The game of golf is alive and well in the City of Toronto. The Greater Toronto Area is Canada’s largest golf marketplace with over one hundred and forty different golf courses and hundreds of golf pros giving lessons every day. So whether you’re new to the game, or a returning player, if you need help with your driving, chipping, flopping or putting, then you’ll be happy to know there are many golf courses and golf academies offering private, semi-private and group golf lessons in Toronto. Here are our some of our best choices for where to take golf lessons in Toronto.
Dentonia Park Golf Course
One of the most challenging, and most uniquely satisfying par three courses in Ontario, Dentonia Park Golf Course has 18 holes, each with a unique elevation between green and fairway and with picturesque water hazards. The course won the Silver Medal for Best Par 3 Executive Golf Course in the GTA at the 2015 Golfer’s Choice Awards. Even more surprising is that this is a City-of-Toronto-owned facility! Located at 781 Victoria Park Avenue, the course can be accessed by Victoria Park subway station. Dentonia’s golf pro Brian Farnocchi offers private lessons for $100 per hour, $55 per half hour or you can take six half hour private lessons for $325. Semi-private one hour golf lessons for two people are $120 ($60 per person). A special four-lesson clinic for beginner golfers costs $125 per person with each lesson one hour long. Practice your putting on Dentonia’s putting green. Afterwards, you can play 9 or 18 holes of golf on the really hilly fairways, which pass over Taylor Creek on the back nine. Ladies, Dentonia offers an excellent women’s golf league that plays one evening a week. Call Brian Farnocchi at 416-392-2558 to arrange for golf lessons.
Polson Pier Driving Range
Two words: great scenery. Polson Pier is probably the most scenic place to take golf lessons in Toronto; there are many vantage points on the property that offer an unparalleled view of Toronto-on-the-water. Located at 11 Polson Avenue, the venue has a double-deck 300-yard outdoor driving range which is where the bulk of the golf lessons happen. In total, the range has 58 paddocks, which are each lit up at night and the lower stalls are heated for winter play. You can rent clubs and there’s a snack bar with an 80s music jukebox and even a couple of pool tables. C.P.G.A. instructors Mike Rivet and Susan Buckley are available to teach private lessons at the driving range and the practice greens at $120 an hour, $55 per half hour, and they offer very popular semi-private group golf lessons for $120 per hour or $60 per person if more then two. A group clinic (3-6 persons maximum) is available for $160 per person, which includes four one-hour sessions over four consecutive weeks. Golf Pro Michael Rivet can be reached at 416-895-4755 while Golf Pro Susan Buckley can be reached at 416-686-7752 for more information about their golf lessons and availability.
Centennial Park Golf Centre
If you live in the west-end, you’ll definitely want to check out Centennial Park Golf Course at Rathburn Rd. and Mills Rd., where C.P.G.A. golf pros Todd Gray and Cameron McLeod teach golf lessons. This full service golf center includes 27 holes (East Nine, West Nine and North Nine), a 34-stall driving range and putting and chipping greens. Centennial Park Golf Course is a great place to meet other golfers and network. Group activities being hosted here are usually very well attended. Private one-hour golf lessons with either Todd or Cameron are $100 per hour. Private, 30-minute golf lessons cost $50 or $60 per lesson depending on the golf pro you choose or opt for a series of three private 30-minute golf lessons for $125 or $150. Semi-private, one-hour lessons are also available at $50 per person for two people, $45 per person for three people or $40 per person for four people. Call 416-620-1392 for more information.
Bradlee Ryall Golf Academy at Lionhead Golf Course
If you live west of Toronto, you may wish to consider private golf lessons at Bradlee Ryall Golf Academy in any of the six Kaneff Golf Courses. Students at this golf academy use brand new sponsored Nike Golf gear. The Kaneff golf courses include Lionhead and Royal Ontario, which are often recognized among the top twenty golf courses in Canada.
Bradlee Ryall teaches at Lionhead, which is just west of Pearson International Airport between Brampton and Mississauga. Business executives often get group workshops at Lionhead in connection with conferences hosted in the impressive facilities on site. A sixty-minute private golf lesson with Bradlee or the other golf instructors is $95 per hour.
Golf is Still Toronto’s Game
Golf is still very popular in Toronto despite declining in popularity across Canada over the last decade. The golf industry is trying new things to bring young urban professionals out to golf courses and Singles golf lessons are popular choices, along with drone races and smartphone directed hikes. A large percentage of Canadians find golf too cost prohibitive, so golf courses are offering discounted rentals and greens fees for non peak times.
Good luck on the links. Hopefully, taking golf lessons in Toronto will improve your game. And if you get discouraged, keep in mind former Kansas City Royal’s slugger George Brett’s reflection on his game: “I was three over: One over a house, one over a patio and one over a swimming pool.”
