Course review: Westmount Golf and Country Club
Course Review: Westmount Golf and Country Club (Stanley Thompson, 1931) Architect: Stanley Thompson Overview: Somehow Westmount has always been highly regarded and slightly overlooked at the same...
View ArticleHighlands Links “is the latest in [Harper's] plan of depopulation.”
The discussion of the privatization of Highlands Links continues, this time with an op-ed in the Chronicle-Herald written by Mark Anderson, who I think doesn’t really have much of a handle on the golf...
View ArticleHighlands Links to stay in government’s hands
Highlands Links, the terrific Cape Breton course designed by Stanley Thompson, will continue to be operated by the government. Chip Bird (and yes, a great golf name indeed), field unit superintendent...
View ArticleCourse review: Rideau View Country Club
Course Review: Rideau View (Manotick, Ont.) Designer: Howard Watson/Robbie Robinson Overview: Rideau View finally received some attention last year when it vaulted into SCOREGolf’s Top 100 courses...
View ArticleCourse Review: Royal Mayfair (Edmonton, Alberta)
Course Review: Royal Mayfair (Edmonton, Alberta) Designer: Stanley Thompson (with alterations by Les Furber and Ted Locke) Overview: Mayfair is the blue blood club of Edmonton, mirroring the likes of...
View ArticleDo-overs in Canadian golf architecture
Yesterday I wrote about the potential reworking of Angus Glen’s South Course and whether an extensive renovation would change the perception people have of the golf course. That led me to thinking...
View ArticleGolfweek — Paintbrush, St. George’s tops in Canada
I’m not sure it gets much notice here, but Golfweek, which ranks pretty much everything (Players! College players! Courses! Campus Courses! Caddies!) has come out with its second ranking of Canadian...
View ArticleSt. Thomas G&CC — the benefits of a chain saw
St. Thomas G&CC has long been one of the great hidden gems in Ontario. Partly a creation of Stanley Thompson with some work by Robbie Robinson, the course runs over exceptional ground, with several...
View ArticleCanadian Golfing Heroes
Last Sunday, while conducting a junior golf session, using the wonderful CN FUTURE LINKS format, I asked the kids to name a “Canadian Golf Hero”. Other than their parents, none came up with a name...
View ArticleGirls in bikinis, guys in flip flops — the future of private golf?
Last Thursday I sat on the patio at Squaw Creek Golf Club, one-third of the Avalon Lakes course group in Ohio near the Pennsylvania border. If you didn’t see the golf course from we were sitting, you...
View ArticleCritical time for Highlands Links
On one hand it would appear to be a tough year for Highlands Links. The course fell out of Golf Magazine’s World Top 100 for the first time in nearly two decades, akin to a restaurant losing its...
View ArticleBell Bay owner makes play for Highlands Links
New suitors for Highlands Links have emerged. Well-placed golf industry sources say that Bell Bay Golf Club owner Scott MacAulay, backed with investors from Halifax and involving designer Thomas...
View ArticleHighlands offer faltering, new players involved
Sources have told me that the offer put forth by Bell Bay owner Scott MacAulay and designer Thomas McBroom, along with hotelier PacRim Group, to take over Highlands Links is about to expire. MacAulay’s...
View ArticleOntario courses with poa greens struggle to deal with cold weather carnage
Note: The Ontario Golf Superintendents Association commissioned me to address the issue of winter damage on golf courses this year, something that is exceptionally wide spread. The goal is to circulate...
View ArticleTime has come for government to properly fund Highlands Links
The speculation and rumours surrounding Highlands Links sometimes appear to be trumping discussion of the course. This spring the latest talk had Bell Bay owner Scott MacAulay and designer Thomas...
View ArticleCourse preview: St. George’s reworked
Course preview: St. George’s G&CC (Etobicoke, Ont.) Designer: Stanley Thompson with renovations by Robbie Robinson Consulting architects: Ian Andrew and Tom Doak When it is great already, is it...
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Course review: Westmount Golf and Country Club
The 18th might not be the best hole at Westmount, but it is certainly one of the most breathtaking. I can easily imagine the conclusion of a Canadian Open played on this hole. Course Review:...
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Course Review: Ladies Golf Club of Toronto
The penultimate hole at Toronto Ladies -- one of Thompson's cool short fours. Ladies Golf Club (Thornhill, Ont.) Designer: Stanley Thompson The Scorecard: Toronto Ladies has gained more attention...
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Highlands Links RFP: Seeks operator for up to 42 years
Highlands Links for lease — private operator sought. Chip Bird was keeping a low profile at the dedication ceremony for the statue of Stanley Thompson that was being unveiled at Highlands Links on...
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In Photos: Highlands Links and Stanley Thompson Memorial
Signature par-3 3rd hole at Highlands Links As Rob detailed in his post last week, Highlands Links is in as good a shape as its ever been. It still needs work in many areas (most notably 6), but the...
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