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If you ever go to Grand Bend, you have to play the mini golf course.  There are currently two mini golf courses in Grand Bend Ontario, and they are side by side on the main drag (I have no idea what the name of the street is, I have always known it as the main drag).  My family has been going to Grand Bend every summer for my whole life, and for as long as I can remember we have played at this mini golf course.

It has some holes, with small bumps, large bumps, a couple have ramps to jump over rocks or a pond, and there are a number of water hazards. And there are a few where you have to bank your putts around corners (or two corners) or put it into one hole which will take you to another hole.  And there is also the classic swinging log.

Everyone should be able to make a hole-in-one somewhere in the game (everyone gets one on the last hole).

If you take your scorecard to the ice cream stand next door, the Diary Dip, they will give you a deal on an ice cream cone.

The course has changed a bit over the years, but most of the holes are the exact same as they were since I first played there over 40 years ago.  These days I usually play against my dad and my nephews. Sometimes my nieces play too.

These pictures are from a couple of years ago, but the course still looks the same (my nephew is now much bigger).

We used to always play a game of real golf, but I think from now on we will have to have a full family tournament.

Ironwood Golf Club is located just outside of Exeter Ontario, about halfway between London and Grand Bend and is a great course to play for golfers of all skill levels.  I have played the course since the early 80s, and back then it was only a 9-hole course built on an old farm.  In the late 80s they added a second 9 to make the current course.

Ironwood is usually in great shape, with quick but not too fast greens, nice fairways, and very playable rough.  The only complaint for course conditions would be some inconsistent sand in the traps.

The course has a couple of streams that cut across a number of the holes, even though it doesn’t come into play for the most part.  Some holes will require you to hit a good drive to clear the stream and make the fairway, while others force you to lay up short and have longer approach shots.

A number of the greens are very deep.  Approach shots on holes 1, 4, 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, and 17 can change by as much as two or three clubs depending on whether the pin is in the front or the back.

The 2nd hole is probably the hardest on the course, where you should lay back short of the stream off of the tee, but then have to hit into a severely sloped green that is angled from the fairway.  Do not go long on this hole or you can easily chip off of the front of the green.

Be sure to make up strokes on the par-5s, and they are relatively short, as the par-3s generally play tough with their narrow and long greens.

Playing a round at Ironwood is a great way to spend a morning before going to the beach in Grand Bend.  It’s a great course for a low stress round, and be sure to enjoy a good burger or footlong hotdog in the clubhouse.

Golf in Kuwait
By Megan McGlynn and Mark Hardeman
from 2003 

In the fairway

I thought I would let anyone out there who is contemplating a golf vacation this winter in on the wonders of the Kuwaiti golf scene.  Although often overlooked in many of the leading golf publications, Kuwait golf is alive and kicking.  The golf courses here offer golfers a unique experience, and leave participants with tremendous stories to tell their fellow duffers.  We chose to begin our golfing adventures in Kuwait at the Ahmadi Golf and Country Club which has hosted the prestigious Kuwaiti Open 3 of the last 4 years.  The highlights of the Kuwaiti golf experience can be outlined in the following categories.

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