Description of Historic Place

Roseland Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course designed by renowned golf architect Donald J. Ross in 1926. Located in south Windsor and one of only a few Ross-designed Canadian courses, it is recognized for its heritage value by City of Windsor Bylaw 281-2003.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Roseland Golf Course lies in its trademark Ross design features, which include its strategic merits, distinctive creativity and natural beauty. Golf’s most renowned and respected architect, Donald J. Ross (1872-1948) is credited with advancing the philosophy of golf architecture from the penal to the strategic, making the sport more enjoyable and popular. Although he left behind a legacy of 413 golf courses, he designed and/or remodelled only about 15 in Canada. Although the Roseland course was more open when built in 1927, the basic Ross design remains intact with all 18 holes and all greens in their original position.

There is also historical value in Roseland’s association with entrepreneur, businessman and avid sportsman, Henry James (Harry) Neal, who brought Ross to Windsor to design the golf course as the centrepiece of his Roseland Park subdivision. Neal helped establish the continuing Essex-Kent Boys’ Golf Tournament and was also the first President of the Windsor Rotary Club. In 1973, Roseland was purchased by the City of Windsor.

Sources: Building Analysis Form, December 2001; City of Windsor Bylaw 281-2003; and City of Windsor Heritage Planner’s files.

Character-Defining Elements

Key character defining design features that express the heritage value of Roseland Golf Course as an authentic example of the work of pre-eminent golf architect Donald Ross include:
-the basic 18-hole design with all holes in their original location
-the course starts and finishes in the same place as originally designed
-all greens in their original position;
-greens, which predominately slope from back-to-front
-greens with multiple tiers, diagonal swales and centre ridges as their primary nuances.