Ridge at Manitou a sanctuary for man and beast.

Privacy and exclusivity have their privileges.

The Ridge at Manitou is the latest jewel in a string of new upscale golf courses in Northern and central Ontario.

The three-year-old private equity club and Tom McBroom-designed course has landed a string of accolades as best new Ontario course in 2005 by both Ontario Golf and Fairways magazines.

Reviewers are lauding this tranquil and ecological marvel on Manitouwabing Lake, south of McKellar, as a "masterpiece" that should be on many golfers' lists of top-five places to play.

Located about 18 kilometres east of the Highway 69 and 124 junction, The Ridge marks its first full season as an 18-hole course this May.

The par 72,6,815-yard championship layout opened its original nine to members for only a tantalizingly few weeks in 2004 before the next nine came on stream last July 1.

The Ridge is the dream of co-founders Udo Petersen, Brian Brisbin and a group of area cottagers that wanted their own private course in the rugged Canadian Shield topography of the Parry Sound area.

Membership director Kim Giffen says despite the championship course moniker, The Ridge is very playable.

"It's a walk through nature with good championship, but fair, golf whether you're a beginner or a scratch golfer.

"The 18th hole is designed to put a smile on your face."

Open from May 15 (May 1 weather permitting) to Thanksgiving, the course is within easy walking distance of their five-star resort neighbour, the Inn at Manitou. The Inn actually owns a portion of the more than 300-acre course property and offers some stay-and-play packages.

While the late-spring opening may seem tardy for post-hibernation golfers, management has learned to mirror the operating schedule of the nearby Inn.

Most of the area's cottage and vacation traffic around the well-established luxury resort usually doesn't pick up until the Victoria Day long weekend.

"If you've been in business for 30 years, maybe you've learned something, so we listen to that," quips Giffen. But there's no problem sticking the pins in early to accommodate year-round members.

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Besides a dramatic course layout, The Ridge's award-winning Adirondack-style clubhouse features reclaimed 100-year-old hemlock floors. An executive chef and sous-chef are on the culinary staff.

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"The dining and ambiance are beyond anything you've experienced in golf," says Giffen.

Most of the 100 members are drawn from a mixture of lakeside cottagers and seasonal residents from southern Ontario along with locals within an hour's radius of the course.

Ridge membership is a not only a recreational and lifestyle investment, but a transferable equity as well.

The club is in the early stages of its membership drive, which will eventually be capped at 400 for the course's lifetime. They are now making a push for corporate members by offering invitations to sample the course by appointment.

Buying a Ridge membership makes you a part owner for life. With the $55,000 entrance fee comes a transferable voting share enabling a member to own 1/400 of the club and its assets, with annual dues of $3,800 for principle golfers, says Giffen. From there additional membership options can be taken out for less.

As a transferable asset, shares can be placed in an individual's or a company's estate.

"The value of this club if it were down in the city (Toronto) or Lake Joseph would be in excess of $100,000," says Giffen. "There are no corners cut." She says The Ridge has the same full hospitality amenities as offered at any comparable private club. Members can even fly in by floatplane to dock only steps from the clubhouse.

Fully serviced meeting space is available for gatherings of 40 to 60 people in the clubhouse's open loft area. A smaller, more private function room is also ready.

Giffen says The Ridge prefers not to brand itself as a large 144-golfer tournament course, "but we're open to the conversion. We're more suited to an incentive or small strategy (venue) for corporate sessions."

By marketing the course as a "private golfing sanctuary," that label applies for both duffers and wildlife alike.

One of the founding values of co-founders Petersen and Brisbin is keeping as small a human footprint on the landscape as possible.

Deer, moose, bears, wolves and owls are among the many wildlife species known to roam the property.

Before McBroom and the contractors moved in an environmental plan was performed by Michalski Nielsen Associates of Bracebridge. The Ridge is dedicated by ownership as a natural wildlife sanctuary, and they are seeking level one Audubon status.

"By protecting our environment, we're protecting our future," says Giffen.

And don't expect Arizona-style condominiums overlooking the fairways and greens anytime soon. "They are not in the plans," she says. "We have covenants to protect the golf course for all time."

www.ridgeatmanitou.com

By IAN ROSS 

Northern Ontario Business