Description of Historic Place

Woodstock Golf and Curling Club is a 9-hole golf course spanning almost 19 hectares in the heart of Woodstock. The attractive course features many natural hazards, including an evergreen forest and swampy areas.

Heritage Value

Woodstock Golf and Curling Club is designated a local historic place for its significance to the history of sport in Woodstock.

Woodstock Golf and Curling Club is an attractive course featuring many natural hazards, including an evergreen forest and swampy areas. The grounds have been used as a golf course since 1887, when the sport was introduced to Woodstock by Rev. G. D. Ireland, the Scottish minister of the local Presbyterian Church. In June of that year, a group of enthusiasts met at the American Consulate, formerly the residence of the Honourable Charles Connell. They formed the Woodstock Golf Club. They purchased the lands and opened the course to the public shortly after. The original architect of the course cannot be ascertained, but it is known that the course was redesigned in 1900 by John Peacock, golf pro from the famed St. Andrews-by-the-Sea Algonquin course.

Source: Carleton County Historical Society, Historic Places Files, “Woodstock Golf and Curling Club”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Woodstock Golf and Curling Club include:
- location in Woodstock’s centre, in close proximity to the historic downtown and residential areas;
- natural hazards including evergreen forest, swampy spots, and traps;
- location of the clubhouse (the third built on the site) at the entrance of the club at the highest elevation of the course.