Historical Overview

In the first decade of the new 20th Century Vancouver was booming. The only surviving golf course in the vicinity was the reincarnated nine-hole course of the Jericho Golf and Country Club (1905) near Spanish Banks on English Bay, and it was overcrowded; a group of expatriate British golfing businessmen therefore determined the need for easier access to the first tee.

Coincidentally, in 1910, the Burnaby Lake line of the BC Electric inter-urban railway was being developed via Sapperton to New Westminster. In due course a stop on the line near today's Lougheed Mall was named "Golf Club", and from here the members were transported by a "Democrat" up the hill to the Club. Later, a McLaughlin Buick bus would continue the service until 1925.

Whereas Jericho G&CC was founded on land leased from the Federal Government, and Shaughnessy Heights G&CC on land leased from Marathon Realty (Canadian Pacific), the Vancouver Golf Club founders wisely opted to buy land that they would own outright, that would require little work, and was within reasonable distance of public transport.

Accordingly, on November 11th, 1910, five men -- Philip Brooks (lumberman), Ewen Robertson (barrister), Fred Furnival (broker), James Duncan (broker) and John Brown (retired) -- met in the offices of McEvoy, Whiteside and Robertson in the Carter-Cotton Building at 56 Hastings Street in Vancouver, and affixed their signatures to “The Articles of Association of the British Columbia Golf Club Limited” that were registered under the Companies Act of 1910 on November 19th, 1910.

to top

The property that they decided upon was a former sheep farm in Coquitlam comprising over 200 acres on the west side of Blue Mountain, then owned by William Austin, half of which was already cleared and would fit the purpose easily. Indeed, it took only two months to ready the first nine holes for play. The building of the second nine holes through virgin forest was a much longer and more arduous undertaking, but well worth the effort. It took place under the watchful eyes of Jericho Pro Alex Duthie, a Carnoustie transplant, and H.T. (Mike) Gardner, an engineer originally from Skelmorlie in the West of Scotland, who brought with him the first greenskeeper, S.H. Cowan from Ayrshire.

The first nine holes were officially opened on June 24th, 1911. In a nine-hole exhibition match featuring Alex Duthie and Jimmy Yellowlees (the eventual first Club Champion), Duthie achieved the remarkable feat of having back to back holes-in-one at the third and fourth holes!

It was not until June 17th, 1912 at a Directors' Meeting in Vancouver that the first (and several time) Club Champion, Jimmy Yellowlees, moved that "the name of the playing club occupying the premises at the B.C. Golf Club Ltd. be known as "The Vancouver Golf and Country Club".

to top

Many prominent Vancouver citizens were founder members, including the eight time mayor of Vancouver, the redoubtable "L.D." Taylor. Others later on included a future Lieutenant-Governor of BC, Eric Hamber, as well as future Attorney-General Gordon Wismer and a future Premier, Byron Johnson. By mid-1912, of the first 200 shareholder members, over 90% had Vancouver addresses. (Nowadays, the club draws its members from all over the lower mainland and the Fraser Valley, being strategically placed in the centre of the area.)

The new Colonial-style clubhouse that replaced the modified Austin farmhouse opened in 1915 and was the club's pride and joy, boasting separate rooms for members and their wives, as well as a dormitory for those prepared to endure the snoring of their unattached colleagues. Sadly it burned to the ground in November 1937, the night before the Pattullo Bridge opened. A temporary, less grand clubhouse opened in 1938, which was later replaced by the currently situated clubhouse in 1964, which has since undergone constant upgrading to its present modern styling.

Quite apart from the now extinct Jericho G&CC (disbanded 1942) and the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Club (that was formed a year after our Club), the Vancouver Golf Club produced most of the prominent golfers of the second decade of the century on the mainland of BC, including City Champions Jimmy Yellowlees, C.A.L. Payne, Adam and Andrew Stewart, and Bob Bone, a three time winner (in 1917, 1918, and 1919).

to top

The pre-eminent trophy in those early days was the "Punch Bowl", played for by the leading clubs of the northwest -- The Waverly GC (Portland) who donated it in 1907, Tacoma G&CC, Seattle GC, Victoria GC, Colwood G&CC, Jericho, Shaughnessy Heights, and the VG&CC. The Vancouver Golf and Country Club teams were of such high calibre that they won the trophy on three of four occasions between 1913 and 1916, getting to retain the Punch Bowl that is still in use at the Club to this day.

From the outset women have always been members, and very active in club affairs. An early woman member of the Club was Violet Hendry-Anderson, originally from Musselburgh, Scotland, who after winning the Bronze Medal in the 1907 British Ladies Amateur Championship at Royal County Down distinguished herself by winning the 1909 Canadian Ladies Amateur Championship at Royal Montreal, where she was a member. She was runner-up the following year at Old Toronto, losing to distinguished compatriot Dorothy Campbell (Hurd). In 1917 she joined The Vancouver Golf and Country Club, winning the Club Championship that same year. Her prowess thereafter was overshadowed somewhat by the presence in local competitions of Violet Pooley Sweeny (Jericho) who reigned supreme in the Pacific Northwest for twenty years or more.

In 1919, Robert Bone, of the distinguished West of Scotland golfing family, became the first ever mainlander to win the British Columbia Amateur Championship. Held at the Victoria Golf Club, Bone defeated the renowned golfer and prolific golf course architect Arthur Vernon (Mac) Macan. In 1922, Bone repeated the feat, beating VG&CC colleague Jimmy Yellowlees in the first of several B.C. Amateur Championships to be held at the Vancouver Golf Club. At that Championship, the BCGA was officially born, which then took over the running of all Provincial Tournaments of note.

to top

In the 1920s the most distinguished golfer to grace the Coquitlam fairways was Freddy Wood, a New Westminster boy and former VG&CC caddy, who won the Club Championship four times from 1926 through 1929. He then won the B.C. Amateur at VG&CC in 1930, defeating Ken Black 10 and 8. Freddy was runner-up in the Canadian Amateur Championship in 1929 at Jasper Park Golf Club. Wood soon turned professional, eventually succeeding the illustrious Davey Black at Shaughnessy Heights in 1945, remaining there until 1973. Wood went on to win the BC Open on three occasions, but is perhaps best remembered for defeating Gene Sarazen in a playoff for the inaugural US Senior Open at Spokane in 1950.

In 1942, in conjunction with the Gyro Club of New Westminster, the recently renamed Vancouver Golf Club began hosting the New Westminster Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship, one of the four qualifying tournaments for a spot on the Willingdon Cup Team. It was played at VGC annually until 1970, showcasing the very best golfers in BC, attracting such players as Johnny Johnston, Bill Mawhinney, John Russell and many others. Johnston won the trophy eight times; the course was referred to for awhile as "Johnston’s Alley". The tournament trophy, known as the Hume Trophy, was presented by the Mayor of Vancouver, Fred Hume, another son of New Westminster.

Along the way the Club has had many distinguished Golf Professionals, notably Jimmy Huish (1918-25) originally from Musselburgh; Don Sutherland (1929-1950), a Dornoch Native; and local product Al Nelson (1955 – 1988). The current head professional is Randy Smith, by way of Capilano GC, who has held the position since 2002, taking over from Ray Dodson (1989 – 2001).

to top

Distinguished Amateur members throughout the years included Jimmy Yellowlees, Adam C. Stewart, Andrew Stewart, Robert and Ethel Gelletly, C.A.L. Payne, brothers Bob and William Bone, H.T. "Mike" Gardner, Cec Coville, Freddy Wood, Jack Hargreaves, Frank Cotton, Marcia ("Mashie") Moss, Frank Proctor, the Doyle brothers (Bernie, Ben, and Bob), Joe Turner, Bill Kemp, Walt McAlpine, Flo' Heritage, Jo' Chappell, Herb Fritz, Gary Puder, Gail (Harvey) Moore, Len Dodson, Fumi Limoli, Lynne Cooke, Janine Lee Getty, Bill McGhee, Kerry Grittner, Joel Dodson and Matt Makinson.

In 1985, the five-time club Open Champion, Peter Thompson (Australia) won the Senior PGA Tournament -- The DuMaurier Classic. In 1988 and 1991, Sally Little and Nancy Scranton, respectively, triumphed in the LPGA DuMaurier Tournaments, considered one of the four majors of the LPGA tour.

Throughout the years the course has been enlarged and constantly improved, last undergoing major improvements in 1996 with an extensive new irrigation system, backed up by a large reservoir. In 2002, the fourth Clubhouse underwent a major re-fit.

to top

At the start of the 21st Century, as it approaches the celebration of its first one hundred years, the Vancouver Golf Club remains one of the most distinguished golf clubs in Canada and North America, with an impeccable pedigree and proud heritage.

For more on Vancouver history, visit The History of Metropolitan Vancouver.