3 minute read
Portage Golf Club celebrates a century and looks to the future
By Lyndon McLean
From inauspicious beginnings, the Portage Golf Club has become a big part of the community, recently celebrating its 100th anniversary. in 1922 Portage Golf Club was established on a site previously used a pasture and a rubbish dump, a piece of land littered with scrap iron and was bisected by two narrow sloughs full of cattails. The first official opening day was May 31st, 1922, and fees for the first year were $20 for men and $10 for ladies. The Club joined the Manitoba Golf Association in 1924 and began selling shares in 1925 at a par value of $50. The first clubhouse building was moved onto the site in 1927.
In 1992, the course expanded from nine to 18 holes, and it now has a licensed restaurant & bar, a sunroom, and a deck overlooking the crescent. A fully stocked pro shop offers a full range of golf equipment and clothing, and golfers can warm up in the hitting net or hit a few practice putts before the round on the recently re-done putting green. The course also has a fleet of 50 electric golf carts, with 40 of them having GPS touch screen to provide golfers with detailed hole layouts and yardages during their round.
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In recent years, the course has hosted the 2018 Future Links Prairie Championships, a Golf Canada Junior event, and renovations and upgrades were made to the Pro Shop in the winter of 2018. That year also saw the clubhouse used as a filming site for the movie Breakthrough.
Spring 2022 saw significant kitchen upgrades, and of course a celebration of the Club’s 100th anniversary with a dinner and dance, as well as a Vegas Scramble.
The golf club is a proud Chamber member and has significant ties to the business community, as well as to various charitable organizations in Portage la Prairie. “We look to the business community for sponsorships and advertising partnerships each season to support our operations, as we are not-for-profit,” says Deb Pritchard, General Manager & PGA Professional at the Portage Golf Club. “We’re also excited to partner with many charitable organizations in our community to host golf tournaments and other fundraising events that contribute significant revenues to their operations. Additionally, many local businesses take advantage of the golf course for staff and customer appreciations events as we can offer both an activity and food & beverage services in one location.” Pritchard says the Club is always striving to build upon its great amenities and expand what they can offer to members, guests, and the community as a whole. There’s ongoing planning for the betterment of the course and the services it can offer, such as clubhouse/ restaurant facilities, which show their age more and more each season.
“Determining future needs and formulating a plan for replacement or renovation will be a key focus for both current and future boards to ensure that we continue to move the club forward into the future for generations to come.”
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