Friday Faves: Edel Putters, Oviinbyrd's greens, Hamilton G&CC

The 7th hole at Oviinbyrd -- with greens as good as anywhere in Canada.

In this edition of Friday Faves:

• What’s not to love about Edel putters? I had mine set up by Liam Mucklow at the Golf Lab, and it is a wonder. Liam set me up for a variant on a belly putter — this one anchors at my sternum — and looks like a flat stick from Scotty Cameron. The options for having it fitted were quite something, with Mucklow using a laser and a temporary marker to find the right combo of style and lines on the putter. Turns out I don’t see the set up lines properly — so my putter is blank on the back. However, it is stamped with “RT” in purple on the face. Slick. Check Edel out here. 
• Had the chance to make my annual trip to Oviinbyrd recently. It is the first time I’ve been there in the spring, as opposed to the fall. The course is still my fave in Muskoka, and the greens were the equal to anything I’ve played in the past couple of years, and fast as lightening. In fact, three-putts were commonplace. The stretch of holes 10 through 16 are as good as anything in Canada, though the final holes leaves me a little flat. Nonetheless, always a remarkable experience and in my mind Oviinbyrd is the private club in Canada that everything else is judged against — it is that good.
• Friday sees me heading to Hamilton G&CC to shoot some video for Sympatico and play the course for the first time this year, and likely the only time before the Canadian Open. Yes, I still think the bunkers are too far out of play because of the changes in the grassing lines for the previous two Canadian Opens, but the course has a great number of exceptional holes (#3, #5, #7, #9, #11, #18) and ranks very close to being in the Top 100 in the world. Don’t be surprised if it returns after the Canadian Open next month. BTW, a source says the Canadian Open field will be rock solid again this year, though the Toronto Star is reporting Luke Donald won’t be in the field.  My sources say that isn’t a done deal — at least yet. Donald, btw, is in Toronto soon to do an RBC outing. His contract with the bank is up this year.
• I’m off next week to visit a couple of my favourite courses in Canada — Wolf Creek, Blackhawk and Jasper — in Alberta. I’ll write more about this, but by playing Royal Mayfair and Northern Bear, I’ll have played all 100 of ScoreGolf’s Top 100 courses.
• A final note on Hamilton — I look forward to testing out its short course, which I hear has been well received.