Why golfers have been teeing up at Saskatoon's Holiday Park for 60 years
Holiday Park Golf Course turned 60 years old on Monday morning, and just like the day it first opened when Mayor Sid Buckwold took the first swing, Mayor Charlie Clark was on hand to tee off with a couple of shots.
“I made a lot better contact on my first one, although it was a pretty deadly slice,” laughed Clark.
“The second one I just topped it so I wasn’t too proud of that, it makes you want to get back and try and get it straight up the fairway but that's why people play golf.”
Director of recreation and community development with the City of Saskatoon Andrew Roberts says in the early 1980’s Holiday Park was the busiest course in the country, nearing 90,000 rounds a year, and frequently saw people lining up at all hours of the night to book a spot.
“I do remember individuals lining up at like four in the morning to get a tee time,” said Roberts.
Now, he says, the course will see about 60,000 rounds a year, with other courses in the area lightening the load.
“A lot of golf courses would be envious of those numbers,” he said.
At least 120 of those rounds are played by longtime member Dianne Bethune.
“My husband introduced me to the game and this is the course that he played as a child because, he grew up around here,” she said.
“He loves his course so much that I came out and joined him and started playing golf myself, and I've loved it ever since.”
Bethune says she’s a four handicap with eight hole-in-ones at the course.
“I've had two on number two, one on number five, two on number 13, and one on number 16,” she said.
No brag, just fact.
One of the reasons she keeps coming back to Holiday Park is the aesthetic.
“I think it's one of the nicest courses there is in town,” she said.
“It's just like a wonderful place to just spend your time and enjoy it with your friends.”
Greenskeeper Marc Robert is one the people charged with keeping the course looking fresh after 60 years.
His day starts at 5:30 a.m.
“A lot of people would think we have a lot of staff, we have 10, 11 staff right now,” he said.
(Pat McKay/CTV News)
“We start on greens, tees, fairways, rough and we just go out every day, cut that, and then we start the small stuff after that.”
Roberts says the biggest reason for the course's continued popularity is the city’s investments.
“We did a big project back in 2016, about $2 million, so we've committed to continually to improve the facility make it better and make it more modern and more enjoyable for our patrons, but still keeping it as affordable as we can in the market.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.