side of the fairway and let it feed down the slope to just in front of the water. The large green has a significant crest across the middle (left to right) so be sure to club appropriately into the green as a poor choice will likely cost you an extra putt.