Southwood Golf & Country Club is a premier private golf club located in the south end of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The course has hosted 17 professional events on the PGA Tour Americas and is a registered organization with the Manitoba Historical Society. The course is recognized by the Royal Canadian Golf Association as the oldest 18-hole golf course in Manitoba.

History The club was originally founded as the Norwood Golf Club in 1894 located on Markham Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The club was reincorporated to become the Southwood Golf & Country Club in after combining with the Winnipeg Hunt Club.“Norwood and Hunt Club to form Southwood Golf Club,” Manitoba Free Press, 10 July 1919, page 11. With the expansion of the club in 1919, additional land was acquired from the Agricultural College at a total cost of $150. The original course was designed by Willlie Park, who was a two time British Open champion. The course was re-designed in later years by Stanley Thompson, his first project in Canada. The original grand clubhouse was built in 1913, but destroyed by a fire in 1935, leading to the old hunting club facilities to be used until the new clubhouse was built in 1957.

In 2007, the course was forced to move due to pressures from an ever expanding University of Manitoba and erosion of the river bank of the Red River. The club purchased 297 acres of land in the St. Norbert neighbourhood in the south end of the city to build the course that exist today, which officially opened in 2011. In January 2008, the University of Manitoba purchased the former golf course property and, once the new course was playable, took possession of the land for future expansion and in 2023 it was announced the grounds would become a permanent facility for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The new par 72 course designed by Tom McBroom sits between the La Salle River and Trappist Monastery Provincial Heritage Park with additional land set aside to expand with nine new holes in the future. The course features 75 sand traps, a state of the art 15-acre practice facility, and a brand new clubhouse. The design incorporates natural and historical features, such as remnants of the former Trappist monastery and abundant wildlife. The project was made possible through collaboration among governments, community groups, and the club itself.

The Manitoba Open

The Manitoba Open has been hosted at Southwood 17 times, the first being in 1939 at the old location. The new location has hosted the event five times with two more cancelled due to COVID-19.

YearVenueWinnerScoreRefCentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open 2024 Southwood G&CC Johnny Keefer 262 (−26) 2023 Southwood G&CC Hayden Springer 267 (−21) 2022 Southwood G&CC Parker Coody 261 (−27) 2020–21 Southwood G&CC No tournament due to COVID-19 PandemicThe Players Cup 2019 Southwood G&CC Derek Barron 274 (−14) 2018 Southwood G&CC Tyler McCumber 266 (−22) Manitoba Open 1990 Southwood G&CC Jeff Bloom 264 1989 Southwood G&CC Stu Hendley 265 1988 Southwood G&CC Dave Barr 270 1987 Southwood G&CC Dave Barr 266 1986 Southwood G&CC Bob Panasik 204 1985 Southwood G&CCElmhurst GC Robbie Phillips 137 1963 Southwood G&CC Dayton Olson 213 1956 Southwood G&CC Ev Stuart 284 1949 Southwood G&CC Harold Eidsvig 142 1944 Southwood G&CC Allan Boes 143 1939 Southwood G&CC Kas Zebowski 141

Scorecard

See also List of golf courses in Manitoba

References