This year marks 90 years since the opening of the Westlock Golf Club, a staple of the community that started with four dedicated volunteers.
Dr. Larry Kickham, Monsignor Rooney, Mr. Tory, the local drug store owner, and Ted Leak were the founders who purchased the first 80 acres in 1935. After raising $400 to purchase the land, the four began to build the first seven holes. There was a plan laid out that had it as a nine-hole course, but due to land rights and lack of funds, only seven holes were made on the west side of the Wabash Creek.
It remained like that until the late 1950s, when they expanded to two new holes on the east side of the Wabash Creek. At this time, there was only one full-time greenkeeper who managed the entire course. Fees were collected based on the honour system through a hole in the wall, and one round would cost a dollar.
A major addition happened in 1951 when volunteers decided to build a clubhouse, scavenging pieces from the Riverside Gold Club’s old clubhouse. The roof had to be completely redone as it was fatigued and saggy once installed. The building still resides on the property and is used as part of the workshop.
To keep up with the maintenance on the course, the 1976 volunteers began to develop grass greens, redesign the course and install irrigation systems. Six new holes were added during this time under the direction of Dr. Alan Watt, who is the namesake for the current concession stand, “The WATTering hole.”
The next ten years saw the expansion of the old clubhouse and the hiring of the first club professional, Tony Lecuyer, who doubled as the greens superintendent due to his experience at the Windermere Golf Club. Lecuyer was the lead in creating a youth program that gave space for remarkable kids to develop their skills.
Three young golfers from Westlock went on to win championships. Billy Curtis was an amateur champion of Alberta two years running and became a member of the Willindon Cup team, and his brother David Curtis went on to play for a university in the United States. Brett Burgeson is a Class A member of the PGA Canada with more than 40 professional tournaments under his belt.
The club decided to expand to 18 holes after a brief break in 1993. They bought 110 acres from the Bruder family for $88 000, adding more space on the north side of the course going east. Overseen by Terry O’Donnell, the president for several years, estimated that the expansion cost nearly $1 million, with much of it coming from volunteer labour and donations. The expansion included two new roads: one to access the property and the other to the bridge. Four new bridges were built, and the clubhouse was relocated to the north side of the property.
Since then, the Westlock Gold Club has added programs, hosted tournaments and made significant upgrades. Most recently, a big project that revitalized the clubhouse back in 2021.
There are countless other volunteers who dedicated their money, energy and time to developing the course into what it is today.
“There are just so many different names to pull from, and that’s why a place like this works, is you just have so many good people around that are willing to help out.” Ryan Craig, general manager of the Westlock Golf Club, said.
To celebrate this tremendous success, a member scramble at the start of the year that doubled as their celebration, but they continue to have club events and fundraisers that honour those who helped the most.
Thousands of community members over the years were passionate about the development of the Westlock Golf Club which is why they continue to give back to it.
“We want to make sure that everybody feels welcome into an environment that fosters active living and getting outdoors and all of these things that have proven to be so essential to just mental health in general. We want to make sure that everybody in the Westlock area has a place and an outlet to come and do that," Craig said.
