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History

In the early 1920's, as more and more people were turning to outdoor sports, golf in particular was becoming increasingly popular in Canada. In 1923, a group of Arnprior and Renfrew men got together and started organizing a golf club. On November 9, 1923, a provisional directorate was established composed of JS Moir, WW Weed, GH Johnson and WHA Short as Secretary. Herb A. Jordan, Jack L. Carswell and J. Peter Gordon headed the Renfrew participation in this venture. A company was formed with an authorized capital of $10,000 comprised of 100 shares at $100 each.

Several properties were inspected and the final choice was 200 acres above Sand Point overlooking the Ottawa River, accessible to both Arnprior and Renfrew communities. On January 25, 1924, the first officers of the club were elected with JS Moir becoming President and WHA Short Secretary-Treasurer. Renfrew members later established their own club in 1929.

Building a golf course is quite an undertaking and in 1924 the original directors, though long on enthusiasm, were somewhat short on experience. The property selected was comprised of mixed farmland and the original No.8 and 9 fairways were cornfields. Karl Keffer, the Golf Professional from the Royal Golf Club in Ottawa was tasked to transform these fields and the rest of the farm into a nine-hole golf course. Mr. Keffer laid out the course essentially as it was before being expanded to 18 holes in 1988. The first 9 holes occupied less than 100 acres of land and even though it took a couple of years to complete, the members were able to play golf in the summer of 1925.

In conjunction with the course construction, M. Sullivan & Son Limited built the clubhouse that was also ready in 1925. The building, a completely wooden structure, was a masterpiece designed fundamentally for a male membership. It served the members' needs for almost 50 years. Included were an extensive ballroom with a high vaulted ceiling and two balconies, a men's club storage and locker room over the kitchen. This room was usually hot and stuffy. The two side verandas provided an excellent view of the river as well as the 9th fairway. Snacks were usually dispensed from the kitchen door to an open sitting area facing the 9th green. Two large fireplaces at opposite ends of the ballroom heated the clubhouse.

1940s

In those early days the members dug in and helped build the caddy hut, painted the building and performed many other chores. Getting the icehouse ready with the aid of Barclay Craig's truck was an annual event. The same co-operative spirit prevailed in 1942 and 1946 when 10,000 seedlings were planted about the course.

The club was also very fortunate to be provided outside help. One example of this was when EN Huyck (Kenwood Mills) donated the first tractor. The 3" steel piping and the tank for the water system were purchased for a nominal amount from Morrow & Beattie, who built the dam at Fitzroy Harbour. Greenskeeper Jim MacPherson and Eddie and Bill Allen were a wonderful help, and no one can ever forget Dick Staye who could turn his hand to anything from building fences to keeping the water system in working order. Help came from many sources in those days and the list of benefactors would be too long for this short history.

With the advent of World War II, everyone became engrossed in more serious activities and it was questionable whether the Club could weather the storm and be available again in peacetime.

Many members dug deep into their own pockets to keep the club going as they feared that its loss now would be fatal. It was during this time that Mrs EN Huyck provided a much needed new tractor, and much of the credit for riding out the storm goes to Barclay Craig Sr., Dr. Howard Box and Harold Short.

1950s

During the immediate post war years, many improvements were made to the course. In 1958 both the clubhouse and the proshop were enlarged.

1960s

In the late sixties a practice fairway was developed and in 1969 a new proshop was built.

1970s

After many debates on the advisability of expanding the course to 18 holes or building a new and enlarged clubhouse, the decision was made to build a new clubhouse. Discussions took place with the Directors of the Arnprior Curling Club to determine the feasibility of combining the two clubs. The Curling Club directors decided to build their own new facility at the Arnprior Fairgrounds. On August 24, 1972, the decision was made for the Arnprior Golf Club to proceed with the construction of their new clubhouse under project chairmen Stan Reid, John Coady and Lloyd Armstrong,. The old, well-loved, original clubhouse was torn down and some of the beautiful trees were also sacrificed.

WE Fancott of Ottawa designed the new clubhouse, and under the direction of Dom Sullivan Jr. of M. Sullivan & Son Limited, with the assistance of Stan, John and Lloyd from the golf club, the new clubhouse was erected. As in the past, local industries supported the golf club with their generosity. Smiths’ Construction Company did all the excavating for the clubhouse, rebuilt and expanded the parking lot and improved the road to the maintenance area at no cost to the club. Pitt Construction Company (builders of the Arnprior dam) provided the excavation for the septic system. Consolidated Bathurst (Gillies Lumber Mill) donated the deck roofing (all red pine) and the ceiling beams, made of laminated douglas fir.

M. Sullivan & Son Limited, builders of the original clubhouse, also built the new clubhouse. It was erected for the cost of the materials only. Dow Badische (Arnprior Carpet Division) supplied the carpeting for the new clubhouse as a donation to the club.

The new clubhouse was ready for occupancy on November 9, 1973 at a cost of $154,761. Attempts were made to use the Club's facilities in the "off season" for club events, facility rentals, cross-country skiing and even a golf clinic, but these were not successful due to its location.

1980s

The early 1980s saw another major project to improve the golf course. In 1981 under project co-ordinator Ted Brydges, work commenced to replace the entire water system. Between September and December the members, under the direction of Howard Kearn of Toto Golf Equipment, laid new plastic pipes down the centre of the first seven holes.

Using a trencher donated by Ottawa Gas, Dan Proulx-a gas company employee and golf club member led the charge down the fairways. As Dan cut the trench for the pipes, other members followed laying the pipe, filling in the trench and replacing the sod. During the lunch break on those cold days from October to December the volunteers appreciated the hot lunches provided by organizer Maureen Reid and the energetic group of lady volunteers.

In the spring of 1982, the last two fairways and all the trees and greens were completed by contractor Gerry Green.

The expansion of the course to 18 holes had long been a dream of the directors and members. Plans, surveys, cost and debt financing estimates etc. were constantly being made, reviewed and updated. Finally, under the leadership of President David Moore and his directors, a concrete proposal was put to the members at a special Debenture Holder meeting on June 3, 1985 and action was authorized at a cost of $700,000.

Planning the layout, developing the cost estimates, investigating sources of financing, constructing  the greens nursery, cutting and clearing  some of the new holes and much more proceeded from 1985 through 1988. On Monday, August 1, 1988, President David Moore hit the first tee shot from the 10th tee to officially commemorate the completion of construction and the course's transition to an 18-hole facility. Although this was  event was welcomed by the membership, much work remained to be done on the fairways and the rough. Great improvements in course conditioning were anticipated in 1989 but these did not materialize and it would be 1995 before the fairways were in excellent condition. With most of the soil trucked in from offsite it was suspected that the problem was a chemical called Atrazine. This chemical is used to kill vegetation in cornfields and it takes seven years to completely leach out of the soil. This may have been why there were only marginal yearly improvements before the fairways attained excellent condition by 1995.

The financial impact of this project was of major concern to the Club due to the level of indebtedness it introduced. Once again club members pulled together and devised many schemes and activities to raise funds including activities by the Ladies Section, the placement of promotional advertising at all of our tees, voluntary personal financial contributions from members and of course the special levy by all membership groups.

The club has been fortunate to receive support from local companies for its expansion and also for various club events. Smiths’ Construction Company (Bill, Nick and Frank) provided special aid through the free loan of their equipment on many occasions and their understanding and generosity with respect to the club's indebtedness must be recognized. For those of us who were members at the time, we will never forget the ribbon of yellow Smiths’ trucks bringing in the soil for the new holes!

1990s

With the new holes improving each year through the mid-nineties, the club became a major business and required a full time manager. In 1996 a Pro/Manager was hired to run the day-to-day operations of the proshop and clubhouse.

Since the construction of the original course, a major problem has been the transport of water from the river to the golf course with sufficient pressure to operate the irrigation system. In 1996 Bob Legault was appointed project co-ordinator to pursue the feasibility of using the quarry on the 2nd hole as a reservoir for the irrigation system. With the help of consulting firm Greer Galloway, the board made a presentation to the shareholders in November, 1996 that received overwhelming approval. The contracts were finalized with Greenwood Paving and Holmes Irrigation. The quarry plus improvements to the existing irrigation system were completed by November, 1997 at a cost of $203,000.00.

With the commencement of the 1998 golf season, the quarry was filled with water and a beautiful new signature hole for the Arnprior Golf Club was born.

The quarry holds 650,000 gallons of water. When the system is in full operation, 20 sprinkler heads can be operating at 50 gallons per minute . During the drought-stricken summer of 1998, the members enjoyed a lush green golf course.

Through the generosity of members Gord Anderson and Bert Gaumond, an aerifier fountain was added to the pond in 1998.

It has been said that when you look from the green on this hole toward the river on a sunny day you can see a rainbow that has been called the "Members Rainbow". As the saying goes - "there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow". Many members have been that pot of gold during times of need.

The course suffered limited damage as a result of the Great Ice Storm of 1998. There were several large areas of tall pines that were damaged, but we were fortunate that none of these areas affected the playing conditions of the course.

Along with the new watering system, a program to expand or build new tees and sand traps was commenced in 1999.

The 75th Anniversary of the Arnprior Golf Club was celebrated in 1999. The year of celebration started with a gala evening attended by current and past members. During this special evening three members were presented with awards for their outstanding dedication to the Arnprior Golf Club:

Aveleigh Ransom - Aveleigh received her award for dedication to the Arnprior Golf Club and for her outstanding golf accomplishments including 27 Ladies' Club Championships,many Valley and Ottawa District championships and as a member of the Quebec Ladies' Team in the 1973 Canadian Championship.

David Moore- David received his award for dedication to the Arnprior Golf Club as a member and director and for his tireless efforts during the course's expansion to 18 holes.

Glenn Buder - Glenn received his award for dedication to the Arnprior Golf Club as a member/ director / president and for his representation of the Arnprior club throughout the Ottawa Valley.

As part of the 75th Anniversary celebrations the new entrance gate was dedicated. Jim Mulvihill was the driving force behind the new gate. Once again, a combination of member donations and construction by club member tradesmen got the job done.

2000s

A new stone bridge was built over the creek on the current 9th hole. The bridge was a gift from retired Colonel Bert Gaumond and is named the "Colonel's Crossing" in his memory.

To celebrate the club's 80th Anniversary a new set of engraved entrance doors were installed at the lower entrance to the clubhouse. Other repairs included a much needed exterior coat of paint, new glass doors for the lounge, installation of new windows and new carpet upstairs and down.

Once again, a special thank you to the club members who generously contributed to improve our club. Special thanks to Brock Sine (Sine Services), Bill and Bob Scheel (Scheel Windows), Bill Griese (Valley Glass), Nylene (Arnprior Carpet Division) and Tom Murphy (signs).

With the increase in the use of power carts a new storage compound was built adjacent to the pro shop.

A major upgrade to the bunkers was completed which included re-shaping and re-filling all of them with the proper sand.

In 2006 the Arnprior Golf Club operated without a club Professional for the first time and achieved success with a full time General Manager and Pro Shop manager.

High temperatures and humidity late in the decade resulted in summer patch disease on our greens. Trees were removed to improve airflow and sun light. New equipment was also purchased to improve the soil texture and playability of the greens.

2010s

Having brought the greens problem under control the club now faced a roof replacement for the clubhouse. Special thanks to club member Scott McEwan of McEwan Homes for arranging the replacement of the roof at minimal cost to the club.

In 2009 club member Terry Forest (an Arborist/Forestry Tech for Hydro One), a representative from Shaw Lumber (Pembroke) and the Ministry of Natural Resources all recommended that we thin out certain treed areas on the course with an emphasis on the red pines. In 2010 the board of directors discussed these recommendations and in the fall of that year a decision was made to proceed with the work starting in the spring of 2011. Many thanks to the teams of volunteer members who came out to assist in the cleanup after the trees were removed. As we approach the mid-point of the 2011 season, the course has recovered nicely from this exercise.

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