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History

The Royal Ottawa is one of the oldest golf clubs outside of Britain. It was founded in the spring of 1891, in the dying years of Queen Victoria's reign, by a group of business and professionals who decided they should organize themselves "for promotion of this healthy and satisfying game." The inaugural meeting was held in the old Russell House Hotel on April 20.

Known as the Ottawa Golf Club, it was designated "Royal" in 1912 by permission of His Majesty King George V.

The members elected as their first president Hon. (later Sir) Edgar Dewdney, a minister in Sir John A. Macdonald's government and one of his most faithful followers. After serving a one-year term as president, he left Ottawa to become Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.

The first nine-hole course was on 50 acres of land lent to the club by Charles Magee, a real-estate developer, in Sandy Hill, on the banks of the Rideau, just west of the old Rideau Rifle range. There was a small clubhouse near the end of Gladstone Avenue, overlooking the course.

The first Canadian Amateur Championship was played over the Sandy Hill course, with its deep sand traps, ditches and even a swamp, in June, 1895. Tom Hartley of Kingston won the silver challenge cup offered by the Governor General, Lord Aberdeen. Alexander Simpson of the Ottawa Club was runner up.

As Sandy Hill became a more fashionable place to live and property values increased, the club found a new site in Quebec, a mile north of Hull, along the old Chelsea Road. For $15 a year they leased 108 acres of farmland and, along with it, the old Brigham homestead for a clubhouse. The building, which still stands at 376 St. Joseph Boulevard in Hull, once belonged to a son-in-law of Philemon Wright, founder of the city. For a number of years it was a restaurant called Ferme Columbia, after Wright's farm.

The course consisted of 12 holes, crossing and recrossing the Chelsea Road, and one had to play six of the holes twice to make up an 18-hole round.

In 1901, in order to buy the house and land from the owners, the club became legally incorporated under the laws of Quebec. The following year, the club sold the property to a cement company for a net profit of about $12,000, and went looking for another site.

The Committee, after considering a number of properties in the Ottawa area, settled on the McVeity farm on the Aylmer Road, site of the present club. On three acres of high ground that was Mrs. McVeity's apple orchard, they built a comfortable and elegant clubhouse which a society columnist of the day described as being "worthy of being the Golf House of the capital of the Dominion."

To design the course, they engaged Tom Bendelow of Chicago, reputed to be "the best expert on such matters on this side of the Atlantic." Mr. Bendelow's design was later amended by Willie Park, Jr., winner of the British Open in 1887 and 1889.

The clubhouse was officially opened with great ceremony in the spring of 1904. Five years later it burned to the ground.

On the night of October 20, 1909, fire broke out in the lockerhouse and then leaped 40 feet to the dry shingles of the clubhouse roof. The fire departments of Hull and Ottawa were of no help, and members spent the night fighting the flames and rescuing the club's furnishings.

A hundred members showed up for a meeting the next day in the City Council Chamber and began planning to rebuild "with all possible despatch."

A new clubhouse was erected on the same grand scale but 21 years later it, too, burned down. It was lunch-time on November 10, 1930, and Viscount Willingdon, the Governor General, and the Viscountess, were entertaining a small party when the headwaiter advised them that the building was on fire. His Excellency and his friends joined the other diners in carrying the club furniture, silverware and other valuables out onto the lawn.

As they had done 21 years before, the members met the day following the fire to make a fresh start. The present clubhouse, which reflects the grace and charm of its predecessors, was officially opened on September 19, 1931, by the Governor General, the Earl of Bessborough.

Members of The Royal Ottawa enjoy a lively social season but their principal interest is golf and the club has produced some outstanding players.

The course record was established on June 18, 1979, by Eric Kaufmanis who scored 29-33-62. His card comprised nine pars and nine birdies.

One of the club's best golfers was Mrs. W.G. Fraser, who was made an Honorary Member in 1934 in recognition of her winning the Canadian Ladies Golf Association Championship for the second time. Before her marriage, as Alexa Stirling, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur three times in a row. Mrs. Fraser was Royal Ottawa ladies' champion nine times.

The most club championship victories - 11 - were won by Alfred C. Bethune from 1927 to 1948.

John H. Oke, one of the club's first professionals, won the very first Canadian Open on the Royal Montreal course in 1904 with a 36-hole score of 156.

Karl Keffer, who was the Royal Ottawa pro from 1911 to 1945, won the Canadian Open in 1909 and 1914.

The Royal Ottawa had the privilege of hosting the 2000 LPGA which was won by Meg Mallon . Average scores of all players exceeded par which attests to the quality and challenge of The Royal Ottawa course.

Although the appearance of the Clubhouse appears little changed over recent years, it has in fact been thoroughly upgraded with kitchen, mechanical facilities, pro shop and club storage among many time-to-time improvements. In 2002, a massive renovation was undertaken, creating wonderful new lounges, locker rooms, shower and rest room facilities.

A new state-of-the-art watering system was installed on both courses in 2001, along with a new short-game practice area. The driving range continues to be enhanced, and the Royal Nine has been vastly improved with one challenging new hole, and interesting new greens on others. All bunkers on the Main Course were renovated in 2004.

The Royal Ottawa remains true to its heritage with regal conditions abounding inside the clubhouse and around its 27 holes and splendid practice facilities.