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North Saanich Golf Club (Ardmore Golf Club)

“Golfers patronizing the new course on the Mallowmot farm will find not only a beautiful course with fine turf, but every comfort and convenience in the up-to-date clubhouse which has been erected on the property.”

The Daily Colonist May 23, 1926

Sitting on the verandah of the newly constructed clubhouse with the fresh smell of the cedar board and batten siding, E.S. Wise sits patiently in his twig chair sipping a cold lemonade anticipating the arrival of the first golfers to his new course.

            The first early model Ford turns right off West Saanich Road opposite Downey Road into the adequate parking lot.  Sam proceeds down the two stairs to greet the visitors. “Good morning.  Welcome to the North Saanich Golf Course!”

            “Hi Sam!  What can we expect on your new layout?  In town we have heard many positive reports,” responds one of the golfers, dressed in bright green knitted knickers with white shirt, bow tie, and matching Scottish golf cap.

            Sam responds, “The course is a little over 2000 yards, but the natural undulating features of the old Mallowmot farm plus the large oak and birch trees have been worked in the course to provide natural hazards.  As the numbers grow I will have the architect add bunkers around the greens and the necessary ones on the fairway.  The architect does not believe in a lot of bunkers.  First and foremost I want the course to provide enjoyment for the beginning golfer who will be moving to the Peninsula.”

            “Sounds like a challenging afternoon of golf,” laughs another appropriately dressed player.  “How are the greens?”

            “Well you know the turf on this property was of the highest quality because the farm was an old thoroughbred stud farm.  We utilized the original turf for the fairways and greens.  The greens assume the natural contours of the land.”

            Wise spent several months viewing the various farms on the Saanich Peninsula looking for the appropriate property to construct a golf course.  A year ago, sitting in his real estate office on Fort Street, he speculated that the Peninsula would experience a real estate boom over the next decade.  The success of Cedar Hill Golf Course illustrated the need for an additional golf course as the regional population increased.  Because the BC Electric Railway traversed the northeast portion of the Mallowmot property, Wise believed that the rail line offered convenient access for additional players from the City.

            “Sam, are you going to join us for a round?”

            “No, but you will need to wait a few minutes before you can tee off.”

            Down the first fairway a cock Mongolia Pheasant, with his plume held high and constantly swiveling to view the surroundings, struts across the closely cut grass, his brood in tow.  The pheasants were introduced to the Saanich Peninsula at the turn of the century providing recreation for the Victorian elite.

            “Here the flock has full rights, because, really, we are intruding on their habitat,” Sam responds with a twinkle in his eye.

            As the club flourished, a dedicated group united to form the North Saanich Golf Club on 7 December 1927.  The signatories to the first constitution and bylaws were: Constancy L. Layered, Deep Cove; John Law and J.J. White, Sidney; Charles Birch and Guy Pinwale, Patricia Bay and Wilfred T. Sisson, the Secretary and Manager.

            For a joining fee of five dollars and an annual yearly subscription of twenty dollars members could bring guests for an entire day for fifty cents.  This policy assisted in expanding the membership.  Wise had underestimated the popularity of the course and the layout could not handle the demand.  Because the Mallowmot farm allowed for no expansion, the successful enterprise was forced to relocate and additional demands for the farm property precipitated a pending rent increase from the Taylor family.

            In November 1930 negotiations commenced with the Allen Steamship Company to lease property south of the present site on West Saanich Road near Ardmore Road on the Ardmore Estates.  The new course was laid out by Wilfred Sisson and the group changed the name of their club from the North Saanich Golf Club to the Ardmore Golf Club.

Read down for Story Tree,

Story Tree

by Reg Davis

In the year of 875, on the Saanich Peninsula, a tiny Fir seedling broke through the fertile soil,
inhaled its first breath of pure air, felt the soft breezes and the warmth of the sun upon its tender leaves,
then proceeded on an incredible journey through time.

Six hundred and seventeen years later, as Christopher Columbus first stepped onto the shores of this continent,
this tree, or Th-Kuat, as it was known to the Indians, stood tall and proud over its domain.

Generations of these first Canadians had been born and died during these growing years,
many of whom had often sought shelter beneath its protective arms during violent storms and oppressive heat.
Upon leaving its shelter they would thank the Spirit of the tree for its haven and then continue their nomadic wanderings.

Three hundred more years passed. Captain Vancouver came, named the land himself, charted the waters and rugged coast line,
and then left. The tree grew taller and sturdier. its roots groping ever deeper in its insatiable thirst for water and minerals,
its leaves reaching skyward for carbon and oxygen it craved, and each year one more ring formed within its bowels.

Three more generations of Indians were born and died as the tree continued its journey.
Fifty more years passed, until Sir James Douglas set foot in Victoria and the tree which was named after him
continued to grow unimpressed.

One hundred and thirty years later, the tree, now 1100 years of age, 110 feet tall, its girth protected by six inches of gnarled
weather beaten bark, its sides still bearing the scars of some past forest fire, is still with us.

Some of its massive arms have grown weary and fallen, but it still stands magnificent, pensive in its awesome size.

What sights it must have seen in its lifetime. What tales it could tell, were it able to speak! Long after you and I, our children and their children are dead and buried, will it still be stubbornly growing?

Hundreds of people drive by every day, unseeing, or even aware of this marvel of nature so close to them.
Dozens more slice, hook, and curse away beneath its huge size and silent shadows, for it is now the guardian of the third tee on Ardmore golf course in North Saanich.

Stand at its feet and look up into its face. Admire its strong body and outstretched arms towering above you. Marvel at its tenacity of 1100 years, and its survival of both man's and nature's ravages. For those of you who look at such wonders materially, try to estimate the billions of gallons of water it has consumed in its life time, or the board feet of lumber, and number of homes its body could produce, and its value in cold, hard cash.

But, if you are like me you will touch its aged body almost with reverence, envy it for its long life, and for what it has seen and heard,
and perhaps then you will realize, as I did with quite some humiliation, just how puny and insignificant we all are in comparison.