Golf

Donald Ross and Alister MacKenzie—names associated with the greatest courses in golf. Augusta. Pinehurst. Cypress Point. Oakland Hills. These are the courses that defined the game.



Only at St. Charles did their paths connect, with Ross and MacKenzie each creating nine holes that together merge into one of the best courses in Canada. Stanley Thompson protégé Norman Woods completed the club, adding nine holes to bring the total to 27. Having hosted the most prominent golf events in Canada, including the Canadian Open, the Canadian Women’s Open, the Canadian Seniors, as well as numerous other tournaments, St. Charles has been consistently tested by the best in the world.

Over 2020 and 2021, under the astute eye of renowned golf designer Jim Urbina, St. Charles will renovate both its Ross and MacKenzie Nines, recreating bunkers in the style of those legends of the game, and replacing the irrigation system. Nine holes will be completed at a time, with the entire project completed and opened to members in the summer of 2022.

Already a historic course—or “classy,” which is what Canadian Golf Hall of Fame writer Lorne Rubenstein called it, St. Charles remains a delightful walk in an unforgettable setting. As Canadian Women’s Open winner Michelle Wie said, St. Charles was “fun and interesting, and a good golf course for a tournament.”



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Keys to St. Charles

Conditioning

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Access to the Course

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Course Designers

Donald Ross

Scottish by birth, Ross learned the game at the fabled Royal Dornoch club in the north of the country. But it was in the U.S. and Canada where he’d have his greatest impact on the game. Once he arrived in North America, Ross became one of the most prolific golf course architects in the game’s history. Over his career, many of Ross’ designs would become among the most recognized in the world, including Pinehurst No. 2, Oakland Hills, and Seminole. At St. Charles, Ross worked in a parkland setting near the Assiniboine River and developed wide fairways, with approaches hit into subtle and devilish greens.

Dr. Alister MacKenzie

An English golf architect who started his career under the watchful eye of the legendary Harry S. Colt, MacKenzie is without question one of the most highly regarded designers in golf. His designs in North America include Cypress Point and Pasatiempo in Californa, and the famed Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. He did not work extensively in North America, and St. Charles is his only design in Canada. MacKenzie’s work at St. Charles features fairways that are narrower than found on Ross’ nine, and is more demanding around the greens. In typical MacKenzie style, the greens feature bold movement.

Norman Woods

A Canadian architect, Woods learned his trade under the direction and guidance of Stanley Thompson, the greatest golf designer in Canadian history. He added the final nine to St. Charles (later renovated by Bill Newcombe) in 1954, assisted by Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Geoff Cornish, who would consult at St. Charles for decades. Woods’ work at St. Charles has a more modern aesthetic than the designs of either Ross or MacKenzie.

Practice Facility

The practice area at St. Charles was already world class, with an indoor hitting and fitting centre, and expanses of grass teeing grounds for each member to work on their game. Now comes TrackMan Range—a revolutionary concept that will allow members to track their swings and the results while they practice.

TrackMan Range provides ball data on each swing you make, allowing members to work on the key elements of their game. Using the new system, members will have the opportunity to have every shot they hit tracked while they practice on an app on their phone.

This is a cutting-edge experience using the latest in technology. Want to play a friendly game on the range with another member? Want to understand how spin is limiting your distance? TrackMan Range will allow you to do just that—and St. Charles’ team of PGA of Canada professionals are engaged to help members get the most out of their golf games.