Recently, while reading the blog post of golf course shaper and architect Riley Johns, I stumbled across a picture of Glenboro Golf and Country Club. The photo was part of a collection of Riley's favorite golf courses he got a chance to play in 2016 and included courses such as Pinehurst No.2, SandhillsGC and Banff Springs to name a few. All of these golf courses are featured near the top of every list of best golf courses in the United States, Canada and the World. So, one can imagine my amazement when a photo of our GlenboroG&CC appeared in the album. "This 9 holer in the middle of Manitoba was the biggest surprise of 2016. It has been around since the 20's and is a masters class in routing and bunkerless design" Riley captioned the photo. These accolades are flattering enough but when I commented on the photo myself, pointing out the significance of this praise, Riley went a step further adding that "Glenboro is one of the best 9 hole courses in Canada" and even gave a tip of the cap to our green designs that have stood the test of time. These comments are not coming from a passer by who happened to have a good game on the course and decided it deserved to be called one of the best in Canada. These comments were made by a man who has worked on designing, shaping, renovating and playing some of the best golf courses in the world while working along side some of the world's best architects! Comments from a source such as this, good or bad, deserve to be heard and given some weight when discussing GlenboroG&CC.
They were in fact heard by an accomplished author who wrote the book "To The Nines" which highlights the best nine hole golf courses in the United States. Anthony Pioppi is currently writing another book titled "Finest Nines" which expands upon his original "To The Nines" and highlights 25 of the best nine hole golf courses in North America. Anthony has reached out to GlenboroG&CC for information on the club as he wishes to feature the course in his next publication. That is correct, Glenboro will be featured in this book as one of the top 25 best nine hole golf courses in North America.
All of this attention encouraged me to look into the history of Glenboro Golf & Country Club for my own enjoyment as well as to aid Anthony in his research and after some digging I found many great mentions of Glenboro Golf Club over the years highlighted by a fantastic article written 45 years ago by our own Al Greer. With the help of some other gentlemen educated on the history of the club, Al detailed the origins and history of GlenboroG&CC in an article featured in the Brandon Sun on August 26, 1972. After reading this gold mine of information along with several other older articles, I was informed that the Glenboro Golf Course was established in 1922 by several young sportsmen in the area. The course itself was mapped out and designed by a "good Scottish fellow" from the Brandon Golf Club who commented that the land was truly something special and as close to Scottish links as you might find in the Canadian heartland. This gentleman is thought to be James Pringle who was a professional at the Brandon Golf Club during this time and later at Alcrest Golf Club in Winnipeg. There are many very interesting points made in this article but there was one constant that stood out to me. That point was the constant mention of the volunteer work that was the life blood of the club and fuelled its growth from day 1. The course was built and maintained on the backs of volunteers with the sand greens each being cared for by a specific member and a local farmer mowing the fairways with his hay mower. Even the original clubhouse was built by the members giving spirit and commitment to their club.
Glenboro Golf & Country Club has always had a membership so proud in their facility that they will willingly and eagerly donate their time and resources with zero personal gain. They simply want the club to succeed and thrive. This is something very common in many small communities I have encountered and although I always saw the benefits, until recently I did not realize the full extent of the impact this volunteer work has had on my home club over its entire 95 year history. This is something that should not go without praise or unappreciated. Without this generosity I am frightened to think of where our club might be today or in the future for that matter. I would like to thank all of those who worked tirelessly to build, maintain, improve and grow the game of golf in Glenboro and those who encouraged me to play the game at a young age. Those 100 acres became my second home in the summer and will continue to offer that same sanctuary for golfers young and old thanks to our fantastic membership, staff and volunteers. Let's all not lose sight of how lucky we are to have this course in our backyard and continue to take pride in this property that is considered to be one of the best of its kind in the country.
