Bunker Hill Golf Club in Pickering, Ontario: Championship-style Par 3 Golf in a Beautiful Setting
Durham Region has a uniquely designed 12-hole course that has immediately been a hit. In short, it’s a top quality, memorable golf experience that exists to ensure that you can play a great round of golf without it taking the whole day.
I’ll be totally honest, before playing Bunker Hill, I was kind of skeptical, since I’d never played a 12 hole golf course before. Now, however, I’m decidedly a 12 hole golf convert.
Don’t get me wrong, I love golf, and I’ve had many 18 hole rounds that I had wished would never end, but there are some big advantages to the 12 hole format. For one, my partner, Bri, who isn’t golf’s biggest fan, was engaged the whole round, and found 12 holes a lot easier to stomach.
I will also say that the time commitment is a lot more manageable. With 12 holes, I felt like I was able to quench my thirst for playing a round, but then was still able to have a day besides golf itself. We arrived for our round around 10am and were sitting down and having lunch at the Big M Drive In about two and a half hours later.
It’s actually become a bit of a trend for busy professionals to sneak in a round before or after work at 12 hole courses. Make no mistake, 12 hole courses are in vogue, and I’m here for that movement, 100%.
Of course, it also depends on what 12 holes you’re playing. Bunker Hill Golf Club offers 12 holes with unique challenges and viewpoints. It’s put together in a way that makes every shot feel important, and that keeps you focused on enjoying the present. And hey, if you happen to flub a shot, at least you know you’ll never be far away from a lovely view.
About Bunker Hill Golf Club
In the grand scheme of Ontario golf, Bunker Hill is new on the scene, as it only opened its doors in 2016. The course was designed by Jason Miller who, if I’m not mistaken, has at least 6 other Ontario courses to his name. Besides Bunker Hill, I’ve also played Mill Run near Uxbridge, Ontario, and I very much enjoyed playing there.
Other courses that Jason Miller has designed include Black Diamond, Highland Glen, North Granite Ridge, OslerBrook, and The Club at Westlinks.
The course itself is situated on 73 stunning acres of land. What’s worth mentioning here is that the golf course offers some spectacular views because part of the land sits on an elevated plateau. When you arrive, you’ll actually drive up the winding road to the clubhouse, and you’ll see that you’ll be kicking things off with a little elevation. In fact, 4 of the Bunker Hill’s holes are technically on the aforementioned elevated plateau.
In terms of who this golf course is for - the short answer is everyone. When we were out playing, we saw families out there enjoying the game, couples like us who wanted an excuse to be outdoors and form a few new memories, young people who may not have had the patience yet for 18 holes, and older individuals who may not have wanted to be walking for 5 hours in the sun.
I think it’s also worth mentioning that this course wasn’t a piece of cake by any means. I often played from the blues and it wasn’t easy to par starting from so far back, that’s for sure. So, there were also plenty of talented players out there who were looking to touch up their iron, short, and putting game.
Course Guide
Before I talk about each individual hole, I wanted to share a few notes from Bunker Hill’s site when they’re talking about their course.
“The 100 feet of elevation change offers a great variety of views of Holes No. 1 and 2, across the valley to Holes No. 3 and 4 from Hole No. 6, and Hole No. 11 and especially Hole No. 12, which stretches the full length of the plateau.
Designed as a Championship-style Par 3 golf course, the variety of holes and yardages provides the golfer with unlimited challenges. From 4 or 5 different tee blocks on each tee deck complex, every hole will play differently depending upon your skill level.”
Hole by Hole at Bunker Hill
Since there’s only 12 holes, I think I’ll best serve you by giving a brief overview of what makes each hole unique. They’ve clearly designed the course with a lot of diversity and intentionality, since I do feel as if it’s a course I could play weekly and not get bored.
Keep in mind that all holes are par 3. For the sake of ease, beside the name of each hole, I’ll list the distances from the respective tees.
Hole 1 - “Longview” (Blue 185, White 158, Red 134): It’s nice that opening hole isn’t too long, giving you a chance to kick thing off the right way. Based on my experience, I’d say you likely want to stay left here and aim for a kick that would put you into a favourable spot if you’re hunting for that par. The hole title is fairly accurate - the tee box offers a view that allows you to survey the property, and promptly recognize that you’re going to be in for a picturesque round.
Hole 2 - “Road Hole” (Blue 124, White 105, Red 85): If you’ve got a steady, accurate swing, there’s not much in the way of you nabbing a par or better here. That being said, there is some water here to be weary of, which always adds some fun to the mix in the world of golf. Compared to the first hole, which has a bit more going on, you should be just fine here.
Hole 3 - “The Pit” (Blue 165, White 164, Red 136): Compared to the first two holes, this one is quite flat. You’re going to want to avoid the daunting bunker, but other than that, it’s mostly about getting it onto the green as swiftly as possible, and then taking advantage of one of the easier greens on the course.
Hole 4 - “Devil’s Hole” (Blue 145, White 138, Red 116): I hope you like bunkers, because “the devil’s hole” has two nasty ones that ensure this hole lives up to its name. That being said, if you have a nice tee shot, you should be just fine. Just be sure to use a soft touch on the green.
Hole 5 - “Soupbowl” (Blue 210, White 192, Red 150): Well, if you had a good score going into this hole, this is where you might mess that up a touch. For one, if you’re shooting from the blues, you’re going to be trying to cover 200+ tricky yards in 3 strokes, and that’s not an easy feat. I’d encourage you to think about getting through this hole unscathed more than anything!
Hole 6 - “Coffins” (Blue 230, White 177, Red 98): My assumption is that this hole is called “Coffins” because there’s a deep bunker just in the front right of the green. A coffin bunker, for those who don’t know, is a bunker that is steep as can be, meaning it’s hard to get out of and you’d want to avoid at all costs. This is a long hole and, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the hardest holes to try to walk away with a par.
Hole 7 - “Rye & Ginger” (Blue 136, White 129, Red 100): This isn’t a particularly long hole and, at first, you may wonder what makes this hole unique. Well, the answer is waiting for you at the green. The green is heavily sloped from left to right - and the pin is located on the right side of the green. Good luck!
Hole 8 - “The Himalayas” (Blue 178, White 161, Red 67): This is what they call a “blind tee” in that you’re pretty much generally aiming, and then crossing the fingers. This was also the hole where there was the greatest discrepancy between where I was teeing of (from the blues) and Bri was teeing off (from the reds). It was a whopping 111 yards, which is almost the size of some other holes on the course. Like hole 7, you’re contending with a sloped left to right green again!
Hole 9 - “Unprintable” (Blue 234, White 218, Red 185): Welcome to one of the longest holes on the golf course which, thankfully, plays downhill. So, you shouldn’t be too scared of the distance here, though a par will still take some tact. At least here you’re not contending with a sloped green. In fact, this is probably one of the kindest greens on the course and, for once, there aren’t any bunkers in sight of it.
Hole 10 - “Pandemonium” (Blue 185, White 16, Red 134): Hole 8 and 9 are not the easiest, so hole 10, despite its name, is actually a bit of a reprieve. It’s a fast green, but other than that is fairly straightforward, so you’ll just look to take a deep breath and shoot for par.
Hole 11 - “Horseshoe” (Blue 115, White 109, Red 76): Don’t let the length of this hole suck you into thinking it’ll be a piece of cake. If you hit the shot true and straight, you’ll be golden, but if you veer right where there’s some fescue, you may be in some trouble.
Hole 12 - “Spectacles” (Blue 258, White 212, Red 175): This feels like a finishing hole. For one, it’s a pretty one. Though, trying to imagine how you’re going to cover 258 yards in three strokes is a little less pretty. The key here, as you might imagine, is hit one hell of a tee shot. I took the driver out here, which is a rarity on this course, but was helpful in this case. It’s a nice finish all around, and ties together a lot of the elements you’ve seen in the previous 11 holes.
What Else Should You Know About Pickering’s Bunker Hill?
There are few more things that you might want to note about Bunker Hill.
For one, it’s worth knowing that, if you’d like you can download the Scorecard beforehand.
They run a Women’s League on Mondays and a Men’s League on Wednesdays. This is from their site: “This league is all about being social – playing golf with friends, new and old, challenging yourself but most importantly living and laughing. You are not required to play each week but we do urge you find room in your calendar for a great night with your golf buddies.”
By the way, if you’re looking for other golf courses in Durham Region, you may also want to read my article on Royal Ashburn Golf Club.
However and whenever you choose to play Bunker Hill, I hope you have some fun out there. As the course architect Jason Miller said, “many golf-industry experts are now promoting a less time-consuming game, and this style of family-oriented development, including Jack Nicklaus, as part of the overall future of the game. I challenge all golfers to take on the ‘Devil’s Hole’ and ‘Pandemonium’, and enjoy the future of golf.”
We want to humbly thank Durham Tourism for hosting us as media. All opinions are completely our own.
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