The Royal Ottawa Golf Club is a premier private

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

club located in

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was founded in 1891, and has made major contributions to the development of Canadian golf right from its early years, hosting many important championships and meetings, and continues to do so. Several significant champion golfers have been associated with the Club. The Club has 27 holes of golf.

Founding, early years

The Club was founded in 1891, as the Ottawa Golf Club. It was the host of founding meetings of the

Royal Canadian Golf Association The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), branded as Golf Canada, is the sports governing body, governing body of golf in Canada. Beginnings Golf Canada was founded on June 6, 1895, as the ''Canadian Golf Association'' at the Royal Ottawa Golf ...

(in June 1895), and the Canadian Professional Golfers' Association (in July 1911). Since 1895, it has hosted many significant amateur and professional championship tournaments (see below). The Club's first site, a 9-hole course, was built on land lent by Charles Magee, a real-estate developer, in a section of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

just west of the old Dominion Rifle Range (south of what became Strathcona Park) in what is now known as Sandy Hill. The first

Canadian Amateur Championship The Canadian Amateur Championship, begun in 1895, is the men's amateur golf championship of Canada. It is staged annually by Golf Canada. It was played at match play until 1968, went to stroke play beginning in 1969, and reverted to match play in 1 ...

was played on this course in June 1895. Soon after that, responding to pressure on prime real estate in the rapidly expanding city core, the Club moved to a new site in the province of

, just across the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

from Ottawa to the north, a mile north of

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...

, along Chelsea Road on the property that was one of the founder of

Philemon Wright Philemon Wright (September 3, 1760 – June 3, 1839) was a farmer, lumberman and entrepreneur who founded the Ottawa River Timber Trade in 1806. He was also founder of what he named Columbia Falls Village, mostly known as (or Wrightstown) an ...

's original farms, the Columbia Farm. The clubhouse occupied the stone house that was built by Thomas Brigham, Philemon's son-in-law. This course consisted of 12 holes, of which 6 had to be played twice to comprise an 18-hole round. One of the par three holes was quite unique, in that players had to flight their ball over the barn behind the clubhouse to reach the green.

Moves to current site

In the early 1900s, the Club purchased its current site in

Aylmer, Quebec Aylmer is a former city in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River and along Route 148. In January 2002, it amalgamated into the city of Gatineau, which is part of Canada's National Capital Region. Aylmer's popul ...

(now part of the city of Gatineau). The site had been known as Mrs. McVeity's orchard and coincidentally, it occupied land that was another of Philemon Wright's original farms, the Britannia Farm. Mrs. McVeity, who was nicknamed "Mrs. Slinn", was once Vice-President of Slinn's Bakery in Ottawa.Gard, Anson A.: ''Pioneers of the Upper Ottawa Valley and Humors of the Valley'', section "Genealogy of the Valley" page 9. The Emerson Press, Ottawa 1906. The Ottawa Golf Club built a new course, and constructed a comfortable and elegant clubhouse, which opened in 1904. Five years later, it burned to the ground. Its replacement was built on the same site, and it burned down in 1930. The present clubhouse, which reflects the Victorian-era grace and charm of its predecessors, was officially opened on September 19, 1931. In 1912, the Club received permission from King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

to use the designation 'Royal'. The Club presently has an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course, known as the Royal Nine. The main course was designed by

Tom Bendelow Tom Bendelow (1868–1936), nicknamed "The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf" and "The Dean of American Golf", was a Scottish American golf course architect during the first half of the twentieth century. He is credited with having designed some ...

in a parkland style, and among its features are back-to-back par 3s (holes 11 and 12). The course was redesigned a few years later by noted Scottish architect

Willie Park Jr. William Park Jr. (4 February 1864 – 22 May 1925) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won The Open Championship twice. Park was also a successful golf equipment maker and golf writer. In his later years, Park built a significant career as o ...

(twice

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

winner). The course has been modified in minor ways many times in the years since. The course is known nationally for its exceptionally quick, difficult greens. Royal Ottawa is affiliated with the Quebec Golf Association and the RCGA.

Significant championships hosted

The Club hosted the first

in 1895, and has hosted this championship eight more times (in 1899, 1906, 1911, 1914, 1925, 1951, 1991, 2016). The Club hosted the Canadian Open in 1906 and 1911. It hosted the 2000

CN Canadian Women's Open The CP Women's Open (french: Open féminin du Canada) is a women's professional golf tournament managed by Golf Canada. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since its founding in 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour. ...

(known at the time as the duMaurier Championship); this major championship was won by

Meg Mallon Meg Mallon (born April 14, 1963) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1987 and won 18 LPGA Tour events, including four major championships, during her career. Mallon was inducted into the World Golf Hall o ...

Champions associated with Royal Ottawa

The winner of the first Canadian Open, in 1904, was Jack Oke, one of the Club's early professionals.

Karl Keffer Karl Kaspar Keffer (1882 – October 22, 1955) was a Canadian professional golfer. He was the first and, as of 2019, remains the only Canadian-born winner of the Canadian Open. Keffer was born in Tottenham, Ontario. He was the head professional ...

, Canadian Open champion in 1909 and 1914, served as head professional for many years.

Davie Black David Lambie Black (15 September 1883 – 25 March 1974) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was runner-up in the 1911 Canadian Open. He is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, as is his son Ken Black, who won a 1936 PGA Tour event. H ...

was a professional at the Club in the early 20th century, and a founding member of the CPGA, before moving to

Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

to take a new job, and his son, Ken Black, who learned his golf at Royal Ottawa, won the 1936 Vancouver Jubilee tournament (as an amateur, becoming the first Canadian to win a

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

event) and the 1939 Canadian Amateur Championship.

Alexa Stirling Fraser Alexa Stirling Fraser (September 5, 1897 – April 15, 1977) was an American-Canadian amateur golfer. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur golf championship in 1916, 1919, and 1920. She also won the Canadian Women's Amateur title in 1920 and 1934. ...

, an American who married Ottawa doctor W.G. Fraser, had been a young golf prodigy and three-time U.S. Women's Amateur champion from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, before settling in Ottawa and joining the Club; she won two Canadian Ladies Amateur Championship titles, contended several more times, and won a record nine Royal Ottawa Ladies' Club Championships. Eric Kaufmanis of Ottawa holds the course record, with a round of 9-under-par 62, scored in 1979. Karl Keffer, David Black, Ken Black, and Alexa Stirling Fraser are all members of the

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame covering the history of the game of golf in Canada, and celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the most significant contributors to the game in that country. Operated by ...

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 45.4154, -75.7655, type:landmark, display=title

Royal Ottawa Golf Club The Royal Ottawa Golf Club is a premier private golf club located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1891, and has made major contributions to the development of Canadian golf right from its early years, hosting many important champion ...