A Barrie golfing tradition continues after more than a century.
From its earliest beginnings in what is now known as Sunnidale Park, the Barrie Country Club has been a part of the city’s community, both on and off the links.
Celebrating 100 years young in 2013, the BCC has a history of birdies, bogies, beautiful clubhouses, curling, a well-known Cooper, cows and some carp.
“World War 1 checked the growth of the ‘queen of sport’,” says local historian Brad Rudachyk, in his book Playing Through: The History of the Barrie Country Club. “Nonetheless, golf continued throughout the war and saw a resurgence in 1919 marked by the construction of a purpose-built clubhouse and the amalgamation of the Barrie Golf Club and Barrie Country Club in 1920.”
During a walk these days through parts of Sunnidale Park, there are still vestiges of the nine-hole course remaining but it’s original clubhouse - which had been a nice facility - burned to the ground in 1958, to be replaced by what is now known at the Dorian Parker Centre, named years later in honour of the former Barrie mayor.
As property was gathered up to expand the course during the 1920s, players in the day and later on could enjoy what Rudachyk describes as the “ultimate” clubhouse.
“Lount’s Castle, built 1877 by William Lount (1840-1903), judge and MPP, boasted a billiard room and a third-storey ballroom. Between 1920 and 1921, the property was known as Inglenook Park Boy’s Home farm,” he says.
With the club growing - and Barrie growing up and around it - it was decided to move to a new location, which would be just north of the newly-incorporated City of Barrie on St. Vincent Street in Vespra Township, now Springwater Township.
Farming fields would later be transformed into a beautiful 18-hole golf course.
“At the time, St. Vincent led to the village of Midhurst and there were a couple of farms from Cundles Road down to Willow Creek,” club historian Anne Arksey tells BarrieToday. “There was nothing else really around the country club at that time.
“I remember some cows getting out from the farm just south of the club and wreaking havoc with the fairways and greens on Hole 17. Huge hoof prints were put into the greens and this would happen several times each year in the 70s and 80s.”
Other critters have managed to make their presence known over the years, with the wooded areas of Springwater Township and Little Lake so close at hand.
“Changes continued with renovations and improvements to the course but when I started at the club, we could not play 14 and 15 in the spring of the year,” Arksey says. “Little Lake would flood and cover the fairways so it was common to see carp splashing around. Over the years, these holes have been raised and the flooding does not happen like in the old days.”
While the move to St. Vincent would include a new 19th hole (clubhouse), it would also include something else new for the BCC: curling.
“The clubhouse was built on St. Vincent in 1969 with curling starting before golf,” Arksey says. “Golf started on June 1, 1970. The building was made of cement blocks - which were all the rage at that time - and was only meant to last 30 years before building a better club house (was necessary).”
A lot of changes have occurred at the BCC over the past 50 years, not the least of which is the beautiful new clubhouse, which opened in 2008.
“A great debate ensued whether to keep the curling rink or not,” Arksey says. “The vote was very close, but eliminating the curling rink won out.
“Curling at the BCC was extremely popular in the beginning, and certainly brought in many non-members to the club, and allowed the club to stay a beehive of activity throughout the winter months," Arksey explained.
“But in the early 2000s, curling was taking a downturn in popularity, and this was also a reason people voted to eliminate the curling rink.”
Over the years, golf tournaments of all levels have utilized the course, memories have been made in the clubhouse and a few famous folks have hit the links and/or enjoyed the fine dining.
One in particular - think a 70s shock rocker - has paid a visit to the club on more than one occasion.
“We were fortunate enough to have Alice Cooper come by every year when John Peters was our general manager,” Arksey says. “He was a personal friend of Vincent Furnier (that’s the name Alice - who is a scratch golfer - uses on his scorecard).”
Willard Kenzie (first mayor of the city of Barrie at the time) brought Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to the Barrie Country Club when the mayor was vying to bring industries to Barrie.
“Having the BCC was a huge drawing card for after-work sports for these industries, much like drawing doctors to RVH is today. Having a wonderful private course, is a huge draw.
“Many of our youth have continued with golf scholarships in the United States. Some have become golf professionals themselves,” Arksey adds.
Now, the club is again a beehive, as parts of society begin to open up after pandemic restrictions are slowly eased.
“Due to COVID, we have had to pivot our business model and offerings quite often and this is true for the upcoming winter season,” says clubhouse manager Penny Letheren.
“So that our membership can have even more access to their clubhouse, we will be converting our event space to a boutique-style gym in one-third of our Trillium Room and a casual lounge with two state-of-the-art golf simulators for the other two-thirds," she said.
