Hughenden Golf Course

In 1915 the first Hughenden Golf Course was laid out east of Hughenden on land owned by the CPR. The Hughenden Golf Association was formed to manage the course and promote golf, and by 1923 had 44 active members. In the spring of 1929, the Association received notification that the CPR had sold the land on which the course was situated and thus new grounds would have to be found. The course was moved to it's present location just west of town, on land owned by the Hudson Bay Company. The course was laid out and play commenced on it in 1929. Six of the nine holes laid out in 1929 (present holes #1, #3, #4, #5, #8 and #9) have remained virtually unchanged since that time.

Despite the onset of the Depression in 1930 and the beginning of World War II in 1939, the Hughenden Golf Association remained active and the golf course was used through the 1930's and 1940's.

However, by 1953, interest in golf greatly declined and the Hughenden Golf Association became inactive and the course was hardly used. The construction of Highway 13 through the middle of the golf course in the mid 1950's provided the impetus to reconstitute the Hughenden Golf Association, and for the Association to seek official title to the land on which the course was located (the HBC had been paid for the land but the title had not been transferred), so that the portion of the course taken up by Highway 13 could be sold to the provincial government.

The $1, 065 received by the Association was used to buy mowing equipment and to make improvements to the course. Because of the highway running through the course, the order in which the holes were played was changed, but the layout of the course remained the same with two fairways crossing the highway.

In 1980, the layout was changed so that no holes crossed the highway. To this end, the par 3, #2 hole, which crossed the highway, was moved to the north side of the highway, the par 3, #6, was lengthened to a par 5 hole and the par 4, #7 hole, which also crossed the highway, was changed to a par 3 hole on the south side of the highway.

In 1985, a grass green was constructed for hole #9, which like the previously constructed grass tee on hole #1, was watered from the clubhouse well. In 1989 the water tower that had been in the Village of Hughenden was obtained and a well was drilled to provide irrigation. A partial irrigation system was built that permitted the construction of grass greens for holes #1 and #8 and a grass tee for #9, all of which were in play by the fall of 1989. In 1990 the system was extended which allowed for the addition of grass tees on holes #7 and #8, and a grass green on hole #7, all of which came into play in August of 1990. In 1991 the irrigation system was extended across the highway and grass greens and tees were constructed for holes #3, #4, #5 and #6 which came into play in August of 1991. In 1992 a new #2 hole was carved out of the bush on the south side of the highway, and the irrigation system was extended to permit watering of the tee, the fairway and the green. The construction of this hole marked the end of the last sand green and the advent of the course consisting entirely of grass greens.

Also in 1992, the 1973 clubhouse was moved to become a cart-storage shed and a new and expanded clubhouse was constructed with indoor bathrooms. In 1994, full-time food and beverage service was instituted in the clubhouse.

In 1993 another well was drilled and the irrigation system was modified to permit watering of the fairways. The fairways were also seeded with suitable grass. In 2002 the cart storage shed, which had been built in 1973 to serve as the clubhouse, was demolished and a new and much larger building was constructed on the same location. The new building is used for cart storage and occasionally for social functions.

In the winter of 2002-03 the clubhouse was expanded to provide a pro-shop, a much larger kitchen area and more storage. The expansion included the installation of more cupboards and sinks. In addition, a new carpet was installed in the pro-shop and seating area and tiles were laid in the kitchen area. in the spring of2003, the clubhouse was equipped with a geothermal cooling and heating system which makes it possible to keep the building cool in the summer and heated in the winter. Because the system in extremely energy efficient, heating and cooling costs are relatively low.

In the fall of 2003, two water hazards were added: one on the #7 hole and one on #9 hole.

Most of the Club's members come from Hughenden, Amisk, Czar and Metiskow. We also have members from communities further away such as Wainwright, Hardisty and Lougheed. In addition we attract a lot of golfers who are not members but pay green fees.

The club is in a fairly solid financial position as a result of membership sales, green fees and clubhouse income. The true strength of the club is in it's volunteer base and functions well due to the many hours donated by golfers and non-golfers alike.