Link to:
Presidents | Sources
The formal organization of golf in Winnipeg can be traced back to John Harrison of Virden who visited the city in June 1894 to promote the formation of a golf club for like-minded interest. A meeting was first planned at the Manitoba Hotel on 28 June 1894, though deferred to a meeting at the same venue on 5 July 1894. The Winnipeg Golf Club was formed at this meeting, which was presided over by W. B. Scarth and pro tem Secretary W. W. Beaton. The first enrolled members were W. B. Scarth, J. G. Moore, D. J. Beaton, J. M. Somerville, A. Eggo, J. Eggo, W. W. Walsh, C. Graham, W. G. Barnet, H. G. Wilson, W. W. Beaton, D. Simpson, James Haggart, John Harrison, H. Cameron, R. Stewart, and Canon Coombes. Scarth, Simpson, Somverville, Beaton, and Harrison formed the club’s governance committee to set rules and write a constitution. An exhibition round of golf at the Winnipeg Cricket Grounds was held later that day.
Membership fees in the new club were set at $3 for gentlemen, $1 for ladies, and $5 for families (including purchaser and ladies of the family). Within three weeks, holders of family memberships included Angus Kirkland, J. Stewart Tupper, Colonel Boswell, Mr. Kirby, G. F. Brophy, A. C. Killam, Mrs. Knight, F. H. Brydges, Major Ruttan, and Dr. Pennefather. Single members included F. W. Ferguson, J. Stanley Hough, Heber Archibald, Howard Wright, A. Macdonald, Charles Flexon, G. F. Stephens, A. Whealler, and W. H. McHarg.
The club acquired rights to a cow pasture in the community of Norwood owned by the Norwood Improvement Company, opening a primitive course on 21 July 1894. The club used that site until the fall of that year, when it was decided to relocate operations to land acquired south of Portage Avenue, backing onto Mulvey School. An 18-hole course operated there for 12 years until the property was sold and turned into Happyland. Rates were updated in 1900, with annual subscriptions raised to $10 for men, with ladies being admitted at no charge, though charged $1 for locker use. Membership grew steadily, and by 1903, the club had almost 150 members, of which 43 were ladies.
To avoid confusion with the Winnipeg Golf Club Limited, the Winnipeg Golf Club changed its name to the Norwood Golf Club on 23 March 1914. The club incorporated in 1933 and membership ranged between 200 and 300 golfers. It operated through the 1947 season but despite electing executives for the 1948 season, and vows from the membership to “carry on,” the club folded. Its golf course was sold for use as a residential subdivision and the members joined other clubs.
Period
President
1894-1896
William Bain Scarth (1837-1902)
1896-1897
D. Simpson
1897-1898
Duncan Wendell McDermid (1858-1909)
1898-1899
Thomas Robinson
1899-1900
Charles Patrick Wilson (1859-1931)
1900-?
Samuel Peck Clark (1859-1924)
?-1901
Walter Reginald Baker (1852-?)
1901-1902
Francis Lawrence “Frank” Patton (1857-1932)
1902-1903
F. Phillips
1903-1904
John Benning Monk (1856-1947)
1904-1905
Alexander Ross Hargraft (1860-1919)
1905-1906
Thomas Alderson Anderson (1855-1919)
1906
Kenneth B. Stoddart
1906-1907
Charles Patrick Wilson (1859-1931)
1907-1908
Henry Arnold Burbidge (1874-?)
1908-1913
Herbert H. Pigott (1857-1927)
1913-1914
H. D. Patterson
1914-1915
William Cleland Hamilton (1881-1943)
1915-1922
Robert C. S. “Bob” Bruce (1867-1952)
1922-1923
E. John Townshend
1923-1925
Richard Lippincott Denison (1889-1980)
1925-1939
Walter Percy Over (1874-1944)
1939-1941
Allan Anderson
1941-1943
James “Jimmy” Prentice
1943-1948
Harold Richard Parker (1906-1993)
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Norwood Golf Club (156 Lyndale Drive, Winnipeg)
“Sporting notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 June 1894, page 4.
“The Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 July 1894, page 4.
“Royal game of golf,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 July 1894, page 4.
“A meeting will be held at the Manitoba hotel to-morrow evening,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 June 1894, page 8.
“[Among a large number who have joined the new club...],” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 July 1894, page 3.
“Golf,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 July 1894, page 4.
“Winnipeg Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 July 1894, page 4.
“[The new golf club...],” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 July 1894, page 3.
“Opening of the golf links to-day,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 July 1894, page 5.
“[The golf club held its opening meeting...],” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 July 1894, page 3.
“New golf grounds,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 August 1894, page 4.
“Sporting notes.” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 August 1894, page 4.
“The Golf Club’s new course will be opened on Saturday next,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 April 1895, page 4.
“Golf.” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 September 1895, page 4.
“Annual meeting of the Winnipeg Golf Club and election of Officers,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 April 1896, page 4.
“Golf.” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 April 1899, page 3.
“Sporting news [The Winnipeg Golf Club],” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 April 1900, page 3.
“Golf,” Winnipeg Tribune, 22 May 1901, page 3.
“Golf,” Manitoba Free Press, 7 May 1902, page 5.
“Golf,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 April 1903, page 8.
“The game of golf,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 June 1903, page 24.
“Winnipeg golf club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 April 1904, page 6.
“Golf club ready for the season,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 April 1905, page 8.
“Winnipeg Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 April 1906, page 9.
“Golf Club meets,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 April 1906, page 6.
“Winnipeg Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 April 1906, page 6.
“Annual of Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 April 1907, page 6.
“Annual of Golf Club,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 April 1908, page 6.
“Ask new road to Bird’s Hill,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 April 1912, page 1.
“Golfers to stay on Norwood links,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 April 1913, page 6.
“Golf Club name changed to end all confusion,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 March 1914, page 10.
“R. L. Denison to lead Norwood Golf Club,” Manitoba Free Press, 20 March 1923, page 14.
“Norwood Golf Club prepares,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 January 1928, page 12.
“Norwood Golf Club prepares,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 January 1931, page 21.
“Norwood Golf Club has unique distinction,” by Ralph Allen, Winnipeg Tribune, 1 August 1931, page 19.
“Norwood Club 40 years old,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 February 1934, page 15.
“Over is again Norwood Chief,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 March 1935, page 12.
“Norwood plans opening May 7,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 April 1938, page 13.
“W. P. Over resigns golf post,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 November 1939, page 14.
“Anderson is golf leader,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 November 1940, page 17.
“Norwood golfers return Anderson at 46th Annual,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 November 1940, page 24.
“Prentice golf Prexy,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 November 1941, page 22.
“Norwood golfers ready for play,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 April 1942, page 13.
“Norwood Golf Club names Jim Prentice,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 November 1942, page 15.
“Parker is golf leader,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 November 1943, page 16.
“Candidate,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 November 1944, page 13.
“Norwood Club will continue,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 November 1944, page 18.
“Norwood golfers prepare,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 December 1945, page 11.
“St. Boniface council gets offer on housing,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 April 1946, page 15.
“Parker heads Norwood again,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 November 1946, page 15.
“Option let on Norwood Golf Course home sites,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 May 1947, page 11.
“Pre-construction development scheme,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 August 1947, page 11.
“Norwood Golf Club will carry on,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 November 1947, page 22.
“Lyndale Drive where rockeries spill petunias into the road,” by Lillian Gibbons, Winnipeg Tribune, 26 June 1948, page 11.
“First golf club here was ‘cow pasture’,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 October 1961, page 41.
Manitoba Links: A Kaleidoscopic History of Golf by John Alan Hackett, Gold Quill Publishing, 1998. [Winnipeg Public Library 796.3520971 HAC]
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 2 September 2020
