Northern Dunes Golf Club in Hepworth is one of the most visually striking and enjoyable courses on the Bruce Peninsula. Sprawling across 320 acres of rolling sand dunes and natural forest, this 18-hole, par-72 layout stretches over 6,400 yards from the back tees and combines links-style openness with rugged Muskoka character.
The front nine flows through open, sandy terrain dotted with fescue and framed by distant tree lines. The back nine transitions into a more wooded setting, where tighter driving corridors and elevation changes test shot-making. This dual personality gives Northern Dunes exceptional variety—one minute you’re playing a Scottish-style bump-and-run hole, and the next you’re threading an iron between towering pines.
Each green is distinct, many protected by deep bunkers or natural contours. The signature holes—like the par-5 10th, which rises gradually to a green perched on a ridge—show how elevation and design work together to shape strategy.
Northern Dunes also features a full practice range, short-game area, and a friendly clubhouse with a patio overlooking the 18th green. It’s known for excellent conditioning, even in high summer, and for its atmosphere—unhurried, outdoorsy, and relaxed. This is pure Bruce County golf: a little wild, a little unpredictable, and entirely memorable.
Your Golf Bud by Bud Key, Mid-Atlantic Director, TeeTime Golf Pass
I own the golf bag from hell. It’s an enormous, overstuffed, full-grain leather TOUR-style staff bag, the size of a ’72 Lincoln Continental and weighing a metric ton. This monstrosity was my prize for winning a closest-to-the-pin contest in 1988, the same year I got married, and it was the catalyst for our first marital spat.
I insisted on showcasing the colossal bag in the dead center of our tiny 600-square-foot studio condo, convinced it had more curb appeal than our meager second-hand furniture. My wife finally caved, but only on […]
