It took a ton of hard work and a lot of patience before the Granite Hills golf course finally became a reality.

The 18-hole layout near Lac du Bonnet, which was cut out of a forest, opened in August of 2007.

Elevated tees, huge greens and magnificent lakeshore views are what make the Les Furber designed course a must-play.

"Every year it gets better and better," said Gilles Gauthier who is part of the ownership group. "It looks fantastic."

"Different places you go golfing and then you come over here - the lake makes such a difference. You’re golfing and there are boats going by, and sometimes planes are flying over and landing in the water, it makes for beautiful scenery."

The lake comes into play on the par five third hole as well as four of the final five holes on the back nine.

The most spectacular view though is from the black tee on the par 4 14th hole.

"It was a par three so we made it a bit longer by blasting the rock and moving further back with the black tee on the rock so you can see the 13th hole," said Gauthier. "It's a beautiful hole, no doubt. Everybody is trying to drive the green from the white tees. It's a little bit tough but a lot of people do it. It's a nice hole."

"A lot of people play from the white tees but when they see the beautiful scenery from the blue and black tees, they want to hit a ball from the black," added Gauthier. "It's so much more higher and you’re looking at it from a different view. It’s just fantastic."

Gauthier and his crew spent five long years working on the golf course before it finally opened in the summer of 2007.

"It's gone by fast. We worked so hard at this golf course. We built it mostly in the winter time and it was cold. There were lots of trees to move and lots of roots and lots of rock. It was really rocky. We hauled dirt like you wouldn't believe. It was a challenge. It was tough but we got through it and we made it."

Traffic has been on the rise the past few years as more and more golfers decided to make the journey to Granite Hills.

It’s well worth the trip regardless if it’s a half-hour drive or a three-and-a-half hour jaunt.

"It's a little bit far to come from Winnipeg and they know there is a gravel road," said Gauthier. "They're working on it to make it an asphalt road soon. When they see the golf course they come back. They didn't know Granite Hills was that nice."

Gauthier says golfers who play the course for the first time and come off the 18th green are amazed that a golf course with so much elevation change, so much water and so many great holes, is right here in our province.

"They love the scenery. It's a nice golf course. The greens are tough but they love the scenery. It’s all about the scenery."