The Big
Cedar Point Golf and Country Club occupies approximately 17 hectares of land
south-west of Big Cedar Point, on Lake Simcoe.
The Club is noted for its scenic
location, its proximity to local summer residences and its historical
connections with the area. The Club was
established more than 90 years ago in 1931.
TENT CITY
In 1914, a
local resident established Tent City, a tourist attraction located at the
bottom of the Sixth Line. It quickly
became popular with people from the urban areas to the south. The area included
a number of seasonal residences, predominantly belonging to people from
Toronto.
The area
included both Jewish and gentile residents and both groups established their
own associations. The early gentile residents gathered for Sunday services on
the verandahs of their local cottages.
As the population increased, those residents formed The Big Cedar
Association in 1922.
Several men
in the Big Cedar Association were interested in finding a nearby place to play
golf. The Houston family owned much of
the land in the area. In 1930, the Association reached an agreement with King
Houston to acquire land north of the 6th Line. The golfers formed a committee to establish
the Big Cedar Point Golf and Country Club.
To finance the purchase and development, they registered a
not-for-profit company and sold shares for $100.
Mr. Houston
and his son took on the task of clearing the area and developing the golf
course. By 1931, they had readied it for
use. Father and son carried on as greens
keepers. King Jr. used horses to maintain the property and did not buy a
tractor until 1949. King Jr. passed away
in 1976 and is commemorated by a rock and plaque near the first tee box.
As
transportation improved, the area became increasingly popular with Toronto
people looking for a weekend getaway. As
a result, well-known celebrities often played at the club – including members
of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
An
unfortunate aspect of these times was a club policy that discriminated against
Jewish people. Following more recent
discussions with the local community, it became clear that the Club needed to
bring closure by issuing a formal apology for such policies. The full text of this apology is posted on
the wall of the clubhouse.
Over the
years, the Club underwent a number of changes as it evolved from a rustic
retreat and into the modern facility that we now enjoy.
· 1961 – the clubhouse was replaced
with a larger one
· 1974 – additional land was purchased
to build the current parking lot
· 1987 – the first hole was lengthened
into its current dogleg format
· 1989 – modern course maintenance equipment
was introduced and the club finally acquired a liquor license
· 2004 – the club hired its first
full-time General Manager, Mike Jackson, who served there for the next 14 years
· 2005 – the current clubhouse was
completed
· 2022 – a golf simulator was purchased
and the club continued its evolution into a year-round operation
· 2023 – a new outdoor patio was built
THE
TRANSACTION WITH THE BIG CEDAR ASSOCIATION
In the
spring of 2019, the Club faced a financial crisis. Declining membership and revenues meant that
the Club did not have the funds necessary to open for the 2019 golf
season. As a result, the Club sought and
obtained an emergency loan of $150,000 from a local neighbour. The Club also
sold some excess wooded land along the right side of the first hole. That land is set back from the wooded buffer
along the right side of the first fairway and is not needed for use as part of
the golf course. As a condition of sale,
the purchasers agreed to not remove trees or build on the property. It is simply a buffer between the golf course
and the abutting properties.
Unfortunately,
that sale did not solve the financial challenges facing the Golf Club and the
board of directors was compelled to consider other options to ensure its
survival.
Learning
that the Big Cedar Association was in the process of selling its clubhouse, the
Golf Club approached the Association to see whether the Association would be
prepared to use the proceeds from that sale to fund the Golf Club going
forward.
At the same
time, the members of the Big Cedar Association, learning of the Golf Club’s
financial challenges, became concerned that the Golf Club might cease
operations and that the golf course lands might at some point be sold for
development or other uses. The members of the Big Cedar Association own cottage
properties along the lake and wanted to ensure that the Golf Club property
continued to be used as a golf course.
Over the course of 2020, the Golf Club negotiated a mutually beneficial
transaction with the Big Cedar Association that was completed in the fall of
2022.
Pursuant to
that transaction, the Big Cedar Association advanced $675,000 to the Golf Club, representing substantially
all of the proceeds from the sale of its clubhouse property. While the form of that transaction was a
loan, no interest is payable and the loan is never required to be repaid unless
the Golf Club ceases to operate as a golf course on the Golf Club property,
becomes insolvent or wishes to sell the Golf Club property. If any of those events occur, the Big Cedar
Association has the right to acquire the golf course lands. If it were ever to
do so, the Association has agreed that the golf course lands may be used only as
a golf course, recreational green space, natural preserve or park land, and may
not be developed.
As a result
of the advance from the Big Cedar Association, the Golf Club solved its
financial crisis. It has paid off its
mortgage and has available to it financial resources that, if properly managed,
will ensure the successful operation of the Golf club into the future in
perpetuity. The Board of Directors of
the Golf Club has resolved to use the proceeds of the transaction only as a
reserve against unforeseen financial losses, capital expenses or similar
extraordinary financial events.
A VERY
BRIGHT FUTURE
With its financial challenges solved, the
increasing popularity of golf, the explosive population growth in Innisfil, and
the potential closing of other area golf courses, the future of the Big Cedar
Golf Club has never been brighter.
