GOODWOOD GOLF CLUB IN UXBRIDGE, ONTARIO. GOODWOOD IS COMMONLY CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCLUSIVE GOLF COURSES IN CANADA
Can’t Touch This: Canada’s Most Exclusive Golf Courses ◗ If you have $20,000 and some luck, you might just be able to hit a shot on some of Canada’s most exclusive golf courses. Freelance golf reporter Robert Thompson recently came out with a list of courses across the country that limit membership to a select few. Most price tags on membership will leave you suffering from a case of sticker shock. Take Memphremagog, in Magog, Quebec, for example. The initiation fee is $200,000 and annual membership fees top $20,000. That number is expected to rise to $30,000 in the next few years. Paying that much money has its benefits; namely pristine conditions and little in the way of course traffic. Memphremagog only has 50 members willing to shell out the coin to play, resulting in only 3,000 rounds played per year, well below the average of 20,000 rounds at courses nation-wide. But money doesn’t always play a role in getting a crack at these exclusive courses. Connections and luck also factor into the equation. Goodwood in Uxbridge, Ontario, has only a couple handfuls of members and has continued the vision of its founder, the late Calgary oil entrepreneur Gordon Stollery, who wanted an ultra-exclusive club made of players passionate about golf. But don’t think you can buy a spot into Goodwood with money; there’s no huge
initiation and golfers are invited on an annual basis. Thompson lists Domaine Laforest in Chavleviox, Québec and Redtail Golf Club in Port Stanley, Ontario as other highly exclusive courses. But none of these come close to Craig McCaw’s golf club in James Island, B.C. Rumours abound about the course and its very secretive owner, telecommunication billionaire Craig McCaw. But there seems to some truth to the theory that the easiest way to play this course may be to buy the island. McCaw has placed the island on the market. It’s all yours for only $78 million.
Alberta Flood Recovery Continues One Year Later ◗ Some golf courses have returned to business as usual while others continue to recover more than a year after flooding ravaged properties across southern Alberta. The flood swept through dozens of courses in late June, 2013, affecting 30 properties in total and causing staggering financial losses. “Every golf course in the flood’s path was faced with unique challenges,” says Brent Ellenton, the 2013 executive director of the Alberta Golf Association, in a Calgary Herald interview. Some courses endured a tough 2013 and an equally challenging start to 2014 to come out on top this summer.
Mackenzie Meadow, for example, was hit hard by the rushing waters, but has seen the light at the end of the tunnel. At McKenzie Meadows, the river rushed through the heart of the course through a low-lying area along the 13th hole. The current gouged deep channels through some fairways and deposited rock, silt and debris. Garbage barrels, recycling bins, signs, tires and massive trees that were uprooted floated downstream and lay scattered on the property. “Fifteen holes were significantly damaged,” said course superintendent Wade Bishop in the Herald article. The course was closed for the rest of the 2013 season, but is now fully open and in excellent condition. “It’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get back to where we are today,” says Bishop. “I’m proud of this crew and everyone who came out to help. It’s been a true team effort.” Other courses were not so fortunate. Kananaskis Country Club has yet to begin recovery efforts on the 33 of 36 holes that were severely damaged by the flood. They are still awaiting a decision from the provincial government on what will happen next and have started the “Restore the Vision” awareness campaign to get the community involved in rebuilding the course. Although the future may be seen from different lenses for different Alberta courses, one thing remains certain; the golf industry in the province still has a lot of fight in it. “The industry is rebounding but, unquestionably, the effects of the 2013 flood will be felt for years to come,” said Matt Rollins, the new executive director of the Alberta Golf Association. “The golf industry is proving its resiliency, but the work is far from over.” GM
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