New course to figure out this week (the home of Canadian Golf) so we’ll start with a quick introduction with a few particulars and then get right into Ron’s preview.

• Location: Alton, Ontario, 48 miles northwest of Toronto.

• Established: 2001, designed by Doug Carrick; renovated in 2023 by Ian Andrew with PGA Tour consultation.

• Type: Parkland-style, wide fairways (avg. 37 yards), strategic bunkers, and large greens.

• Par: 70

• Length: 7,389 yards

• Field Size: 156 players

• Greens Surface: Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix.

• Rough/Length: Bluegrass, 3.75" long.

TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley

The North course will play as a par 70 at an official length of 7,389 yards. Among annual courses played on the PGA Tour, it would rank as the fifth-longest. Lengthening the course from its original size of 7,100 was one of the main goals of Andrew’s redesign.

Bookended by the only two par 5s on the course, the other 16 holes include six par-4s that measure 480+ yards, with five of them at 500+. There will also be changes to the normal routing this week as the par-5 eighth (for members) will play as the par-4 17th for the championship, with the usual par-4 17th playing as the par-4 eighth.

On certain days, there are potentially two drivable par-4s – the 6th and 12th. Both par 5s are easily reachable in two shots. The 581-yard par-5 18th hole, which saw a new tee box along with a short-grass runoff area in front of the green introduced as part of the renovation, will play as a dramatic risk-reward final hole.

Related to the abundance of long par-4s, Ian Andrew explains, “Reducing par was something I went in with the intention of doing. I do believe we’re better off closer to 70 than we are to 72. When identifying good players, you want them to hit some mid or long clubs into the greens and take on some risk to give themselves birdie chances. Part of that was making the tee-to-green game matter. The only way to do that was to stretch some of the par fours and convert some of the par fives.”

Other major changes completed by Andrew’s renovation, and in consultation with the PGA Tour, include new bunkers and tee boxes, opening up the views and connectivity between holes through tree removal, tightening fairways in landing spots off the tee, and adding more short-grass chipping areas around the greens.

Said Canadian golfer, Taylor Pendrith, who has played the North Course “dozens of times”, “They did a really good job. I think they definitely made it more challenging. Added some length. Changed some holes around. I remember stepping onto the ninth tee, and it doesn’t even look like the same hole! If it’s firm and fast, I think it’s going to play awesome. The rough will be up.”

Said Andrew on making the course tougher off the tee, “The landing areas did not previously put a lot of pressure on players off the tee. There were very few times that your hand was forced, and even with some of the lengths for better players, they could have hit 3-wood most places. By going back the extra yards and having to hit driver, it’s a game changer.

“It really is a philosophical change to where the course is now, because now it’s more about pressure and being a much sterner test.” How much “sterner” remains to be seen. While the bluegrass rough will present a challenge at 3.75″, there are only three water hazards, and a lack of other avenues for players to find trouble. Fairways are expansive at an average of 37 yards wide.

Said Pendrith on the scoreability of the course, “The fairways are pretty generous and some of the greens are big, so if it’s soft and no wind, there are some scores to be had out there. You still have to hit the fairways, and you have to be good around the greens. You’ll need some good hands because I’m sure the rough is going to be thick.”

Numerous bunkers were added to the fairway landing zones to make both off-the-tee and the approach game more difficult. They are also located at varying distances. Some can be carried at 290 yards, but others are in the 310-320 yard range and will force players to make choices on the tee box.

Said Andrew, “You don’t want everything at 320, because after a while, all it does is really fit a particular swing speed or player. It’s nice to sometimes have something that can be carried at 290, and sometimes it’s 310 or 320, and then a player’s deciding whether they want to take something on. We didn’t try to take away play from longer hitters or take away play from shorter hitters.”

“Generally, almost all the bunkering is on the inside line of holes, and most of the bunkering is where players want to be hitting their approach shots from. You could call that the ‘line of desire.’ It’s sort of, ‘we know where we want to go, we know the shortest distance, and we know the best angle.’ It becomes a question of how much you want to flirt with trouble. The big thing about that is, the bunkers have to have enough depth to be meaningful, and if there’s a consequence for hitting into them, now it becomes a question of how close do you risk playing to them?”

Golfers still have the option to play more conservatively off the tee and hit away from the bunkers because the greens are large enough with contours that are not that difficult. But they can’t do that everywhere and still score. They’re going to need to play a little more aggressively if they want birdie chances. The bunkering adds more strategy off the tee and allows players to take on more risk.

Other than some strategic challenges off the tee, the course, overall, is very bland. There are few uneven lies or other types of unique shots to challenge players, and the green complexes are quite plain and uneventful.

Fairways and greens are a mix of bentgrass and poa. Greens are slightly above average at 6,500 square feet and should roll around a 12 on the stimpmeter.

Key Stats/Player Skillsets

• Driving Distance: Length off the tee is advantageous to carry bunkers near the landing areas and reach greens in regulation. Long hitters can exploit wide fairways and drivable par-4s.

• Tee-to-Green Precision: The course rewards players who hit fairways and greens, given the length and strategic bunkering. Long hitters with strong approach play (especially 175-225 yards) will have an edge on the holes that can’t be overpowered.

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP): Critical due to six long par-4s (480+ yards) and two long par-3s (225+ yards), requiring strong mid-to-long iron play. Players excelling in proximity from 175+ yards have an advantage.

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ARG): Short-grass runoff areas and bunkers around greens require strong recovery skills.

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting): Large greens (6,500 sq ft.) that will demand strong putting to capitalize on birdie chances, especially on Bent/Poa surfaces.

• Par 4 Birdie or Better Percentage (Par 4 BoB%): With six long par-4s, converting birdies on these holes is key to contending.

• Bogey Avoidance: Minimizing mistakes in thick rough and bunkers is essential for maintaining competitive scores in what may be a low-scoring affair

• Risk-Reward Strategy: Aggressive play off the tee to carry bunkers (~300 yards) and attack pins can yield birdies, but conservative options exist due to wide fairways and large greens. The conservative strategy might get you to the weekend, but it likely won’t win.

• Sleeping at Home Factor: Canadian players (e.g., Taylor Pendrith, Corey Conners) may benefit from familiarity with the course and similar agronomy.

Betting

New course, weird field dynamics, and a month-long cold streak? I’m taking most of the money I have allocated for this week and dropping a single bullet.

He’s the best in the field by margin, and unless we’re all wrong about how this is going to play, the course is perfect for him.

Rory McIlroy +500

There are a few guys I like to do well based on the course, their form, and the skill sets they bring in, but a single bullet means what it means, so I’ll just bet them in some positional stuff for smaller stakes.

Top 20s (with ties)

Keith Mitchell +130
Chris Gotterup +225
Ryo Hisatsune +225
Rico Hoey +275

Weather

Based on what we’ve seen here, it would seem that we need the wind to kick up, or scores are going to be very, very low.

While it’s still only Tuesday, the weekend forecasts are showing some decent gust possibilities.

Some rain chances, especially early in the tournament, but it seems to be light enough that we may not see any delays or interruptions.

News and Notes (Oakmont Checklist Edition)

• Fast Greens ✅

• Nasty Rough✅

• Tough for even the best✅

• Disgusted players ✅

Let’s Go!

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and gird your loins for next week.

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