By Ian Cruickshank

First tees always make me a little nervous but my knees starting shaking like a young Elvis Presley the first time I pulled up to the opening hole of The Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay. The tee soars about four storeys above the valley floor and the eye-popping horizon is all whitecaps and icy blue water. My drive had to thread the shaggy bunkers and serpentine creek on the left but stay short of the woods on the right.

And, as if the shot wasn't tough enough, the two Toms were eagle-eyeing my rickety practice swing. The first Mr. T is Tom Lehman, a US Ryder Cup captain, winner of the British Open and a PGA favourite for nearly 20 years. The second is Tom McBroom, who is responsible for the design of more than 60 courses and is one of Canada's most important architects.

They are the co-designers of Lora Bay, a terrific course located about 20 minutes west of Collingwood that dips and rises along Nipissing Ridge, a chunk of headland that towers above Georgian Bay. When I teed off, it was one of their first opportunities to watch a real life lab rat navigate the stunning maze of holes. Fortunately, I managed to make semi-contact with the ball and sent a weak slice into the rough. The two T's gave me a mad scientist nod and I prayed that there were no electric shocks for wayward shots.

When Lora Bay opened in 2006, Canadians already knew about McBroom's considerable design talents, but what was especially eye-opening was Lehman's commitment to the project. For some PGA stars who add their names to a golf course, the only heavy lifting involved is picking up a sizeable check. But Lehman, who has been involved in about 20 golf course designs, made the trip to Lora Bay at least a dozen times to collaborate with McBroom. The two admitted that they battled over certain holes. McBroom was adamant about redoing the nasty-hard green at the powerful 7th, a 214-yard par 3, making it more receptive for the average ball-whacker. At the stunning 16th , a par 5 that bends above the bay, Lehman held his ground on keeping the thick, grassy ridge that looms up about 200 yards off the tee.

In the end, it's their passion for details that make Lora Bay such a memorable layout. Instead of razing the land, they left a barn, apple orchard and century-old stone fence as part of the design. They punctuated the holes with serious, fescue-fringed bunkers and big greens that slide away towards the bay. And they unleashed some serious views, especially at the 9th, a long par 4 that doglegs around the corner to reveal a vista of sky and water. It may be the prettiest hole in the province.

Even the clubhouse was well thought out, fitting nicely into the local landscape. Over the last decade, the trend among new courses has been to build Versailles style palaces, all marble and mirrors but Lora Bay has a warm, northern lodge like feel.