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Oakdale Golf & Country Club

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Coordinates: 43°43′53″N 79°30′56″W / 43.7313°N 79.5156°W / 43.7313; -79.5156
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Oakdale Golf & Country Club
Club information
Coordinates43°43′53″N 79°30′56″W / 43.7313°N 79.5156°W / 43.7313; -79.5156
Location2388 Jane Street, North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Established1926; 98 years ago (1926)
TypePrivate
Total holes27
Events hostedCanadian Open (2023, 2026)
Websiteoakdalegolf.com
Designed byStanley Thompson
Designed byRobbie Robinson

Oakdale Golf & Country Club, founded in 1926, is a private, parkland-style golf and tennis club located in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open and will host the tournament again in 2026.[1][2]

History

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The club was founded in 1926 and is located about 15 miles north of Toronto's downtown.[3] The course was built on what was farmland decades before the metropolis of Toronto spread and absorbed the property within its limits. Traces of a village have been found on the club grounds, adjacent to the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail.[4] Since its founding, the club has asked its members to give back to the community in one way or another.[5][6]

In 1926 The Toronto Star ran a story with the headline: "Hebrews buy farm; build golf course."[6] The club is known as predominantly Jewish, as members of the Toronto Jewish community bought the land to establish a Jewish country club in response to antisemitism in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s that strictly excluded Jews from private golf clubs, including the Rosedale Golf Club.[7][6][8][1][5] Mark Sadowski, former president of the club, said:

It was out of necessity that this club came into being. A hundred years ago the world was a very different place, and there were clubs who would not allow Jewish people to join or even play. And it was the same in the medical community and other aspects of business. There were very clear 'no blacks, no Jews, and no Asians' rules.[5]

However, religion has never been a requirement or barrier to membership, and anyone can join the club, which includes many non-Jews.[6][5][1][9][10]

It was selected as a new site for the 2023 Canadian Open tournament – the world’s third-oldest national championship – after Golf Canada realized that only a handful of Canadian Opens had been conducted within Toronto itself in the previous several decades.[6][11] Nick Taylor won the 2023 tournament, becoming the first Canadian citizen to win the Canadian Open since 1954 and the first Canadian-born player to win the event since 1914.[12] The 2026 Canadian Open will be played on the course as well.[13][14]

Course

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The golf course has 27 holes, 18 designed by Canadian architect Stanley Thompson in the 1920s and 1930s.[3] A third nine was designed by Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Robbie Robinson, a disciple of Thompson, in 1957.[3][15][16] Black Creek runs through the course.[3] Each of the three nines are named for famous figures in Canadian golf: Thompson himself, George Knudson (eight-time PGA Tour winner), and Wilf Homenuik (the club's longtime teaching pro).[3][16] Knudson won 8 tournaments on the PGA tour, and Homenuik won several tournaments as an amateur and Canadian PGA events. Both men were also club professionals at Oakdale.[1]

The June 2023 Canadian Open was played on a 7,460-yard composite routing that used some holes from each of the Homenuik and Thompson nines and all of the Knudson holes as the back nine.[17][1][18] It was the first time the course was an RBC Canadian Open host venue. It was the 37th course in the tournament's 117-year history.[19][13]

Facilities

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The club's tennis facilities feature six outdoor courts, with pro shop and offers lessons and competitions.[20]

PGA Tour events

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Oakdale Golf & Country Club to host 2023 & 2026 RBC Canadian Open". Golf Canada. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Canadian Open to be held at Toronto's Oakdale Golf and Country Club in 2023, 2026". CBC Sports. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Adam Stanley (June 5, 2023). "Five things to know: Oakdale Golf Course". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Turner, Glenn (2015). The Toronto Carrying Place: Rediscovering Toronto's Most Ancient Trail. Dundurn. ISBN 9781459730489. Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  5. ^ a b c d "How Oakdale G&CC joined the venue rotation for the RBC Canadian Open". RBC Canadian Open. June 5, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Klajman, Ed (June 17, 2023). "An inconspicuous Jewish country club just became the site of Canadian sports history". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Peter Cheney (March 13, 2004). "Shouts and whispers". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Klajman, Ed (June 21, 2023). "Former underdog turned Maccabiah gold winner swings home to golf in Canadian Open". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Logan, Jason (June 5, 2023). "Behind the scenes on how and why Oakdale became the 2023 Canadian Open host". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ^ James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver. "The biggest story in sports is happening squarely at a Jewish golf club in Toronto". The Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Simmons, Steve (June 5, 2023). "How exclusive Oakdale became the unlikely host of the Canadian Open". The Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Logan, Jason (June 12, 2023). "History at Oakdale: Nick Taylor wins the RBC Canadian Open in dramatic fashion". Score Golf. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Canadian Open to be held at Toronto's Oakdale Golf and Country Club in 2023, 2026". CBC Sports. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Toronto's Oakdale Golf & Country Club awarded 2023, 2026 RBC Canadian Open". Turf & Rec. May 20, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "The Course and Golf Facilities". Oakdale Golf & Country Club. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  16. ^ a b David McPherson (May 2023). "New kid on the block: Oakdale Golf & Country Club hosts the Canadian Open". Golf Course Management. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  17. ^ "Oakdale Golf & Country Club to host 2023 & 2026 RBC Canadian Open". Golf Canada. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  18. ^ Harvie, Andrew (May 1, 2023). "Review: Oakdale Golf & Country Club (Canadian Open Composite Routing)". Beyond The Contour.
  19. ^ Adam Stanley (June 4, 2023). "The First Look: RBC Canadian Open". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "Tennis at Oakdale". Oakdale G&CC. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
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