Inside the course: St. George's Golf and Country Club

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THE TRAIL: Shane Gillespie, head instructor at TOUR Academy Orlando, analyzes the course this week:

The 2010 RBC Canadian Open will be held at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The course has hosted the Canadian Open on four occasions and is rated one of the top three courses in the country. The course demands accuracy and the winner will have to successfully navigate the difficult final four holes. The course has five par 3s between 210 and 225 yards. Along with great putting the eventual winner will have to show solid and accurate ball striking with the mid to long irons.

I would keep my eye on many of the players who finished strongly at the British Open: Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Sean O'Hair, Retief Goosen as well as Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas. They all finished well in a tournament that required solid ball striking.

These are the type of players who have full command over the basic fundamentals of ball position and alignment, a requirement of any good ball striker. Whether playing your long iron shots off a tee on a long par 3 or from the fairway, position the ball between three to four inches forward of the center of your stance. Solid contact requires that you are in control of your swing. Too often, players try to swing too hard as they begin using their 5, 4 and 3 irons. To help you stay in control, take an additional club and swing at 75 to 85 percent. Focus on a balanced finish and this will help you swing smoothly and contact the ball in the center of the clubface.

Now that you've mastered those long approach shots, here's all you need to know about the host course -- St. George's Golf and Country Club.

Fast facts

Course Superintendent Keith A. Bartlett Original architect Stanley Thompson (1929) Course remodel Doug Carrick (1992) Yardage history 7,046 yards (2010) Grass Bentgrass, Poa annua (tees, fairways, greens); Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass; fescue (rough) Tournament Stimpmeter 11 feet Sand bunkers 103 Water hazards 1 Course tour Click here

Hole Par Yards 1 4 370 2 4 478 3 3 213 4 4 474 5 4 459 6 3 146 7 4 446 8 3 223 9 5 522 10 4 377 11 5 528 12 4 399 13 3 213 14 4 480 15 5 570 16 3 185 17 4 486 18 4 477

Course origins

In 1909, Robert Home Smith, an accomplished builder from Stratford, began acquiring lands near the banks of the Humber River for real estate development. By 1927 he had perceived that if a fine golf club could be constructed in the area, it would add considerable extra sales appeal for his properties. About the same time, a good friend, Sir Edward Beatty, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, had launched the construction of the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, one of the largest hotels in the C.P.R. chain. Planned as a convention hotel, the Royal York would need the facilities of a fine golf club, and Home Smith lost no time in convincing his friend that he could provide that facility in Etobicoke -- hence the original name, "The Royal York Golf Club." Smith brought in one of North America's most renowned golf architects, Stanley Thompson, to design and construct an 18-hole championship course and to design a further 9-hole course on the adjacent northern lands. The golf course was completed in 1929. In 1946, when the financial arrangement with the Canadian Pacific Railway ended, the name of the Club was changed to St. George's Golf and Country Club. In 1957, a curling facility was added, providing six sheets of ice, its own lounge, dining and bar facilities, locker rooms and an office. This addition attracted new members and made the year-round operation of the clubhouse feasible. Members undertook the purchase of the Club in 1962. Under the new ownership, operation and control passed to a Board of Directors elected from the general membership each for a threeyear term. At that time the Club acquired an option to buy the Brul 9-hole course and the surrounding land. The option was later sold to a developer in 1966. St. George's Golf and Country Club is currently rated in the top three in Canada and amongst the top 100 in the world. St. George's has hosted the Canadian Open on four occasions, and the LPGA Classic on five occasions, and most recently the du Maurier Champions, Canadian Senior Open. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history

Course Location Years St. Georges G&CC Etobicoke, Ontario 1949, 1960, 1968, 2010 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. 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, 2008-2009 Angus Glen GC (North) Markham, Ontario 2002, 2007

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-4, 466-yard 14th at St. George's Golf and Country Club LAST YEAR: The RBC Canadian Open was held on a different course in 2009. DESCRIPTION: With the fairway sloping from left to right, a long and accurate tee shot is essential. The approach from the fairway is to an angled green guarded in the front by a creek and three greenside bunkers. Considered to be one of the toughest holes on the course. (Click here for tour)