OLDS — The 2025 season is a huge one for the Olds Golf Club, as it’s the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Olds Golf Club Association.
Mathew MacDonald, the club’s pro/manager, says the club is celebrating that milestone with several centennial-themed items and events, including a Centennial Celebration tournament on June 21.
“In fact, our centennial week will be the week of June 16 – 22 and will have special events and themes planned, which we’ll announce at a later date,” MacDonald wrote in an email.
The course opened for play April 18. Members were able to book tee times as early as April 8. The seven-day window still applies for non-members.
The short course (par 3 area) and short game area (practice bunker) were expected to open April 11.
MacDonald said the greens "look to be in spectacular condition to start the season.”
“We don’t want to jinx anything, but we seem to be well on our way towards a great start to the season, condition-wise," he wrote.
“Of course, no different than all of our local farmers, we’re hoping for a wet spring.
“Due to the drought conditions we experienced last season, a great deal of our water reserves were used to keep the golf course in excellent condition last summer, and our reserves have not yet been replenished.
“That being said, our superintendent Jason Clouston and his team are confident that they have solutions available to them that will ensure the golf course is in great condition all season long.”
The club will not be hosting any big, prestigious tournaments this season.
“We decided to go a little lighter this season to ensure that our members and our guests alike have more opportunities to enjoy the course,” MacDonald wrote.
“We will certainly be looking at hosting additional major events in the future, whether this be through the PGA of Alberta, or Alberta Golf, but for this year we decided to ease off the gas pedal a little and ensure there were more tee times available for our patrons at large.”
However, the club will once again be hosting a Maple Leaf Junior Tour Order of Merit event.
That event, which will be held Aug. 5 – 7, will feature up to 120 of the province’s premiere junior golfers competing to earn their place in the year-ending national championship, which will be held in Kissimmee, Fla.
Beginning in May, the parking lot will receive a major upgrade.
“Our plan is to completely re-pave the parking lot in order to preserve the existing infrastructure underneath the current asphalt,” MacDonald wrote.
“The hope is to have this project completely finished by the end of May, which will ensure that the majority of our parking lot issues should be solved before we get into the meat and potatoes of the golf season.
“We are certainly looking forward to this upgrade, and to ensuring that our customers have a smooth experience from the time they drive up our lane, to the time they leave, following their round.”
In the clubhouse, the golf club has brought the restaurant back under its umbrella and renamed it the Broken Tee Bar and Grill.
Rachelle Gaultier, formerly of the Coyote Creek Golf and RV Resort, has been hired to run it.
“Under her guidance, and given her extensive track record, I’m confident that we’ll be able to offer an excellent experience to our members, guests, and non-golfers alike,” MacDonald wrote.
