Shaganappi Point Golf Course celebrates centennial

Shaganappi Golf Course celebrates milestone The city’s Shaganappi Point Golf Course has been in business for 100 years. Kevin Fleming checks out the celebration and talks to golfers on the course…

Calgary’s first public golf course celebrated 100 years in operation on Tuesday and a number of dignitaries were on hand to mark the occasion.

Shaganappi Point Golf Course opened in 1915 and thousands of rounds have been played on the scenic southwest course since then.

Shaganappi is the second oldest golf course in the city and about 80,000 Calgarians played over 2000 rounds of golf on the original 18-hole course the first year it was open.

A round of golf went for 25 cents back then and revenue for the course that year was a whopping $500.

“While its appearance has changed dramatically over the past 100 years, the guiding principle of why we have municipal golf courses remains. These courses are here to provide an affordable recreational opportunity for Calgarians,” said Kyle Ripley, manager of golf courses for The City of Calgary. “This is one of our flag-ship courses, you can’t beat the location for Shaganappi, you know, it’s in the heart of downtown. It’s now being serviced by the LRT line. We’re seeing customers come off the train with their clubs in hand.”

Downhill skiing was added to the recreation options at Shaganappi in the 1940s and cross country skiers still make tracks around the fringes of the course in the winter.

The golf course now features 27-holes and officials say about 72,000 rounds of golf are played on the links each year.

The course stretches along the top of the escarpment above The Bow River and the Valley 9 offers one of the best views in the city.

To honour the historical relationship between Shaganappi Point and First Nation peoples, the centennial celebration was blessed by Leonard Bastien, a Blackfoot Elder from the Piikani Nation.

“My ancestors, this was their traditional territory and surely they used this area to move forward in life, you know. Our way of life was living off the land and being in cohesion and unison with creation,” said Bastien. “A hundred, two hundred years ago there was probably thousands of buffalo here and the river is close by and so they would utilize the river for foraging and the buffalo hunt.”

To help mark the occasion and the history of golf in Calgary, the city is asking citizens who have cross country or downhill skied to send in pictures, old newspaper articles, personal anecdotes and stories to [e-mail].

The city’s oldest golf course is the Calgary Golf and Country Club which is celebrating 105 years in operation.

For more information on 100 year of golf in Calgary, click HERE.