In August, I had the chance to venture north of the border to indulge in some premium Canadian golf. A special thank you to my host Ian Thomson, who not only invited me to be his partner at the member guest tournament at Westmount Golf & Country Club but also served as a local tour guide.
As a golfer heading to Canada, one thing was on my mind. The RBC Canadian Open. Having just watched the tournament in June, I couldn’t help but remember the crowd’s excitement and the fireworks finish between Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. What else was stuck in mind was the host course, St George’s Golf & Country Club.
As a seasoned traveler, my first thought about the trip was, how can I make the most out of the few days I will spend in this foreign land? I started googling “2022 RBC Canadian Open” and then “St George’s Golf & Country Club.” To my delight, St George’s was less than 20 minutes away from the Toronto International Airport.
Like a bloodhound on the hunt, I had the scent and wouldn’t sleep until I secured a tee time. No easy measure, St George’s is not only the 3rd rated golf course in the whole country but very exclusive. The club’s membership is a who’s who of Canadian royalty, from business titans to numerous NHL players. Luckily, I was to use some Golf Aficionado magic and get a tee time at St George’s Golf & Country Club.
Once the clubs came out of baggage claim, I quickly cleared customs, walked outside, waited, and waited, and finally, Iain pulled up after fighting the notoriously bad Toronto traffic. I was navigating using my trusted Waze, which got confused and took us into a neighborhood instead of the clubhouse, but we found our way. Anyone using Waze, be on the lookout for the clubhouse entrance.
By the time I arrived on the doorstep of the clubhouse, I had already done a ton of research. I knew St George’s and Westmount shared the same architect, Stanley Thompson. So, if nothing else, I figured the round would help prepare me for the member-guest tournament at Westmount. As I dug in deeper, I learned more about the fantastic legacy that Stanley Thompson left behind in his homeland of Canada.
Meet Stanley Thompson
Stanley Thompson, born in 1893 in Toronto, was an excellent golfer, competing with success many times in the Canadian Amateur Championship and other top-class events, winning titles such as the Winter Championship of Florida. His four brothers—Nicol, Frank, Mathew, and William J.— became outstanding Canadian players in the 1910s and 1920s, winning multiple championships.
Stanley Thompson died at the age of 59 in 1953 of an aneurysm. However, before his death, he architected 178 golf courses, 144 of which reside in Canada. Researching Stanley Thompson and playing two of his golf courses, I can say his legacy reminds me most of Old Tom Morris. One hundred years ago, when Stanley Thompson was building golf courses, he had limited machinery when shaping his courses. So, when you play A Stanley Thompson course, you are experiencing much of Canada’s natural terrain and seeing how beautiful the land is. Stanley Thompson was an artist with the unique ability to frame every hole like a masterpiece.
Arriving at St George’s
I received the member treatment at St George’s. As we parked, someone was ready to grab our clubs and direct us to the clubhouse entrance. From there, it was like entering Smithsonian. Rich in history and prestige, the clubhouse at St George’s is a perfect mix of classic and modern. The modern improvements were evident as we made our way to the men’s locker room. The locker room was stunning, with a bar and several tables where you could enjoy a meal before or after a round. Having just flown in from Florida, I was starving. On John Caven’s (St George’s General Manager) recommendation, I ordered the Fish and Chips. It was the best fish and chips outside of the United Kingdom. No surprise, St George’s not only imported their GM from Scotland but also their executive chef.
A Scottish Flare
One thing that stands out from my trip to Canada is the undeniable influence of Scotland. Not only had St George’s adopted a GM and Executive Chef from Scotland but across the country, when it comes to golf, it has such a serious and traditional feel that is only matched by that of Scotland. I think a lot of that comes from not only a high number of Scottish immigrants but also the fact that the golf season in Canada is so short. A good golf season in Canada is five months, April thru October. While hockey will always be number one in Canadian hearts, golf is a distant second.
The Golf Course at St George’s Golf & Country Club
The Royal York Golf Club, as St George’s Golf and Country Club, was formerly known, was founded in the Roaring Twenties with the help of Canadian Pacific Railway money and opened in 1929, right in the heart of downtown Toronto, close to the shores of Lake Ontario. Today’s layout measures more than 7,000 yards from the back tees. With par set at 71, St George’s is a serious challenge, especially at the two demanding closing holes, which were both par fives, but now are challenging par fours, having been converted to keep up with the Canadian Open and PGA Tour.
You immediately know St George’s is a great golf course when you stand on the tee and see the beautiful first hole winding its way through rolling terrain. Stanley Thompson used the rolling terrain here very well when he routed the course. St George’s is a beautiful place to play golf, including the meandering fairways, the excellent use of terrain, the problematic greens, and the imaginative elevated bunkers. The course is built on terrain containing hills, valleys, ridges, nobs, inclines, hollows, and mounds. Using minimal equipment, Thompson routed holes alongside or through canyons rather than over them. The most remarkable stretch of holes on the course, twelve through fifteen, routed through the hilliest terrain. The 12th hole has a green considerably elevated from the fairway off on the left side of the hole. The 14th is picturesque, with elevated bunkers above the green. True to his nickname, The Toronto Terror, Stanley Thompson left us with many downhill sand shots above greens that slope away from you.
Westmount Golf & Country Club
After grabbing a drink with GM John Caven and bidding farewell, it was time to turn my attention to another Stanley Thompson Masterpiece, Westmount Golf & Country Club, located in Kitchener. This was my second visit to Westmount; I had the opportunity to play the course a few years ago, where I ended up meeting my good friend Mr. Iain Thomson. Like two peas in a pod, a lifelong friendship was formed when we had finished 18 holes of golf. Iain has come to Florida to play in my member-guest, and now with COVID restrictions lifted in Canada, it was my time to experience a Canadian member-guest.
For the most part, the member-guest experience was very familiar but different. Walking in the morning of the first round, they had what I thought was a Bloody Mary bar, but I was quickly corrected, “that’s a Caesar bar. Like a Bloody Mary, except in Canada, they substitute clamato juice for tomato juice. A perfect example of what I mean by similar but different.
The event was phenomenal! The service was outstanding, and the food was delicious. Not being a beer drinker, I appreciated that cider was available everywhere I went, just like in Scotland. Besides the first-class service, food, and cider. The golf course was in fantastic condition; I’ve seen courses at PGA Tour events that couldn’t come close.
Like St George’s, Stanley Thompson created a work of art using the natural terrain of Kitchener, creating a golf course that has stood the test of time. Westmount is one of Stanley Thompson’s finest designs, opening for play in 1931. A remarkable parkland design, Westmount is a delightful member’s course, perhaps the best for golfers and young families in the country.
Westmount is not an easy golf course, but you can post a great score if you’re on your game and striking it well. The greens are fast and undulating, and every approach seems harder from sloping fairways. Westmount is a true testament to Stanley Thompson’s genius – the routing is flawless, and it’s incredible how the layout provides numerous downhill tee shots yet rarely forces unnecessarily long uphill climbs from green to tee, making Westmount a great walking course.
Westmount sits in the heart of Kitchener, with rolling topography and towering trees framing the course. Much like with St George’s, it was as if the surrounding city evolved around Stanley Thompson’s creation.
Golf in Canada, Eh?
If you get the chance to visit Canada, I highly recommend visiting during the short golf season and bringing your golf clubs. You may not be as lucky as I was and get to play St George’s or Westmount, but there are numerous Stanley Thompson designs throughout the country open for public play. I recommend checking out Allandale Golf & Country Club if you strike out with Westmount and St George’s. To learn more about Stanley Thompson, visit the Stanley Thompson Society.
Special thanks to John Caven and the Team at St George’s. To my partner Iain Thomson thanks again for hosting me, and like your wife said, next time we close the deal!