Weston Golf & Country Club

Weston began as a four-hole course in 1909 on the east bank of the Humber River in Weston, Toronto. The course was extended to nine holes five years later when the Weston Golf Club was established. The following year, the club moved to the west side of the river and formed an 18-hole course.

In 1920, the club became known as Weston Golf and Country Club and they purchased land they had been renting before employing the renowned Scottish golf course architect Willie Park Junior to route a new 18-hole layout.

Willie Park, in a glorious playing career, won the Open in 1887 and 1889. He went on to build more than 150 courses in Europe and North America and was regarded as something of a pioneer in parkland course development, despite coming from Musselburgh and playing nearly all his golf on seaside links courses.

Park had designed several other notable Canadian courses like Calgary in 1911, Laval-sur-le-lac in 1917 and Mont Bruno in 1918 before tackling Weston. He went on to construct other great courses in Canada like Royal Quebec in 1922.

Thirty-five years after it was built, the 1955 Canadian Open was held at Weston. A young fellow starting out on an illustrious career – 25-year-old Arnold Palmer – won the tournament. Arnie’s inaugural professional victory was to be the first of an astonishing 62 titles he claimed on the PGA tour.

Weston arranged a Skins game with Arnold, Mark Calchaveccia, Ray Floyd and Dave Barr in 1990 to celebrate the club’s 75th anniversary. Fifteen years later, in 2005, they invited the great man back to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his first victory. A statue of “the King” now sits adjacent to the first tee at Weston where the hole is appropriately named “Arnie’s first.”