At the base of Blue Mountain is Monterra, one of Ontario’s most popular resort golf courses. Designed by Canadian golf architect, Tom McBroom, Monterra was developed as a traditional links course, encompassing rolling bent grass fairways, razorback mounding, 86 bunkers, seven lakes, ravines, creeks and some spectacular elevated tee shots. But aside from the vistas and challenging course layout, Monterra hosts a secret that only locals and members know about.
Just below the edge of a steep bunker on the 15th hole (aptly named Coffin) lies a tombstone donning the words:
Here lies
Johnny Scratch
Who died suddenly here
After shooting a tidy 13
The marking is appropriately buried six feet under the peak of the bunker and is only visible to those who unfortunately find themselves on the backside of what can be described as a golf ball’s tomb.
Avid golfers at Monterra have other versions of the 15th hole’s story that range from mystical and eerie to just plain hilarious. “I have a friend who golfs at Monterra and he swears there is a found ball in the bunker every time he plays the 15,” noted Kevin, a seasonal member at Monterra. “He says it belongs to the ghost of the golfer buried there but come to think of it, his own ball always seems to land just outside the bunker when we play the hole together.”
Monterra Golf Manager, Adam McCutcheon, elusively shares what he knows of the origin of the dark marking saying, “I don’t know who put it there nor how long it’s been there but I do know there is a lot of speculation. There used to actually be a wooden coffin in the woods near the hole that vanished a few years ago. I’ve heard that someone called the police about the coffin and had it removed and I’ve heard that it just mysteriously disappeared.”
It seems no one really knows the story behind the tombstone but everyone agrees that it is a very fitting marking. “The course design itself can be quite challenging for some golfers, which is why we built the additional decks to make Monterra playable for any level of golfer,” says McCutcheon. “But the bunker on the 15 will do even the best golfer in.”
Whether you’re up to the challenge of surviving a hole named Coffin or just a golfer with a slight sense of morbid curiosity, you can learn more about Monterra at www.bluemountain.ca/golf or call 1-877-445-0231 to book a tee time.
