Lost Courses

[Lob wedge]

Re: Lost Courses

Found this pic of the Tam O'Shanter complex. Hope it turns out. We often went up there from Scarborough to swim, golf and play hockey when I was a kid. They used to have live bands on Friday nights with pleasure skating. Also went there for overnight hockey camp when I was young. My counsellor was Brad Park, the future Bruins Rangers great!

WOW. Used to visit there occasionally as a kid. Great pic. Thanks

[cuonthe1t]

Re: Lost Courses

Went to hockey school for 2 weeks back in the middle 60's with many hockey greats and boarded over right in the complex with about another 125 kids each week. We played golf once a week and The Little M was the first golfer I had seen that wore a golf glove on both hands

[davepratt]

Re: Lost Courses

Found this pic of the Tam O'Shanter complex. Hope it turns out. We often went up there from Scarborough to swim, golf and play hockey when I was a kid. They used to have live bands on Friday nights with pleasure skating. Also went there for overnight hockey camp when I was young. My counsellor was Brad Park, the future Bruins Rangers great!

Wow! I used to ride the Kennedy Rd. Bus as a youngster to play this course. Always looked forward to the apple pie and large coke after the the game. It was 25 cents! Does my memory serve me correct that the opening hole is on the bottom left of the pic and goes Westward?

[nomullies]

Re: Lost Courses

Always wanted to play Huntington as a kid, heard it was long and tough, but never got there.

Played it many times under both names. Not long and tough but some challenging holes. The 10th par 3 over water was super hard. Hitting the green still meant a treacherous putt depending on where you landed. I'd call it a very pleasant course.

[PuttingIsHard]

Re: Lost Courses

1. Original York Downs, now Earl Bales Park.
2. Northwoods (?), also formerly on Bathurst I think.

Does anyone have a layout or picture of the old York Downs? Ive looked hard and found nada. Would very much enjoy if anyone knows where to find it. Thanks!

[Smogmonster]

Re: Lost Courses

On gone and one in receivership in the Barrie area:

At Base Borden the charming 9 hole Anderson Park course has just been closed down. This happened very quietly and left a very bad taste in the mouths of members because it takes away the option of playing there when the main 18 hole Circled Pines is busy. Plus it was a good value. If it remained open for another year and a bit it would have to remain so because it would have been a heritage site at over 100 years old. Pity.

Settler's Ghost in the Horseshoe valley area has gone into receivership. It has been relatively quiet there over the past few years. It is a nice track but there are many hills and blind shots. Few level lies. Still a fun course though.

[Jayhawker]

Re: Lost Courses

On gone and one in receivership in the Barrie area:

At Base Borden the charming 9 hole Anderson Park course has just been closed down. This happened very quietly and left a very bad taste in the mouths of members because it takes away the option of playing there when the main 18 hole Circled Pines is busy. Plus it was a good value. If it remained open for another year and a bit it would have to remain so because it would have been a heritage site at over 100 years old. Pity.

Settler's Ghost in the Horseshoe valley area has gone into receivership. It has been relatively quiet there over the past few years. It is a nice track but there are many hills and blind shots. Few level lies. Still a fun course though.

Only learned of Base Borden a month or so ago when someone posted they were shutting down. The course sounded awesome and I guarantee I would have been up this spring to give it a whirl.

Settler's seemed to have mixed reviews so I could have taken it or left it. Friend of mine from Barrie really raved about it and played many times last year.

[dmcdam]

Re: Lost Courses

Add Whiteoaks GC in Oakville to this list. There's also 6 holes missing from the original Derrydale layout. I'm sure the other 12 will be gone soon enough.

[Jayhawker]

Re: Lost Courses

Add Whiteoaks GC in Oakville to this list. There's also 6 holes missing from the original Derrydale layout. I'm sure the other 12 will be gone soon enough.

Was Derrydale an 18 at one point? Their website makes it sound like it was made as a 12 hole on purpose.

[4wedges]

Re: Lost Courses

Was Derrydale an 18 at one point? Their website makes it sound like it was made as a 12 hole on purpose.

It was 18 for years.

[Cdncombatmedic]

Re: Lost Courses

There was a course in St Thomas that was closed but I do not recall the name. There was a plaza and Wal Mart built if I remember correctly. Over 10 years now at least.

Oak Hills near Belleville went up for auction last month and did not sell. Highest bid was 600K but did not come close to the min( 1 Mil). I doubt they will be open next year.

[davepratt]

Re: Lost Courses

There was a course in St Thomas that was closed but I do not recall the name. There was a plaza and Wal Mart built if I remember correctly. Over 10 years now at least.

Oak Hills near Belleville went up for auction last month and did not sell. Highest bid was 600K but did not come close to the min( 1 Mil). I doubt they will be open next year.

I'm curious as to how you know what the highest bid was and the minimum. Thanks

[Cdncombatmedic]

Re: Lost Courses

I'm curious as to how you know what the highest bid was and the minimum. Thanks

Through a friend who is pretty well connected around the area.

[Marty Canuck]

Re: Lost Courses

Had not seen this thread before now.

I grew up at the bottom of Ridgewood Rd., directly across the road from West Rouge Golf Course. I was never old enough to play it before they closed it so most of my memories of the course involved BMX bikes, X-country skis and toboggans. There were two great runs on either side of Ridgewood Road for some excellent toboggan runs. In summer I'd roar down the path on the W side of Ridgewood which headed towards East Ave. across one of the former greens which there was also steep slope followed by a steep berm. Used to catch some serious air off of that.

My first golf experience was at the old West Hill Course north of Ellesmere. I don't remember too much about the course now but I played it a few times. The odd memory I have was at the first tee. The spiral wire device you put your ball in for tee priority.

Somewhere in there I also played some indoor golf. The former Bijou Theatre at Morningside & Kingston was converted to a "Golf-o-tron" with a large number of sims. We did that a few times as kids. It was a good way to spend a few hours.

[Arthur Dailey]

Re: Lost Courses

Had not seen this thread before now.

I grew up at the bottom of Ridgewood Rd., directly across the road from West Rouge Golf Course. I was never old enough to play it before they closed it so most of my memories of the course involved BMX bikes, X-country skis and toboggans. There were two great runs on either side of Ridgewood Road for some excellent toboggan runs. In summer I'd roar down the path on the W side of Ridgewood which headed towards East Ave. across one of the former greens which there was also steep slope followed by a steep berm. Used to catch some serious air off of that.

My first golf experience was at the old West Hill Course north of Ellesmere. I don't remember too much about the course now but I played it a few times. The odd memory I have was at the first tee. The spiral wire device you put your ball in for tee priority.

Somewhere in there I also played some indoor golf. The former Bijou Theatre at Morningside & Kingston was converted to a "Golf-o-tron" with a large number of sims. We did that a few times as kids. It was a good way to spend a few hours.

Marty, Thanks, any approximate dates for the closing of those courses (West Rouge and West Hill)?

Have been in the old West Rouge clubhouse now the Community Centre many times but know very little about the course itself.

And remember the Bijou very well. But I eventually spent more time at the West Hill Tavern (Westy) than the Bijou.