A mom-and-pop operation no longer
For almost 50 years, Sundrim Golf Course was a quiet little mom-and-pop operation on Highway 6 just south of Caledonia.
It was owned and operated by the Howe family and despite having a few quirky holes was fun to play.
And you could always get a good burger after your round in the big old barn that served as the clubhouse.
In 2014, however, all that changed.
Six Nations business tycoons Ken Hill and Jerry Montour bought the course and renamed it MontHill.
“When they were young and growing up they couldn’t afford to play golf and now they want their course to be affordable for anyone — but also to be a topnotch facility,” says Brian Rizzetto, the general manager at MontHill who is overseeing some remarkable changes.
So, first things first:
What about all the rumours that plans include a casino at MontHill?
Rizzetto gave me a tour of the facility this past week and before I could even bring it up, one of the golfers wandered over to our cart and asked him that very question.
“There are NO plans to build a casino,” says Rizzetto, who has probably been asked the question more times than he’d like to admit.
“People should realize it’s a stupid question because the golf course isn’t even on reserve land.”
Casino or not, there’s no hiding the fact that the owners are spending a fair chunk of money on the club to fulfil their stated goal of MontHill becoming “one of the premier clubs in Ontario.”
They’re in the last stages of replacing the old barn clubhouse with a $25-million, 50,000-squarefoot facility that will be large enough to hold the biggest tournaments — as well as weddings, conventions and meetings of any size.
A large patio will look out over some of the finishing holes.
Rizzetto says the new clubhouse will also be equipped with state-of-the-art golf simulators so it can be used year-round.
They’re hoping to be in the new building by Christmas, he says.
The golf course now has paved cart paths and has irrigation on 18 of the 27 holes.
An automated system shuts off the irrigation if it senses there are golfers near the sprinklers.
Several new greens have been built, two of which replaced ones vandalized last year.
New fencing was also put up around the course to make sure such vandalism doesn’t happen again.
The bunkers have been filled with white Ohio sand and a number of new elevated tees have been built.
“When everything is done, we will have added about 600 yards to stretch the course to about 6,600 yards,” says Rizzetto.
The course now also has a head professional, Michael Rizzetto, and a director of golf, Steve Styres.
Golf course superintendent Brad Halyk, a 35-year veteran, is credited for the golf course’s immaculate condition.
Garry McKay is a veteran award-winning golf journalist and a former sportswriter with The Hamilton Spectator. Garrymckay1@rogers.com.