Strathgartney golf course celebrating 50th anniversary
The year 1967 will be back in style this week for some P.E.I. golfers.
Strathgartney Highlands Golf Course will be holding a community event today to celebrate its 50th birthday.
To mark the occasion, the course will be inviting Islanders to play a round for the 1967 green fee of $5. There will also be a putting contest throughout the day, with 50 per cent of proceeds going back to the local community.
At 7 p.m., there will be cake and coffee, as well as some remarks from dignitaries.
The course was purchased by an Ontario-based group in 2004.
Majority owner Tim Klauck said there have been a number of changes to the course since the purchase, with a “vision to provide a good golf experience at a good price.”
Those upgrades included adding about 620 yards to the course’s length in order to have nine holes.
Klauck said future plans are to add another par-4 hole within the next five years.
He said that while owning the course has been rewarding, it hasn’t come without challenges.
The most notable has been the Trans-Canada Highway realignment in 2014, which was commonly referred to as “Plan B” at the time.
“The first year the highway moved, our business dropped 20 per cent, mainly because tourists no longer saw us as they drove by,” said Klauck.
“To fill the void, we saw a surge in local support to the point where three years later we have almost boosted our revenue levels back to pre-highway move levels.”
Klauck said the most rewarding part of owning the course has been meeting its golfers.
“Even though we are ‘from away’, we have made many friends and have had good support from members who have been with us for all (these) years,” said Klauck. “It’s been a pleasure for us to be part of the P.E.I. community and we look forward to continuing the relationship for years to come.”
Those interested in booking a tee-time for Wednesday can email grace.laviola@rogers. com.
More information on the golf course is available at www. strathgartneygolf.com.