THE DEVIL'S PAINTBRUSH
Since it opened in 1992, Devil's Paintbrush has quietly won respect and admiration for its refreshing character as a links-style course that wouldn't appear out of place alongside The Old Course at Ballybunion in Ireland.
Links-style golf requires exciting terrain and Devil's Paintbrush has it all–outrageous topography, lovely sweeps of land and magnificent scenic vistas.
Devil's Paintbrush is the polar opposite of Devil's Pulpit in personality, appearance and playability, and provides golfers with a completely different golf experience.
"We tried to be authentic in building a links-style course in every way except that it doesn't have an ocean," said architect Michael Hurdzan, who designed both courses with his associate Dana Fry.
Right down to the stone fencing, the massive hills, fescue grasses, sod-wall bunkers and the occasional blind shot, Devil's Paintbrush has the rustic look and genuine quality of an Irish or Scottish links. A fairway bunker on No. 8 measuring 15 feet high and 60 feet wide may be the world's largest sod-wall bunker, and the double green on No. 2 and 9 covers more than an acre.
Bold bunkers, hummocks and hollows provide refreshing challenge. "At the Paintbrush, you try to anticipate what will happen once your ball hits the ground, but you also have to accept what the golf gods will give you, which makes it unpredictable and fun," says Director of Golf Ben Kern.
To replicate the experience of playing Irish and Scottish links courses, Devil's Paintbrush also has fescue tees and fairways which tend to be firm, ideal for bump-and-run shots frequently played in links golf.
Similar to the courses that inspired it, heaving fairways are framed by a variety of fescue grasses that combine with wooden bunker walls and wild terrain to provide a blend of colours and textures both striking and refreshing to North American eyes.
Just like a traditional British pub, Professor Rabbit's Hole has a relaxed ambience enhanced by a stone fireplace and massive wooden beams that support a 30-foot ceiling. The garden patio offers a majestic view of the Toronto skyline.
Devil's Paintbrush, named for the wildflower that grows around the property, was ranked Best New Canadian Course of 1992 by Golf Digest who called it a "hidden gem."
Devil's Pulpit Golf Association co-founder Chris Haney believes that the Paintbrush, which provides Members with a completely different golf experience from the Pulpit, was the key to the Association being named Canada's Best Private Course by Score magazine in 2001.
"My favourite course is the Paintbrush," Chris says. Why? "It's more fun."
DEVIL'S PULPIT GOLF ASSOCIATION
3035 Escarpment Sideroad
P.O. Box 68
Caledon Village, ON Canada L7K 3L3
Tel: 519.927.3001
Fax: 519.927.3850