Golfing, golfing, gone: Developers swap irons for concrete and steel

If the past few years are any indication, golf courses are not just venues for perfecting your short game. All across the GTA, they have become prime real estate investments, too. Glen Abbey In November 2015, the owner of this prestigious course announced plans to pave fairways to build a subdivision with 3,000 homes with retail and office space. ClubLink Corp., which owns dozens of golf courses in North America, bought the 93-hectare course for $40 million in 1998.

The Town of Oakville implemented an interim control bylaw in February to study the impact of the proposal. In the meantime, the club says plans are in place to host this year’s Canadian Open. Highland Gate In November 2014, the historic club, dating back to the 1930s, hosted its last round. The developer, ClubLink, announced intentions to develop the 41-hectare parcel into 180 or so homes plus a condo building, citing an “oversupplied local market.”

The proposal is now before the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Saw-Whet A plan to develop on the golf course came before the Town of Oakville in March 2014, but when the town didn’t approve the plan in the 180 days required under the provincial planning act, developer Bronte Green Corporation appealed to the OMB.

The proposal includes 760 residences on 55 hectares. The matter is still before the OMB. Mandarin The private 18-hole club on a 22hectare property in Markham accepted a $22-million offer from Fieldgate Developments in 2013. The sale became official in 2014, although the club entered into a ground lease to continue to use the golf course and facilities for up to three years. York Downs In summer 2015, a majority of members of the York Downs Golf & Country Club in Markham voted to sell the 167-hectare facility to a consortium of developers for $412 million.

According to a newsletter released in the fall by developer Kylemore Communities, 32 hectares unimpeded by the golf course will become the first phase of development. The club is expected to operate for five to six years longer. Copper Creek One of Vaughan’s best 18-hole golf courses could shrink to half its size if the developer’s plans for the Kleinburg property are accepted. In early 2015, developers Fieldgate Homes and TACC Construction presented the City of Vaughan with a preliminary plan to build up to 800 homes, townhomes, lowrise and condo buildings for half the site.

A nine-hole golf course would remain, in part because the fairways sit on the protected Greenbelt.