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Canadian Golf Architecture Review: Jack Lally

The latest in an ongoing series reviewing Canadian golf designers.
Jack Lally's (with Jason Miller) Black Diamond course near Peterborough.

Jack Lally's (with Jason Miller) Black Diamond course near Peterborough.

Jack Lally

Years in the industry: 21

Key courses: Deer Creek GC, Ajax, Ont.; Black Diamond GC, Pontypool, Ont. (co-design with Jason Miller)

Recent work: Bellemere Winds GC, Keene, Ont.

Strengths:

  • A course owner and designer, Lally has worked relatively consistently for decades on budget golf designs.
  • His work at Deer Creek in Ajax is popular with weekend hackers.

Weaknesses:

  • Strange routing tendencies, especially on the plain front nine at Black Diamond GC, did not do a lot to demonstrate Lally’s abilities.
  • Little if any brand recognition.
  • His courses serve an important function in the market, but how many people know that Lally designed Fawn Brook or Kawartha Downs?

What’s possible?: More of the same. Expect Lally to continue to work on budget designs around Ontario.

Grade: C

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Robert Thompson

A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in Golf Magazine, the Globe and Mail, T&L Golf and many other media outlets. Currently Robert is a columnist with Global Golf Post, golf analyst for Global News and Shaw Communications, and Senior Writer to ScoreGolf. The Going for the Green blog was launched in 2004.

1 CommentLeave a comment

  • Jack and Dan have been around a long time. i played golf at Dentonia when i was 13 50 years ago. i then started to play at the Willows while they were there. Now i play at Hawthorne Valley and found out Jack designed it 20 years ago. Unfortunately the owner passed away a couple of years ago.Please say hello to these great guys.
    thanks Ken Caverley

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