Inside the course: Glen Abbey Golf Course

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Vijay Singh captured the trophy at the Canadian Open in 2004, the last time the tournament was held at Glen Abbey GC.

Jul. 22, 2008

Glen Abbey GC in Oakville, Ontario, Canada is hosting the RBC Canadian Open for the first time since 2004. Here is all you need to know about the course.

Fast facts

Original architect	Jack Nicklaus (1976)
Number of TOUR events as host venue	24 (including 2008)
Course ranking	Ranked 4th (out of 56 courses) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2004
Yardage history	7,096 yards (1977)
	7,059 yards (1978)
	7,060 yards (1979-1982)
	7,055 yards (1983)
	7,102 yards (1984-1995)
	7,112 yards (1996, 1998-2000)
	7,222 yards (2004-present)
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Leonard Thompson
Andy Bean
Greg Norman

Year
1981
1983
1986

Round
2nd
4th
3rd

Finish
T7
T4
2

Holes-in-one

There have been 13 aces recorded during the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey GC.

Player	Hole	Year	Player	Hole	Year
David Ogrin	12	1983	Paul Azinger	12	1984
Keith Fergus	3	1984	Dave Barr	12	1988
Mark Calcavecchia	3	1989	D.A. Weibring	7	1991
Greg Kraft	3	1992	Dudley Hart	12	1993
Wayne Levi	3	1994	Charlie Rymer	12	1996
Tom Lehman	3, 12	1996, 1993	Frank Nobilo	3	2000
David Morland IV	7	2000

2004 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-4 457-yard 14th 2004: 0 eagles, 24 birdies, 276 pars, 121 bogeys, 33 double bogeys, 4 others.
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-5 524-yard 18th 2004: 14 eagles, 187 birdies, 212 pars, 37 bogeys, 6 double bogeys and 2 others.

Glen Abbey GC (2004)			2004 rankings		Last 25 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	485	4.192	5	4.160	8
2	4	414	4.153	9	4.106	12
3	3	156	3.070	13	3.033	13
4	4	417	4.028	14	3.992	15
5	5	527	4.727	17	4.691	17
6	4	437	4.151	11	4.127	11
7	3	197	3.197	4	3.164	7
8	4	433	4.105	12	4.132	10
9	4	458	4.249	3	4.294	2
10	4	443	4.155	8	4.179	6
11	4	452	4.153	9	4.210	4
12	3	202	3.157	7	3.153	9
13	5	558	4.843	16	4.844	16
14	4	457	4.382	1	4.288	3
15	3	141	2.972	15	3.009	14
16	4	485	4.369	2	4.369	1
17	4	436	4.179	6	4.184	5
18	5	524	4.651	18	4.684	18

NOTES: The most difficult hole, the 14th, was ranked the 10th most difficult hole on the PGA TOUR in 2004.
• Glen Abbey GC is ranked the 8th best course in Canada (Source: Clublink)
• The 18th hole was ranked 924 out of 1007 on the PGA TOUR in 2004 making it the easiest hole on the course.
• In 2004, the 14th and 16th holes were ranked in the top 10 of most difficult par-4s on the PGA TOUR.

Course origins

Established in 1976, this course was Jack Nicklaus' first solo design.

Glen Abbey GC is home to the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

One special feature of the Glen Abbey course is the "Valley Holes", 11-18. On number 11, players tee off a cliff to a fairway that is approximately 60 ft. below on the valley floor. The shot must clear Sixteen Mile Creek to the green. Holes 12, 13 and 14 all use the Sixteen Mile Creek as a hazard of one form or another and number 15 is a short par 3 with a sharply sloping green, after which players climb out of the valley to the 16th hole.

Source: Wikipedia

Course	Location	Years
Royal Montreal GC	Dixie, Quebec	1904, 1908, 1913, 1926, 1950, 1975, 1980, 1997, 2001
Toronto GC	Mississauga, Ontario	1905, 1909, 1914, 1921, 1927
Royal Ottowa GC	Aylmer, Quebec	1906, 1911
Lambton GC	Toronto, Ontario	1907, 1910, 1925, 1941
Rosedale GC	Toronto, Ontario	1912, 1928
Hamilton G&CC	Ancaster, Ontario	1919, 1930, 2003, 2006
Rivermead GC	Aylmer, Quebec	1920
Mt. Bruno GC	St. Bruno, Quebec	1922, 1924
Lakeview GC	Mississauga, Ontario	1923, 1934
Kanawaki GC	Kahnawake, Quebec	1929
Mississaugua G&CC	Mississagua, Ontario	1931, 1938, 1942, 1951, 1965, 1974
Ottawa Hunt Club	Ottawa, Ontario	1932
Royal York GC	Toronto, Ontario	1933
Summerlea GC	Montreal, Quebec	1935
St. Andrews GC	Toronto, Ontario	1936-1937
Riverside CC	St. John, New Brunswick	1939
Scarborough G&CC	Scarborough, Ontario	1940, 1947, 1953, 1963
Thornhill GC	Thornhill, Ontario	1945
Beaconsfield GC	Montreal, Quebec	1946, 1956
Shaughnessy G&CC	Vancouver, BC	1948, 1966, 2005
St. Georges G&CC	Etobicoke, Ontario	1949, 1960, 1968
St. Charles CC	Winnipeg, Manitoba	1952
Point Grey GC	Vancouver, B.C.	1954
Weston GC	Toronto, Ontario	1955
Westmount G&CC	Kitchener, Ontario	1957
Mayfair G&CC	Edmonton, Alberta	1958
Islesmere G&CC	Montreal, Quebec	1959
Niakwa, CC	Winnipeg, Manitoba	1961
Le Club Laval-sur-le-Lac	Laval-sur-le-Lac, Quebec	1962
Pinegrove G&CC	St. Luc, Quebec	1964, 1969
Montreal Muicipal GC	Montreal, Quebec	1967
London Hunt G&CC	London, Ontario	1970
Richelieu Valley G&CC	Ste. Julie de Vercheres, Quebec	1971, 1973
Cherry Hill Club	Ridgeway, Ontario	1972
Essex G&CC	Windsor, Ontario	1976
Glen Abbey GC	Oakville, Ontario	1977-1979, 1981-1996, 1998-2000, 2004,
Angus Glen GC (North)	Markham, Ontario	2002, 2007