So what was a non-golfer and city girl like me doing at a golf course in Ashton? This is a…read morelegitimate question! I was actually there for a Charity Gala put on by an organization called "Health and Charity" in support of CHEO (the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario). So this review is exclusively for this location as an event venue (not a golf course).
The event I went to was held outdoors under tents and had about 300 attendees. I feel like this number was a little too much for the place to handle. Physically the space was fine, they had lots of space and we were not crammed in. However, it was other things like we were tables of 8 and they had 1 water carafe for each table and each carafe held about 2.5 glasses worth of water. This would be fine if everyone's water glasses were already filled and the carafe would just be used to top up water, but this was not the case. The water glasses were empty! Our table at least had a carafe, I saw a table next to us where their water receptacle was a large mason jar.
Another thing was the women's washrooms. The one on the main floor had only 2 stalls, so there was a huge lineup. They had more washrooms upstairs (not sure how many), but most women, including myself, were in sky-high heels and so we opted not to walk up a flight of stairs.
The premises did have charm. The place is a bit older and has a rustic feel to it. If you are looking for modern, this is not the place, but if you are looking for older with character, then this would be the place.
The tents were great. It was really cold outside, but we were warm under the tents.
The food was good. We had the roasted red pepper soup, chicken breast with mashed potatoes, red pepper, carrot and green beans in a cream sauce, and mini desserts (carrot cake, sugar pie, and Nanaimo bars). Everything was very "safe" in terms of flavours. Nothing too creative nor unusual, which I think is ideal when you are serving a large number of people with varying levels of tolerance for culinary adventure. Nothing was bland though, everything tasted very good.
Staff were very pleasant and nice. One server even went to check to see if they had Earl Grey tea for me (which they didn't).
There's lots of parking, but the main parking lot is small and the large spillover parking lot is not paved. My heels did not like this, lol.
Please keep in mind that I am a big city girl who feels that Ottawa is too small. I like the big, bright, modern, and slightly sterile aesthetic, haha. So this place is not my cup of tea (Earl Grey, or otherwise). But I do recognize that not everyone has the same tastes that I do, and all things considered, I think they did a good job as the venue for the event.
I think this place would be a great venue for a smaller event for someone looking for a small town/country feel. I mean, hey, it's a golf course and country club, and not a convention centre, right? So 4 stars for what it is.