Photo: Courtesy Wooden Sticks

The closest most of us will come to playing Augusta National is on a golf simulator somewhere.

But how many of us hackers have longed to walk down the 13th fairway at Augusta having navigated Amen Corner? Even, successfully?

Augusta isn't the only venerable layout. The Old Course at St. Andrew's is attainable but it's expensive and you have to get to Scotland first. And Pebble Beach? Well, I have to pay off my mortgage, so PB will have to wait.

There is a public golf course just outside Toronto which addresses this issue very nicely.

The owners decided to design a course layout where many of the holes are modeled after famous holes on famous courses around the world.

It's called Wooden Sticks and from the championship blocks, the course measures over 7 thousand yards. Now that's long enough to host a tour event!

And, boy, wouldn't the pros be surprised when they stepped onto the tee on number 4, for example, and there before them lay, spread out in splendor, the treacherous 13th at Augusta.

After putting out on the 9th at Wooden Sticks, inspired by Pine Valley, the pros would then walk up to the 10th and find the same dangers that lurk on the first hole at St. Andrew's Old Course.

Troon, Carnoustie, Augusta, Pine Valley, Oakmont. They're all here at Wooden Sticks.
Famous holes with names like "Hogan's Alley" from Carnoustie, The Road Hole from St. Andrew's, The Postage Stamp from Troon - are all rendered as faithfully as possible at Wooden Sticks.

And the finishing holes? How about the famous 17th at Sawgrass with island green topped off with the 18th at St. Andrew's complete with that famous stone bridge from which Jack Nicklaus waved farewell several years ago at his final British Open.

It's not possible, of course, to "cut and paste" history but playing at Wooden Sticks has to give the amateur a sense of what the real deal is like.

And, remember, this is a public course!

To make the golf experience even better for the intrepid traveling amateur, Wooden Sticks offers six on-course luxury cabins that can sleep four each. They have stay and play packages and even a limited number of individual memberships.

If you don't want to stay on the course, there are plenty of nearby hotels and motels. And no shortage of really good restaurants, either!

Their website has all the information plus details of each course along with a photo.
Wooden Sticks is a great idea for a golf course. And these guys have done it right.

If you know of a similar course in your part of the world, let me know! We'd all love to hear about it!

In the meantime, look out, Jones, I'm playing through...