The Lacombe Golf & Country Club has a busy year planned to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Centennial Committee Co-chairs Phil and Sue Boston have lived and golfed in the Lacombe area since 1972.
"That's where we meet our friends, we socialize and it provides an opportunity for us to share this wonderful golf course with the public," said Sue. "The golf course is an important part of the Lacombe district. Some days it's really hard to find a spot to get on there to golf. If the weather's good, it's full."
Sue says renovations to the clubhouse dining area are currently underway. Once complete, the dining room will feature a retractable door which will separate the dining room to allow for smaller gatherings while still being enjoyed by the golfing community.
Several events are being planned to celebrate the 100-year milestone, including:
- May - Opening stag/stagette
- July 19 - $19.25 green fee
- July 26 - Gala evening
- July 27 - Centennial Golf Tournament
- Sept - Closing stag/stagette
There will also be special features at the Club's Ladies, Men's, Seniors, and Mixed tournaments.
Sue says they have received many sponsorships from the community to help celebrate their centennial season. Sponsors will be recognized on the course throughout this golfing season and next.
Many people have also donated items such as old golf clubs and pictures that will be used in a golf memorabilia display.
The Centennial Committee will also participate in the Lacombe Days Parade in July.
Sue expects the course to be open towards the end of April, weather permitting.
"Lacombe is a very challenging course," she said. "If you can golf Lacombe, you can golf anywhere. It changes every time you're out there."
While the Lacombe Golf & Country Club has been in existence for 100 years, golfing in the region dates back even further.
- Around 1910 to 1914, local golfers hit balls in a sheep and cow pasture east of the current Christian Reformed Church. In 1914, golf moved west to the old McCauley sheep pasture, which is now the current site of the Lacombe Golf & Country Club.
- The year 1919 saw the formation of a club and the permanent establishment of a nine-hole golf course.
- In March of 1925, Lacombe Golf and Country Club was incorporated.
- The club went through a series of improvements during the 1930s and 1940s.
- The first Men's Open was held in 1930 as a two-day event.
- The club continued to expand and change in the following decades. In 1958, the shareholders at the annual meeting approved the addition of the second nine holes. The summer of 1959 saw the new sand greens built and some fairways seeded. Tee boxes were made of wood with a rubber mat on top. The new back nine was fully in play in 1960.
- The next big change came at the Annual Shareholders Meeting in October 1968. A motion was presented and passed to put in grass greens, tee boxes and a watering system. Volunteers used tractors, trucks, rakes and shovels to design and build 18 grass greens and tee boxes. A water lagoon was also dug in front of the number 6 tee box. All greens and tee boxes were in play by 1970. Thirteen of these greens are still used today and classified at top quality.
- Some new greens, tee boxes, and fairways have been replaced gradually over the past 15 years.
- In 1969, green fees were $1.50 for weekdays and $2.50 for weekends and holidays. Membership during the mid 1970s was $25 and $30 per year.
- The first power cart was owned by Don McFadden. Next came Cushman and Badger carts from Jasper, followed by a variety of newer brands.
- The clubhouse has gone through a series of changes over the years. The first clubhouse was a cottage that was moved in from Gull Lake. The cottage was later returned to Gull Lake. Three additions have been made to the old so-called "chicken coop" clubhouse, including the current version of the clubhouse.
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