films Criminal and What The Bleep Do We Know!?

Criminal 3/5

This film is a remake of the 2002 film Nine Queens by Argentinean director Fabian Bielinsky and it is similar to the 2003 Ridley Scott film, Matchstick Men.

John C. Reilly plays a conman who chances upon a young conman in a hotel casino. Under the guise of being a police officer, Reilly’s character arrests the young man and offers him a chance to work together. The young man accepts. They spend the day learning trying out new schemes.

The acting is well done by everyone. The story is familiar, so there is no knockout surprise, unless you were totally taken in by the script. You’re on the lookout for a double cross, but just when you think you know what it is, you realize that there’s another twist and turn to the film. Too bad there were less than 20 people in the theatre to see this otherwise entertaining film.

What The Bleep Do We Know!? 1/5

This is a pseudo-science spirituality film for the masses. There is a small drama with Marlee Matlin playing the role of a divorced photographer sent on assignment to a wedding in the same church where she was married. She hates weddings due to the breakup of her marriage by her cheating spouse.

In documentary style, the film utilizes commentary by experts who gush forth with their theories about quantum mechanics, addition to chemical reactions, synapse, cells, proteins and the like. We only find out who they are at the end of the film when they introduce themselves. This may have been done to help keep people from walking out since the film starts out slowly with too much mumbo-jumbo dialogue.

Throughout the film, there’s a lot of animation like what you might see on quality science shows like Nova or The Nature of Things. You see brain cells in action chemically responding to one another or disassociating themselves from one another. There is much talk of neural networks.

There are some interesting parts in the film. There is display of a Japanese photographer who photographed chilled water after exposing the water to thoughts. The water crystals take on attractive but distinctive shapes. The idea that if our thoughts can affect water, imagine how our thoughts can affect people is repeated throughout the film.

It’s may be very impressive to the unwashed masses, but there is a hidden agenda. Most of the people in the film are actually associated with a cult, whose leader, J.Z. Knight, channels a 35,000 year-old warrior named Ramath.

Without a doubt, there are many Stuart Smalley-like moments in the film that make it unintentionally funny. By attempting to wrap up their bizarre beliefs under the blanket of science, the filmmakers have attempted to deceive the audience. This film feels overly long. In fact, I couldn’t wait for it to end. I was also bit put off by what seemed like a few false endings.

film: I Heart Huckabees

2/5

This film is a disappointment. There are funny moments, but overall the acting is forced. There's no feeling of authenticity. It's like watching the acting in a mediocre play.

As for the story, it drowns in pretense. There's so much "existential" mumbo-jumbo thrown around, but it doesn't result in a compelling or highly watchable story. This is a dud for otherwise bankable stars like Dustin Hoffman, Lilly Tomlin, Naomi Watts and Jude Law.

I would not watch this film again. It is nowhere on par with Three Kings, a better David O. Russell film.

2 or three shows at the West End Cultural Centre

I was talked into buying tickets to see Ron Sexsmith at the WECC. I haven't actually listened to his music, but one of friends likes him and really wants to go.



We also bought tickets to see The Rheostatics, one of Canada's best indie bands.

Here's a blub about them from the WECC website:
"The Rheostatics are well-known and much loved for their mesmerizing live show. Never ones to stick to the same staid set list, they treat their audiences to wildly unpredictable performances, showcasing their superb musicianship, stellar songwriting and wry wit onstage. Their sometimes two-and-a-half hour live shows are intense and powerful, managing to create an intimate setting even in the most unforgiving venues; sometimes doing acoustic numbers on the club floor among members of the audience. Sometimes mid-song, the arrangement is taken right out the door and unrecognizably manipulated and distorted, only to come back later, leaving audiences baffled.

Formed during the early eighties in their high school years in the Toronto suburb Etobicoke, the Rheostatics speak volumes to a generation who grew up with the collective Canadian suburban teenage-rock experience. Two decades, twelve albums (not to mention various solo projects by lead guitarist Martin Tielli and a growing library of books by rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Bidini) later, the Rheos are embarking on a tour in celebration of their latest release on True North Records. In the words of CBC Radio’s David Wisdom, “the Rheostatics are Canada’s best band. They should be pictured on the ten dollar bill.”"





We might also see The Bills, formerly known as the Bill Hilly Band.

film Team America: World Police

I normally wouldn't see such low-browe fare such as this, but unexpectedly, one of my friends who was visiting from out-of-town wanted to see it. He loved it and can't wait to buy it on DVD. I laughed as, well, but part of me felt awkward supporting this mindless drivel.

Modelled after The Thunderbirds, Team America: World Police has a plot involving Kim Jong Ill, the North Korean dictator (and hug film fan) and the unwitting prominent Hollywood liberal actors, like Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn and Matt Damon. Apparently, Penn is upset that his name and likeness were used.

Everybody gets satirized in this mariontette spectacle, which is actually visually enjoyable but almost totally swims in toilet humour. Witness unbelievably funny scene with one of the heroes spewing chunks after emerging from a bar. It had the audience in stitches.

Appropriated rated R, kids everywhere will be dying for their clueless parents to buy this once it comes out on DVD (just in time for Christmas, maybe) but it's not aimed at adolescents.

book Rushing To Armageddon by Mel Hurtig

We were supposed to play the Falcon Lake Golf Course today, but there was no chance of that happening with the dreadful weather.

I visited McNally-Robinson to pick up the new issue of Uncut and ended up buying the following, as well:
*Rushing To Armageddon by Mel Hurtig, Sept. 2004.
*Global Rhythm Magazine,Nov. 2004
*Word,Sept. 2004
*New Musical Express,2 Oct. 2004

The Mel Hurtig book is about the weoponization of space and how Canada possible involvement in it. The four magazines all contain mixed CDs.



The Winnipeg premiere of "Women on Patrol" is tonight, with a free showing downtown. Ordinarilly, I would seriously consider going, but with the weather being so unpleaseant, I'm going to skip it. It will no doubt end on CBC Newsworld. The 54 minute documentry is about two Canadian female police officers in East Timor, who are on a UN mission to maintain law and order. They also act as mentors to help establish the local police service. After the film, Lloyd Axworthy and Gwynne Dywer are supposed to participate in a discussion. It would have been a great event to take in, and it's free.

Longwave - Life of the Party EP

Longwave are a New York rock'n'roll band with who could be described as sounding like contemporaries of The Strokes, The Doves and The White Stripes, to name few. Far from having a one-dimensional sound, Longwave encompass garage rock, melodic symphonic pop elements, acoustic guitar and spacey-ambience throughout this very enjoyable EP.

Longwave don't have a unique, identifiable sound. Vocalist Steve Schlitz isn't a singer who's style you can call his own. Despite this, Longwave's strength lies in their diversity and in their ability to compose with feeling and melody, if not attitude.

The EP begins with the whimsical pop of "Life of the Party",a mid-tempo, contemplative tune that if anything, feels too short. It has colour and character, with its distorted vocals and promises more worthwhile music from these guys.

Rocking the garage, "We're Not Gonna Crack" almost sounds like a different band. It's a fast, driving song, but it doesn't sound particularly catchy or unique.

Hold onto your hats. The pop gem promise of the EP is more than fullfilled by the gorgeous "Here It Comes." Stick this into a mainstream Hollywqood film soundtrack and watch it become a massive hit. The track shimmers with orchestration but at no point does it lose its' indie feel to it.

Sounding almost Neil Young-ish, "There's A Fire" is an acoustic number in which you can clearly hear Schlitz' unexceptional but acceptable vocals. It's not essential listening, however.



The final track, "Sunday Nite Health" begins with spacey-ambient sounds before the indie pop drums weigh in. It's an instrumental with delicate bells and percussion but it's like an unfinished ending to a film. You keep on waiting for it to wrap up in one neat package.

The Life of the Party EP is not overly sensational but it does whet one's appetite for the full-lengh CD, which is being produced by John Leckie of Radiohead and Stone Roses fame.

Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course

Today, after much anticipation, we played the spectacular Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course, located in the Buffalo Point International Resort Facility, 2 hrs from Winnipeg in the south east corner of the Province, across from Warroad, Minnesota and on the Lake of the Woods lake. Only three years old, this has been touted as one of the top four must-play courses in Manitoba, along with Clear Lake, Hecla Island and Falcon Lake.



For the first time ever, we played the blue tees, which are not as long as the black, but are longer than the white and red tees. I teed up to the proper height but ended up hitting the ball straight up in the air, less than 150 yards away on the par 4, 338 yard first hole. I ended up with a 7. I parred the next two holes, and quickly gained my confidence. I had several superb, long drives, along with the usual duffs. I began the second hole with a long drive, just slightly to the left side, which left me an eight-iron to the green, about 130 yards. The lake is directly in back of the green and with the bright sunlight reflecting off of the water, it was almost impossible to see the ball land. I ended up on the green and ended up with a par. The third hole is 168 yards long. I reached for my 7-iron, but realized that it was missing. I drove the cart back to the 2nd hole and asked the twosome behind us if they had seen it. They hadn't so I walked through the bush on the left side, where I was looking for a partner's ball earlier. No luck. I opted to return after the round was over to look for it again.

I teed off with a six-iron on the third hole and ended up pin-hi, but on the left side of the green. My chip shot was close enough to alow me to one-put for another par. This is another hole with an awesome view of the lake, just to the right of the fairway. Regardless of how we ended up playing, I vowed, along with another partner, to return to this gorgeous golf course. I should bring a camera next time.

After nine holes, I ended up with 51 (two pars) while my partners shot 50 (one par), 55 (one par) and 45 (two pars.)

The par 4 tenth hole is only 422 yards from the blue tees but I ended up with an 8. I then parred the par 5 number 11, triple bogey 7 on the 12th, bogey 4 on the 13th, par on the par 4 14th and par on the par 5 15th. On the 13th and 14th holes, I had brilliant, long drives, and I hit the greens in regulation. In fact, on the 15th hole, I miss-hit my 2nd shot with the 5-iron and ended up on the green in three. Had I made a clean shot, I'm sure I could have made the green in two, putting for an eagle. The hole is 554 yards long.



The final hole also borders along the lake. Unfortunately, I duffed my drive and it hit the rocky bank and scooted deep into the lake. My second tee shot hooked to the right and I ended up with an 8. This hole is a bit tricky for first timers. Hidden from the tee box is what can only be described as a huge section of the beach that juts two-thirds of the way into the fairway. If you hit long enough tee shot, you can essentially end up in what is a massive, massive sand trap. It's more like a pit than a trap, and one of our partners ended up in it.

This is a beautiful, challenging course. Given the relative difficulty, I wasn't disappointed to score 103. My parters ended up shooting 98, 98 and 111. From the blue tees, the slope rating is 121. By comparison, here are the white tee slope ratings of some of the other courses we played this year: Assiniboine 105, John Blumberg 111, Carman 114, Kingswood 120, La Verendrye 116, Minnewasta in Morden 124, Pinawa 118, Portage 117, Rat River 116, River Oaks 108, Steinbach Fly-In Club 119, Teulon 112, Tuxedo 100, Windsor 93, Winkler 100.

film: The Forgotten

The X-Files tv show dragged on too long before ending. This film is directed at those who just can't get enough of conspiracies.

Julianne Moore plays a mother and wife who discovers that all references to her child, are gone. Her child was apparently one of 6 children who died in a small plane crash 14 months before.



She appears to be unhinged. Each day she opens a draw to review memorbilia of her son. Soon, her world begins to crash all around her. Her shrink tries to convince her that she never actually had a son, but she had a miscarriage and has re-created the life of her child into a seemingly real memory. She meets her husband on the street and he has no idea who she is. He was never married and believes she has mistaken him for someone else. Is her whole life a lie?

Along the way, she encounters a familiar face at a playground. He initially believes that she is a complete stranger but eventually he ends up believing that he, too, had a daughter who died on the plane crash and that their children were once friends.

Soon, the NSA are involved and then things get far fetched.

There are a few scenes that will make you jump, but they are not particularly scary. The Forgotten is too full of plot holes to be anything other than your last choice at the video rental store.

film: The Motorcycle Diaries

Two twenty-something men from Argentina, one a biochemist, the other a medical student close to graduation, set fourth one a cross-continent journey of South America aboard a 1939 motorcycle. Along the way, their eyes are opened to the changing landscape and particularly to the people they encounter, many of whom are poor and in dire circumstances. These encounters end up shaping their perspectives and changing their lives forever.

Ernesto Guevara is the 23 year-old student. He is awkward around women, honest to a fault, but is obviously a person of principle in the making. Alberto Granado is the biochemist and is much more at ease with himself. He fits in easily with the locals wherever they stop to stay with them. He dances well and totally throws himself into the moment to enjoy the good times with the people they meet. Ernesto, by contrast, is more of contemplative person and has firmer convictions. For example, he refuses to spend the $15 US a girlfriend has given him to buy her a bathing suit in the US, even though he and Alberto are usually starving and in need of shelter. He ends up giving the money away, much to the displeasure of Alberto.



Along the way, there is much swearing in this sub-titled film, as we see the duo wipe out on the motorcycle several times, encounter snow-filled roads in Chilie that force them to walk the motorcycle and generally argue over how to con or not to con people for food and shelter.



The film culminates with the pair arriving to volunteer at a leper colony. On one side of the river is the colony, and on the other side, the medical staff have their facilities and homes. Upon their first visit to the colony, the pair refuse to wear gloves, which is a strict rule, although the gloves are pointless since leprosy is not communicable. Soon, they are embraced by everyone, lepers and medical staff alike. They treat the patients like people, not like pariahs, and end up becoming totally accepted. In one scene, the nuns are serving everyone lunch except our heroes. When they enquire, they are told that only those who attend mass are allowed to be fed. Dejected, they leave the mess hall but find their patients approaching them with food behind the nuns backs.

On Ernesto's 24'th birthday, a party is held by the medical staff,on their half of the colony. Ernesto gives a heartfelt speech in which he praises the people for their generosity and makes mention about how South America should be united since they are all the same people. This is supposed to foretell his later exploits as the revoutionary Che Guevara. After making the speech, he wanders to the edge of the river with Alberto, takes off his shirt and then attempts to swim across to be with his beloved patients.







This film is refreshingly original. The acting all around is excellent.You never get a sense of being suckered in by the typical shallow hooks that too many Hollywood films utilize. There are no outrageous camera angles, CGI or anything else that leser films require to keep you interested. The Motorcycle Diaires is a film about a journey that results in our protaganists opening their eyes and hearts to the humanity around them on the great South American continent. At times, it will put a smile on your face, but it will also make you think of others apart from yourself without the feeling that you are being preached to. Self-discovery and the road to it, has rarely been filmed so well in recent memory. See this film!

John Blumberg Golf Course

Yesterday, I played my fourth round at John Blumberg Golf Course, the best of the City-owned courses.

As the season is winding down, there was no starter. I wonder what the usually grumpy old guy does in the off season. I started off the first three holes rather poorly. The huge amount of wind may have had something to do with it. On the second hole, I sliced a three-wood shot high into the air, sending it to the ditch on the right side, just before the road. Unfortunately, we didn't find the ball. Getting to the green in two was impossible for all the guys in our foursome.



On the par-three third hole, it's usually a 7-iron over the water, to the green. With the wind blowing so hard, I teed up with a 5-iron, which missed the green but left me pin-high. We definitely found putting trickier than usually. The greens were really fast and the wind affected my putting.

The fourth-hole is the first par-5 on the front nine. I drove the ball to the left of the fairway, at least 220 yards away. My next shot with the 5-iron was held up in the air and landed on the fairway, now just a nine-iron to the green. Had there been no wind, the ball certainly would have ended up in the rough.

Hole number 10 parallells the ninth hole. My drive on no. 10 ended up in the ninth fairway. I took aim of the tenth hole flag and let fly a tree-wood shot that ended up...in the 9th hole fairway again! It actually took me four shots to get to the green on what is arguably the toughest par four hole on the course.

The par-5 number 14 is one of, if not, the toughest hole on the course for me. It's a narrow hole along the river. I can't recall the last time I actually left a drive in the fairway. I teed up with a 5-iron, and hoped not to put in the left-side rough. I didn't. I put it in the right-side rough and had to take a stroke to pull it out. I topped my next shot. My fourth shot curved left to right, hit the green and rolled to the right rough, just a few feet from rolling into the river. I ended up with an 8.

The 15-th hole is a gift. It's one of the shortest par-4s at 328 yards. I topped my drive, sending it to the gully, less than 100 yards away. I played a "provisional" ball which I drove beautifully long and to the left. It ended up on the green, about five feet in.

The eighteenth hole is a par four that can be shortened if you cut the corner rather than play the dog-leg to the right. I aimed directly for the scattered trees on the right, which is in a direct line to the hole. I hit one of my longest drives of the day and ended up a few feet away from a tall tree. I couldn't use a nine-iron to go for the green since there were some branches in the way. I chocked down on a 5-iron and aimed for the left-side of the green. The ball headed in that direction and then rolled to the right-side and ended up on the elevated fringe, above the hole. You never aim directly for the pin if you're approaching it from the left side and the green is sloped to the right.

I ended up with 49 and 50 and my partners shot 92, 102 and 103.

When it's really windy, I try to take advantage of the wind, if I can, rather than play against it. So long as the wind isn't directly in my face, I try to aim my shots more left or right. Sometimes, this doesn't work at all, and it usually results in my foursome collectively shouting for the wind to pick up and move the ball towards the hole. Once in a while, I will hit a long, low ball into the wind. How to do that shot on command is beyond me, though. I'll have to learn that shot. I putted fairly well on long shots. I actually slam-danced a few five-footers. The short puts usually kill me, though, as I don't hit them hard enough to take away the break. My approach shots with the pitching wedge have been inconsistent. Too often, I end up leaving the ball on the fringe, when it could have rolled another 20-30 ft to the hole. I haven't skulled many wedge shots lately, which is a good thing.



John Blumberg is another one of my favorite courses to play since it is so wide open on most holes. It wasn't in great shape, though. By and large, there are no cart paths. As a result, in several places, the grass has been cut up with hardened mud tire tracks. On the first hole, in the gully, I found four balls in the mud/grass/water mixture. On the 18th hole, one of the partners lost his ball in the water that snaked across the fairway. In some places, the casual water is a feet wide and a few inches deep. His ball splashed down and then just disappeared.

For whatever reason, there's no fall special at Blumberg. It's full price all the time. Maybe this is due to demand, but on Friday, we didn't see any groups behind us for a long time.

CBC's The Fifth Estate: The Unauthorized Bio of Dick Cheney

A friend mentioned this episode of The Fifth Estate, which aired last night, but will air again Sunday, October 10th at 3:00 a.m. & 8:00 p.m; Tuesday, October 12th at 10:00 p.m; Wednesday, October 13th at 1:00 a.m & 4:00 a.m (all times Eastern.)




"American Vice-President Dick Cheney has walked the corridors of world power for three decades. His use of intelligence and his access to the key players in government and industry have made him one of the most powerful men in the world.

This is the story of Dick Cheney's vision of America. But he has selective vision.

Cheney's remarkable life story involves the relentless accumulation of power in every form. He's been uniquely involved in a large share of U.S. policy and strategy over the past two decades, and regardless of the outcome of this fall's election, he will continue to be one of the most powerful and well-connected men in the world. the fifth estate will show how he accomplished this, what it involved in terms of costs for others, and what history's judgment could be."

River Oaks Golf Course

Today, I played River Oaks Golf Course for the third time this year. We had to golf some place close to Winnipeg, in order for one of our group to attend his bowling game at 7 pm.

The course was packed, and the weather was superb - breezy and in the high twenties. The first hole is 407 yards and turns right about 250 yards in. There's also a small pond along the right side, at the corner. I was first up to the tee. I teed up a Titleist NXT, aimed right over the pond, and pounded the ball long and straight. It flew over the hole and ended up about 100 yards from the hole. I ended up with a bogey but it was a great way to start.



The second hole is only 288 yards but it is narrow and turns to the left, before heading over a small ditch. Completely fearless at this point, I hit a blistering, long drive and ended up with an easy wedge shot to the green. Unfortunately, my wedge shot was a tad short of the green and I ended up with another bogey.

The sixth hole is 293 yards, and turns to the right after about 150 yards and is elevated. You can't see the green from the tee box. I teed up a new-ish Callaway Big Bertha ball and drilled it towards the tees, the shortest distance to the green. It clipped a tree high up, changed direction and ended up on the 2nd hole fairway. When I approached what I thought was my ball, I noticed another ball a few feet away from it. It was identical to the ball that I was playing. It was the same brand and model of ball, even with the same Canadian Greek Open logo. Two of hte golfers from the 2nd hole approached and I asked them if they were playing Callaways. I mentioned what specific logo ball I was playing and one of them was bowled over. He said what were the chances that he would meet someone playing the exact same logo ball for a tournament that he was the organizer of!

On the front nine, I shot 46 with one par and my partners shot 45, 48 and 51.

On the back nine, I had three pars on the last four holes. On the 13th hole, a par 5 that runs along the river, I actually drove the ball so straight and long, that it ended up in the trees. From there, I advanced the ball about ten yards after hitting a tree on the way out of the rough. My next shot ended up to pin-hi but to the right of the green. I ended up three-putting for a bogey. In one moment of triumph, all four of us actually parred the 15th hole, par 3. On the 18th hole, I teed the ball up too high, without noticing it, and shot it high but only about 100 yards. Facing about 220 yards to the hole and not feeling confident about playing a long iron or a fairway wood, I opted for my trusty 5-iron. I then proceeded to hit possibly the longest, straightest shot with that club. It actually landed on the green, and enabled me to two-putt for a par four. It was a great way to finish a very satisfying round of golf.

Finding the ball was particularly difficult due to the amount of dead leaves on the ground. There were also a lot of leaves on the greens, too. I shot 47 on the back nine, and ended up with a score of 93. My partners ended up with 91, 96 and 98.

Bridges Golf Course

Yesterday, I played Bridges Golf Course. This is one of my favourite places to play. The course opened for business in 2000. We used to drive by it on the way to Elm Creek, to play the Scotswood Links course (another fine course, but nowhere near as difficult, designed or refined.)

It was cool at 9:15 am. I wore track pants beneath my khakis, a golf shirt, a sweat shirt and another sweat shirt. I warmed up at the free driving range, which is also one of the few ranges where you can hit off grass. You get a sense of "bigness" when you walk up to the first tee and look around you. Looking around, you see lots of imaculate green.

The first hole is a wide and long par 4. I ended up one the right side, about 150 yards from the green and left my second shot pin high but to the right of the green. The second hole is a par 5 which dog legs to the right and has water on the right. The third hole is a tough one. Unless you hit a long tee shot, you'll be hitting three to the green, which is over water. Fourteen of the holes have water in play. And, there's lots of bridges to drive over, hence the course's name. Hole number nine is about 348 yards but has the La Salle river running through it, in front of the green. All three of my playing partners ended up in or beside the right-hand fairway bunker. With 155 yards to the pin, you have a difficult shot out of the sand, over the water and onto the elevated green. It's an intimidating shot, even from the fairway, right in front of the steep bank to the river.

15th hole

The tenth hole is narrow with the La Salle River on the left. You can actually put yourself less than 20 yards to the green, if you hit a long tee shot over the corner, but I haven't been able to do that. Hole number 17 is a dog leg to the left with water all along the left. I ended up in the water on my drive, but I put my second shot in the bunker sand trap, and almost holed it for par. I ended up with a bogey. The best putter among us ended up four-putting after shooting out of the same sand trap. The 18th hole is a par five that no mere mortal can reach in two. You play your second shot to the left and hit your third shot over water (surprise, surprise) and onto an elevated green. From 150 yards away, your approach shot is intimidating. The next time I'm there, I'm going up a club or two to ensure I get on the green.

Only one of us broke 100 and he shot at least ten strokes worse than normal. I improved by 13 shots on the back nine, which was a small victory for me. I think my swing was somewhat restricted by all the extra clothing that I was wearing.

The club house is beautiful. We stayed for a reasonably priced meal. One of my partners commented on how fantastic the formal dining room is for events. This place hosts weddings, as well.

clubhouse dining room

There are no memberships available at Bridges, but you can buy ten-packs of games for $499.00 (with carts.) A normal round with a shared cart is $55 per person. We played during the fall special which is $40 per person, with a shared cart. The location is about 11 minutes from Oak Bluff, which about less than ten minutes from my home. Despite not shooting anywhere near my personal best, I had a great time and look forward to playing the course again.

2 Rounds at LaVerendrye Golf Course

Last year, I played three rounds of golf in the same day at La Verendrye golf course, located in La Broquerie, less than an hour from home and near Steinbach. Today, I played rounds on what was supposed to be our first snowfall this fall. I didn't snow, but it was around 1 degree celcius when we left town. The golf course was wet, cold and very windy. Consequently, we didn't play a stellar round, but all things considered, we did okay. When we teed off at 10 am, there were only 3 or 4 other golfers on the course. We used the coupon from the newspaper that gave us all the glf we wanted for $30 per person, powercart included. Surely, this is one of the best deals for Manitoba golfers. The course is fairly wide open, with some intimidating holes.



On the way home, I drove through Steinbach, which is home to the very fine Fly-In Club golf course. This course always seems packed. Although LaVerendrye is only about ten minutes away, it is usually not very busy at all. I sometimes wonder if their restaurant makes more money than the golf course. I also can't believe the number of people who live in Winnipeg but are unaware of this course.

LaVenrendrye's most famous hole is the par 6 number 17. It's long and wide but unless you hit three really long shots (and a great approach shot), you're going to take a lot of strokes to get to the green. When it's not wet, this is one of my favourite courses to play.