Rosedale Golf Club

One of the oldest golfing institutions in the greater Toronto area, Rosedale Golf Club was established in the Don Valley back in 1893 as Deer Park Golf Club with the original golf course laid out on the site of Rosedale Field, as it’s called nowadays.

The club moved a short way to its current location in 1909 where members enjoyed playing a Tom Bendelow layout. Such was the quality of the new course, it was deemed worthy of hosting the Canadian Open three years after it first opened and it was in this competition that Walter Hagen made his professional debut.

In 1919, Donald Ross was invited to redesign the course (this work took three years to complete) and the rejuvenation of the eighteen holes resulted in the return of the Canadian Open to Rosedale in 1928.

A number of modifications were made over the years but respected restorer John Faught was asked in recent times to return Rosedale to the course it was intended to be by Donald Ross. Working from an aerial photo of the course taken in 1939, Faught embarked on a major program of tree thinning, tee adjustment, bunker restoration and removal. In addition to these measures, several greens were rebuilt and this work was completed in 2010.

From the elevated tee shot down into the valley on the 1st hole through to the wonderful 17th green, the course is an absolute joy. Its routing is excellent with a fine mixture of holes, the best of which are at 1, 3, 7, 14, 15 and 17. The uphill par three 13th is one of the toughest short holes to be found anywhere in the country.