Niakwa

Set out on the floodplain of the meandering Seine River, the Niakwa Country Club course is an original Stanley Thompson design that first opened for play in 1923. The layout has been modified a number of times down the years, most notably in the 1970s by Robbie Robinson and Geoff Cornish, and in 1990, when a new clubhouse was built.

Starting in 2006, the club embarked on a major improvement programme when Doug Carrick was called in to upgrade the layout. This resulted in the renovation of all the bunkers on the course, whilst still maintaining the integrity of Thompson’s original work.

More specifically, a new 180-yard par three replaced the old par four 2nd and the 15th was extended by moving the tee over a hundred yards back to create a delightful new short par four. Completing the project, three greens (6, 11 and 12) were all replaced.

The club has hosted the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship twice and the equivalent national competition for women three times but its proudest moment was surely in 1961 when the Canadian Open was held here.

Carrick Design has provided design services to Niakwa Country Club since 2002 and the firm reconstructed the 2nd and 18th greens in late 2017, re-grading and expanding the putting surfaces to provide additional pin placement areas, along with new sub-drainage and soil mix.