Maple City Country Club

Bluewater Pools Chatham BGT Cup Championship

Maple City Country Club developed after incorporation on June 28,1957,with Mr.J.W.Marshall as its'first president.Prior to incorporation,a Syndicate was formed in mid-winter of 1957,as Mr.S.L.Clunis,(later Judge Clunis)called together a group of twenty-five men.Collectively they determined that golf would not perish in Chatham as a result of the sale of the old Chatham Golf Club by its'owners;land which is now part of the Indian Creek subdivision in Chatham.To initiate,the new club,Mr.Clunis,personally signed an agreement to purchase 100 acres of land in Harwich Township from Frank Pidgeon and Sons Limited.This agreement was executed on March 25,1957 for a price of $22,000.00.On November 1,1957,a second parcel of land,immediately to the west of Pidgeon's was acquired from Henry and Alphons Pelgrims,totalling approximately 49.70 acres for $12,000.00.An easterly parcel of 11.02 acres,originally leased from Collins,was purchased in 1969.This gave the club a total acreage in Harwich Township of 160.72 more or less.On May 17,1957,a 7.55 acre parcel of land was purchased in Chatham Township,on the north side of the Thames River from Oscar Velle,for the location of the clubhouse.The purchase price was $6,000.00.Mr.Robbie Robinson(Toronto),was retained as the golf course architect,and after a compromise layout had been agreed upon,construction of the course commenced in 1957.In the autumn of the same year,a contract was awarded for the building of the club house on#2 highway in Chatham Township.Mr Fred Dawes(Chatham)was the clubhouse architect.Under the Presidency of Mr.W.H.Watson,the first full operating year of the corporation,was marked by the opening of the clubhouse in June 1958.Play was originally limited to seven holes.The late spring,resulted in the course being in poor condition until the middle of the summer.In the fall of 1958,the course accommodated play on eight holes with the ninth being a temporary green.In mid-September,the new ninth hole was seeded.In 1959,Mr.S.L.Clunis was president.The first nine holes were completed and open for play.The Chatham Township lands were connected to the Harwich lands by a pontoon bridge,which was designed to open.It was put in place across the Thames River each spring when the river level was satisfactory,and removed in the fall.Col.E.M.Ansell was Maple City's first Secretary-Manager and Eddie Busch,was the first Golf Professional.Mr.F.T.DeBanke,was the president in 1960,and Mr.A.C.Newton,Green's Chairman was responsible for the construction of the new back nine.Mr.Morley Finlay,formerly with the Brantford Club,was the Greens'Superintendent.On September 1960,the new back nine was completed and opened for play,providing,for the first time,a challenging 18 hole layout for members.From 1960 to 1969,there followed a period of consolidation,with financial constraints to keep the club a viable operation.During this period,golf had not the degree of interest,that it has at present.In 1968,the membership accepted the recommendation of the Board,that the clubhouse and property in Chatham Township be sold and a new clubhouse be built on the south side of the Thames River in Harwich Township,to consolidate all the club facilities.Mr.Howard Watson,of the Canadian Golf Landscaping Limited,Lachute,Quebec and Toronto,was retained in 1968,as the golf architect to select the best site for the new clubhouse,and redesign the 18 holes around it.One of Mr.Watson's designs was the Board of Trade Golf Club in Toronto.Mr.Joe Storey was the architect of the clubhouse.On March 1989,the clubhouse was expanded to meet the growing needs of the membership.Additional dining,lounge,pro shop,club and cart storage areas were included in this expansion.Jim Jorden was the architect for this project.In June 2005,a new front entrance,members'lounge,additional dining area and upper deck were completed.Mr.Paul Kershaw was the architect and Y.C.Liu was the engineering firm for the project.John Dengel is the current Golf Professional and Clubhouse Manager,Carol Hooper,as Office Manager is responsible for Administration and is also recording Secretary for the Board.The present golf course with its'watered fairways and championship 6,578 yard layout,offers a challenge to all levels of golfers.Its condition is superb and is set in a beautiful,natural setting along the river Thames,encompassed by an unique geographic"Ox-bow"feature.John Pickard,as Green's Superintendent is responsible for the maintenance of the course and along with his staff are doing an outstanding job.Mr.Bob Gray,formerly a Golf Professional of the Chatham Golf Club,also acknowledged,that these MCCC lands,would make an excellent Kent County golf course location.

Bluewater Pools Chatham BGT Cup Championship - Directions

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