Golf de la Maskinonge

The cutest golf sign ever

In the interest of trying new things, one day on our recent vacation we scoured Google Maps for golf courses in the Laurentians, within reasonable driving distance.  I was certain I has seen something around La Conception, but no luck.  However, just a bit further afield was Golf de la Maskinonge, a nine hole course located beside Lac Cameron.  We decided to give it a shot!

Turns out the drive was a bit longer than we thought, as there is just a single road that lead there and it alternates between rough pavement and stints of gravel.  The drive is pretty however, winding through farms at first and then lake country as you progress further along Route des Erables.  We arrived in about 35 minutes or so from St. Jovite, ready for nine new holes.

Karen tees off on the par-3 ninth hole

The pro shop was located in a charming club house with a great patio that we vowed to have a beer on when we finished.  They were cooking something delicious when we came in, apparently in preparation for an upcoming end-of-season" celebration.  The tee sheet was virtually empty so we knew we had the course to ourselves, or so we thought.  We let a single play through who was speeding along in a cart, and then a foursome (locals, perhaps members) decided to drive around us and start their round on the hole ahead of us where we waited for 10 minutes.  I wasn't about to start an argument in French but I think they realized it was a bad move on their part.  This is what you get sometimes in country golf I guess.

The first tee is a bit odd in that the rear tees hit directly over the ninth green, so be careful when approaching the last hole.  The rest of the course was quite lovely, narrow and in decent shape.  Some of the tees were elevated and afforded great views of the valleys below.  When we finished our nine, they had closed up the pro shop so alas, no beer on the patio.  Overall we enjoyed our time at Maskinonge, not a trip we'd make again but if you're in the area and itching for golf, this is likely your only local answer.