The following edited extract is from Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia by Arv Olson:
“Mel White spent 35 years at Seymour, then the North Shore’s only other course. White had caddied at Shaughnessy and worked in pro Fred Wood’s back shop. He turned pro under Capilano’s Jock McKinnon. Seymour was three years young when White succeeded Ernie Brown, who had aided Eric Negus in the design and construction of the course above Dollarton.
Reeve C.E. Scanlon and president A.W. dean officially opened the course in September 1954, but Seymour wasn’t ready for golfers. The rough was heaped with stumps, logs and dense underbrush, and poor drainage left the fairways waterlogged and barren of grass. Seymour took several years to erase its notoriety for jungle rough, swampy fairways and lost balls.
After almost a decade of negotiating, in 1968 Seymour members finally acquired the assets of Seymour Golf Co. Dave Nicol, who was 1966 president, concluded negotiations and the club has never looked back. Reconstruction of the back nine commenced in 1969 and major clubhouse alterations accommodated a growing membership.
In 1985 course renovations were charged to architect Bill Robinson. Under the long-time lease agreement with the district, the course is open to the public every Monday.”
The front nine and short game practice areas were completely renovated in 2004, followed by the back nine in 2015, with all the work carried out by Ted Locke.
