Great fall golfing at Humber Valley Resort in Western Newfoundland

by Keith and Heather Nicol   

The fox on the 14th hole

       Fall in the Humber Valley of Western Newfoundland means brilliant autumn colours and where better to enjoy these than on Newfoundland’s top rated golf course. The golf course at Humber Valley Resort is ranked as the second best course in Atlantic Canada and one of Canada’s top 20 courses according to manager Gary Oke. We recently got a chance to play the course and it was in very good shape, despite  recent heavy rains. This course will test all of your golfing skills from tee to green. There are over 100 sand traps that will penalize the errant drive or approach shot and the large greens will test your putting skills.  We know we visited several of these traps on our most recent round and 3 putted way too many greens! Bring your camera since the front nine features fine views of Deer Lake, especially on the first 5 holes. In fact, the par 3 fifth hole is right along the water. Whereas some courses have 1 or 2 signature holes, the course at Humber Valley Resort has many, perhaps the most famous is #10 which provides a magnificent view of the Humber Valley. The back nine winds toward the Humber River and both #14 and #15 are along the river. We also saw a curious red fox on the par 3 fourteenth hole and they apparently love to take golf balls. Gary told us after our round that there are about a dozen foxes that can be seen at various places on the course. He also told us they plan to be open until the end of October so there is lots of golf left. For more information on the Humber Valley Resort golf course see: http://humbervalley.com/

The signature 10th hole provides a grand vista of the Humber Valley

The spacious bedroom overlooks Deer Lake

       If you are looking for a place to stay while you are golfing or visiting the Humber Valley then have a look at a new luxury bed and breakfast called- Lake Close Lodge. Lake Close Lodge has just opened and has a great location within Humber Valley Resort.  With Deer Lake on one side of the bed and breakfast and the golf course (hole #4) on the other, the setting is ideal. The large deck (with hot tub) faces the water and you basically get a house for the cost of a bed and breakfast. Aside from several bedrooms there is a large living area with a dining room and attached kitchen. Jean and Simon Burch who run Lake Close Lodge have decided to furnish the top notch kitchen with all the fixings for breakfast and let the guests suit themselves when they might want to eat.  There were cereals, eggs, bacon, coffee, tea, yogurts, and fruit and Simon and Jean even dropped by in the evening with fresh muffins and croissants!  The night we stayed there we were joined by Kim Slaney and daughter Kristina from the Burin Peninsula who were in the area for a soccer tournament. Kim opted for staying at Lake Close Lodge so that she would be close to salmon fishing on the Humber River. For more information on Lake Close Lodge contact Jean and Simon Burch at: http://www.humbervalleylodges.com/

From the deck of our bedroom at Lake Close Lodge