Government Golf

Filed in archive Golf Courses on August 26, 2007

Courtesy: Niagara Parks Commission

There are many examples of government involvement in the private sector. There are also many examples where that involvement has not been productive.

In Canada, where government and the private sector often have worked hand-in-hand (a national airline, a coast-to-coast rail service to name just two), sometimes the partnership hasn't worked out.

But in the case of the Niagara Parks Commission, the partnership is a smooth one and looks to be for a long time to come.

The Niagara Parks Commission was founded in 1885 by the Ontario government to control the lands and buildings immediately surrounding Niagara Falls, more specifically, the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River.

From that simple beginning, the Niagara Parks Commission has expanded its ownership and reach to include more than 4 thousand acres of parkland running 36 miles along the Niagara River, one of the most scenic and historic stretches of water in North America.

Suffice it to say that wherever the NPC has left its moniker, you'll find beautifully maintained green spaces.

Perhaps the best part of all - especially for those who eschew such public/private sector arrangements - the NPC does not use a single dime of taxpayers' money, instead raising all the funds it needs through its various tourism-based operations.

Enter the realm of golf. The Niagara Parks Commission owns and runs two major golf operations in the Niagara Region - both class acts.

One is Whirlpool Golf Club, a Stanley Thompson course which opened back in 1951. Cary Middlecoff and Jimmy Demaret were two of the first to play it.

But the other is a massive golf center called The Legends on the Niagara which features two 18-hole layouts each designed by two of the best architects in the world.

Ussher's Creek was the concept of Tom McBroom; Battlefield, so named because a major battle in the War of 1812 was fought on adjacent land, is a Doug Carrick design.

There is a nine-hole track called Chippawa designed by both men, a true collaboration and a layout often used by the renowned Jim McLean Golf School which is based at The Legends.

I had the chance to play Battlefield last week, dodging thunderstorms to do so. From the moment we drove up to the time we left, there was nothing lacking.

This is a first-class facility all the way. An attendant takes the bags and loads them onto the cart; the pro shop provides the starter ticket and a tee deck is assigned at the massive range complex which requires a longish ride in the cart.

When you arrive at the tee deck, pyramids of balls line the length of the practice facility.

Once on the course, my wife and I found the layout to be both fair and challenging. There was nothing punishing about Carrick's Battlefield design but it required thought and careful club selection.

The greens were very quick and that's where I lost strokes aplenty. But of the course itself, I can find no fault.

What's more, the Niagara Parks Commission implements a strict Integrated Pest Management Program which only uses pesticides as an absolute last resort, preferring instead alternative control methods and new technology fertilizers.

"Environmentally friendly" golf courses are not easy to achieve but the NPC is doing a great job so far.

The Legends on the Niagara is a wonderful example of golf. But, more than that, it's also a tremendous example of how government can get it right and make money at the same time.