A century-long labour of love

The 100-year-old Cranbrook Golf Club is a recreational attraction and a part of local history

The tree-framed, green velvet perfection of the Cranbrook Golf and Country Club is the result of a full century of loving development and care. The club initially opened in 1915 as the Cranbrook Golf Club (CGC) in the area of Cranbrook known as Slaterville, and the simpler, less formal name has stuck, at least in common usage.

Five years later, the club bought 111 acres from the Canadian Pacific Railway, north of downtown Cranbrook in the area now occupied by the Tamarack Mall. A nine-hole course opened there, and the first pro, Louis Anderson, was hired in 1921. As development of the city continued and golf love grew, it became clear that expansion of the golf course at that location would be prohibitively expensive.

Land was acquired on the east side of Cranbrook for an expanded golf course, and in 1948 volunteers began work on a new course. The CGC opened at its current location in June 1951 and was incorporated under the Societies Act as the Cranbrook Golf and Country Club. The new clubhouse was opened in 1954.

As one of the sunniest communities in the province, Cranbrook is a golfer’s paradise. The season at CGC runs from early April to mid-October. The beauty of the club’s bluegrass fairways and mature trees, and the convenience of its location within the city, make it very popular with local and visiting golfers. The Highland Pines Clubhouse includes a 160-seat restaurant that is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with patio seating available.

Cranbrook-born Paul Whittingham has been the golf pro at CGC since 2007. To celebrate the club’s centennial anniversary, Whittingham instigated an attractive membership promotion. He and his staff offer instruction in a wide variety of formats for golfers at any level of experience.

Lindy Mikkelsen, CGC’s unofficial historian, has put together a history binder that chronicles the development and the milestone events in the club’s past, including newspaper clippings and some wonderful vintage photographs. The history binder is available for viewing at the Cranbrook Golf Club.