The Royal Montreal Golf Club (Blue course)

Royal Montreal Golf Club: Occupying a wonderfully quiet woodland location on the Ile Bizard just west of Montreal city, there is no finer examplar of classical parkland golf in Canada than RMCG's Blue course. Surely a serious challenger (to the National Golf Club in Toronto) for the No.1 spot, at least among the country's inland parkland courses.

As at The National, the front-nine here is "dry", but water hazards come roaring in at the par-4 10th. Water threatens again on the par-4 14th, and on the closing stretch. From the par-4 15th green and 16th tee you are treated to one of the most beautiful parkland views in golf. As you look forward down the 16th, onto the par-3 17th and towards the gently climbing par-4 18th, good-size ponds dominate the view, conferring an unparalleled charm and elegance on this corner of the course.

Dick Wilson's original layout, revamped and sharpened by Rees Jones, certainly wins the prize for Canada's most elegant parkland design, quite different from the visually intimidating National course. But like The National, the Blue course also contains plenty to challenge golfers of all abilities. Stylish but not exaggerated bunkering flanks the generally good-width fairways. Sand traps are also much in play around the tiered and at times dramatically undulating greens. If you are a fan of superbly crafted big dimension parkland layouts, nowhere in Canada delivers a better example.

RMGC is the oldest golf club in North America, founded in 1873, and given 'Royal' status by Queen Victoria in 1884. It is home to not just the fabulous Blue course, but also the enjoyable Red course and 9-hole Dixie course. The only real drawback here, is that this private club is generally only playable by its members and their invited guests.