OttawaOttawa golfers have been rushing to play their final rounds at the Kanata Golf and Country Club as the property owner prepares to move forward with a redevelopment plan.ClubLink plans to close the Kanata Golf and Country Club after winning a legal battle against the cityListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesJenny Yan was among the many golfers getting in what could be their final rounds ever at the Kanata Golf and Country Club this weekend. The club plans to close at the end of this season as owner ClubLink plans to build a major housing development on the site. (Campbell MacDiarmid/CBC)Ottawa golfers have been rushing to play their final rounds at a beloved Kanata golf course before it closes for good. The Kanata Golf and Country Club plans to shut down at the end of the season after the Supreme Court declined in September to hear an appeal from the City of Ottawa against property owner ClubLink’s plans to build 1,480 housing units on the site. ClubLink confirmed that news in an email to members last week.That meant the club’s parking lot was nearly full on Sunday as players braved 6 C weather to get a round in at a course they described with words like “polarizing” and “challenging”. “It’s a sad day,” said Daren Penteluke, who said he’s been playing here for 25 years.Although he plays at other courses across Ontario and Quebec, Penteluke said he appreciates the toughness of the Kanata course “as a good test.”“It’s a polarizing course,” he said, explaining that some players find the small greens “somewhat punishing.” Long legal sagaThe Kanata Golf and Country Club opened in 1968 but in recent years its owners have been mired in litigation as they seek to redevelop the site. ClubLink, which owns and operates about 30 golf clubs across Ontario and Quebec, bought the property in 1997. In 2018 it announced plans to develop the property with a mix of detached and semi-detached homes, townhouses and apartments, plus parks and open space.But in the early 1980s, former owner Campeau Corporation had signed a series of agreements with the pre-amalgamation City of Kanata, requiring it to retain 40 per cent of the property as open space in perpetuity.Now that the courts have ruled that Clublink shouldn’t be “saddled with a perpetual obligation to run a golf course,” the company has told its members this is the final season for Kanata Golf and Country Club.Sarah Durkin, a supervisor at the Kanata Golf and Country Club, said she was sad about the course’s imminent closure. “I see these people more than I see my family,” she said Sunday. (Campbell MacDiarmid/CBC)Sarah Durkin, a supervisor at the club, said Sunday that she understood the course would remain open until the onset of winter. “I think they’re gonna try and push golf until snow falls,” she said. “Take advantage of every nice day, you know?”Golfer Jim Messel said it’s likely there will only be a few more days left to get a round in.“We’re pushing the envelope here as far as the cooler weather goes,” he said. “Once it starts getting to be in the low single digits and the wind comes up, it gets pretty rough.”Golfers enjoy the brisk fall weather at the Kanata Golf and Country Club on Sunday. Members of the west Ottawa club have been told it will be closing permanently at the end of the season. (Campbell MacDiarmid/CBC)Messel said the local community was losing valued green space and worried about what the redevelopment would bring.“When this all starts to be developed, the traffic disruption, the people disruption and everything else is going to be something else.” With the closure seemingly imminent, Jenny Yan said she’s getting in as many rounds as she can. “If I can do it every day, then I will,” she said Sunday as she prepared for her second round of the weekend. “It’s a very difficult course,” Yan added. “Here you never know the result.”CBC has reached out to ClubLink for comment.ABOUT THE AUTHORCampbell MacDiarmid is a reporter with the CBC Ottawa bureau
Golfers rush to play final rounds at Kanata golf course slated for redevelopment
