FROM THE ARCHIVES BY MARY WATSON

FORE! THE LITTLE GOLF COURSE THAT GREW

In the late 1930s, the two Conacher brothers (yes, the Conachers of NHL fame) purchased a tract of land off Golf Course Road, then located in Flos Township, and their dream of a golf course began. The acreage was bounded partly by Marl Lake, the home of many Canada Geese returning every spring. It was and still is quite picturesque. A dirt road ran from Golf Course Rd to the lake, and it was this road that provided the entrance to a 9-hole golf course called the Wasaga Golf & Country Club. Now you’ll have to set your mind to the existing front 9 at Marlwood to picture how this 9-hole course was laid out. The first hole of the original course started at what is now the 6

th hole, and a

small trailer, parked on the right side behind the tee box, was the pro shop. The men’s tee on the existing 6

th is basically where the 1st tee was located. The 1

st hole was a Par 4 and ran pretty

much along the present fairway to the existing green, backing onto Marl Lake. The 2nd

hole is now the dreaded 7

th (my personal nemesis), and yes, the creek existed then but was more of a ditch.

It was a Par 3 and ran roughly to the existing green. The 3rd

hole is now the 8th, except in those

days there was a large apple tree on the right corner of the fairway and a sharp dog leg left to the green. It was a Par 5. Remember, there were no condos then! After a short walk, you came to the 4

th tee, with the fairway working its way back towards the 1

st tee. I think you can see how the

course was laid out. The 9th hole (which is now the 5

th) was a Par 5 with a dog leg left, roughly

just before the pitching area to the present green. There was a big tree in the fairway at the start of that dog leg and a huge stand of tall oaks you had to try to hit over if you didn’t stay centre or right when working your way to the green. At 595 yards in length, it was known as one of the longest Par 5s in the area. The 1946 brochure “Wasaga Beach Annual” states that “the little 9-hole course a mile from the beach is considered a real challenge”. Our first Mayor, Clair Robertson, caddied in the mid 1940s and recalls that the top golfers of the day were Norm Dyce who owned the Dyconia and Tom Watson, another well-known local resident. By the end of the 1940s, the owners had visions of building a proper clubhouse and extending the golf course to 18 holes. One brochure advertised it as a “beautiful modern country club house costing $120,000”. At that time, you could become an owner/member by purchasing a share in the project. Unfortunately, sales of shares didn’t go very well and the Conachers lost the property for a while. They did manage to get it back, built the clubhouse and created another 9 holes to the south of the first 9. A swimming pool was added in the 1950s. The original pool was larger than its present size, but was downsized considerably in the 1980s when regulations changed and lifeguards were mandatory for larger pools. They did this by pouring a smaller pool within the original one, solving the problem quite efficiently. The clubhouse and pool exist today, with only a few cosmetic changes made. Another brochure dated 1950, and called “The Wasagan”, proudly stated that the golf course had been “further developed and a large Club House, as modern as any of its kind, has been built for the enjoyment of its patrons”. It went on to say that “the Club is situated on the shore of a small lake and consists of an 18 hole course”.

Clubhouse 1950s

Bar Area 1950s Dining Room 1950s The golf course was very popular and social life was busy at the clubhouse as well. Don’t forget that until 1962, the Village of Wasaga Beach was dry, so if one wanted to enjoy a wee nip without having to find their local bootlegger, they could go to the golf course because it was still in Flos Township which was wet. It was either that or drive all the way to Collingwood. According to Thelma Morrison in her book “Wasaga Saga”, if you weren’t a member of the club, they would add an extra 25 cents to your bill for your cocktails as a membership fee. That nicely got them around the liquor laws of the day. The golf course was sold to Pat and Mary Burton in the 1960s and a few changes were made. The bar area in the clubhouse was revamped but the dining room remained much as it is today. There were male & female change and shower rooms in the basement as well as locker rooms. In order to play golf, you walked up the clubhouse ramp with your clubs and pull cart, through the front door, down the hall to the right of the fireplace and out a ramp at the back door, where the outdoor patio and pool is now located. When you were finished, you reversed your direction. If the Burtons decided to close early or you were late coming off the course, you had to fight your way through a hedge to the right of the clubhouse to get to your vehicle.

Aerial View 1960s With the creation of an 18 hole golf course, the 1950s front 9 had to be changed. The original 9

th

became the 5th and was shortened to remove the dog leg left which had originally taken you back

to the trailer. The original 1st became the 6

th and remained virtually the same. There was an old

hand pump between these two holes with a tin cup tied to it that gave endless ice cold water. Since ice coolers weren’t the norm in those days, this pump was well used. As for the back 9, the 10

th hole was the same as now, as were the 11

th and 12

th holes. Teeing off on the 17

th tee meant

you had to hit over the exit road and a pond, and a few exiting cars received some bumps and bruises in those days. And you may recall that one had to ring a bell after coming off the 18

th

green because it was hidden beyond a long dog leg right. Many of the long hitters would try to hit over the thick trees on that bend. I’m told that this bell was donated by the Men’s League in memory of George Modler, a familiar face on the golf course back in the day.

Remember the entrance and exit to the golf course once the 18 holes and clubhouse were built? You would enter off Golf Course Rd and drive down a dirt driveway lined on each side with many cedar bushes. These eventually grew into large trees which hung over the road, and your drive was a like a tour through a tunnel. The exit was a separate dirt driveway that came out further north onto Golf Course Rd, but exited onto a dangerous blind curve. This driveway was eventually closed up and the entrance became the exit as well. Then you had to be careful someone wasn’t coming in while you were going out. The existing parking lot is basically in the same location as before. The property was purchased from Pat Burton by Gary McKenzie in the 1970s, and again, not many changes were done during that time. The golf course was bought by Don Sherk and John Kirk in the late 1980s and renamed Marlwood Golf Course. With their development of Marlwood Subdivision, the front 9 was substantially redeveloped. Many mature trees were removed but over time, they grew and filled in the course once again. The clubhouse was updated somewhat and the overhang at the front door was built. The back 9 was left as it was originally laid out and for that season, only the back 9 was available for golf.

Front Overhang 1991 Aerial of Redevelopment of Fr.9 1960s The property was sold to Baywood Homes in the 1990s and a second smaller subdivision was built around the back 9, substantially changing the last five holes. A large berm was created between the 12

th and 14

th fairways, a pond was put in between the 13

th and 14

th fairways, and the

17th and 18

th holes were changed entirely to allow for the construction of homes. The bell has

been moved so that you now ring it when you come off of the 17th green. The proposed changes

were quite controversial at the time but the back 9 has matured nicely. As you can see by this story, the little golf course certainly did grow. There have been many changes over the years but it remains an important focal point for Wasaga Beach, for both residents and visitors alike. As Marlwood continues to thrive and grow as a GAO approved golf course under the excellent guidance of their new General Manager Myles Bradford, we will all continue to enjoy what it has to offer. And you know what? The silly geese are still there! Many thanks to those who helped me put this story together. You know who you are! First printed in the Wasaga Sun on 24Aug2011.

Our new 16-month Archive Calendar is now available and can be purchased at the following outlets: Chamber, Jewel Box, Edgewater Cottages, Beeches by the Bay, Foodland, Town Office, Library/Archives, Pedro’s, Luau Motel, Pizza Dee’s, Sears, RecPlex Office, Home Hardware and Eclectique Boutique. It is a limited edition with only 1000 copies printed so they’ll go fast! Mary Watson is Archivist for the Wasaga Beach Archives. If you would like to contact Mary with any historical information, pictures or questions, you can e-mail her at archive@wasagabeach.com.