Following in the spirit of adventure and the footsteps of the French-Canadian voyageurs, the native Ojibwa and Métis hunters and Scottish fur traders, who first put the area on the map in the early 1800s, Whitewater Golf Club is a testament to the resolve of those who first paddled the Kaministiquia River and those who have followed. Nestled between the soothing Kaministiquia River and the tranquil Rosslyn Oxbow Wetland, Canadian golf course architect Tom McBroom, a pioneer in his own right, has handcrafted a 27-hole championship layout that captures the incredible beauty of the majestic river valley. The 550-acre Whitewater property is a dramatic collage of topographical features rarely found on one site. The river valley creates dramatic plateaus, steep cliffs, ravines, and magnificent wetlands, creeks and ponds. The dense boreal forest and its mountain range backdrop revealed signature trees that have been artfully introduced into the design.
“The golf holes at Whitewater are manmade, but created with such naturalness to appear as though the holes just happened on their own,” McBroom says. “Whitewater is as natural as they come, that’s what the land called for. It’s not contrived in any way.” Course clearing started in September 2002. A third nine, The Sand Barren Course is planned for the future.. After opening late summer 2004 for limited member play, the semi-private facility opened for its first full season in 2005. The two all bent grass nine-hole designs that wander through towering poplar and Jack Pine groves are ready for play. Just even yards shy of 7,300-yards, the par-72 Forest and River Courses measure 5,584-yards from the forward tees, 6,265-yards from the White tees, 6,792 from the Blue tees and 7,293-yards from the tips or the Gold tees. 2011 Green fee rates will vary from $60 to $79 depending on time and day of week. For those considering membership the initiation fee is $8,500 (or $900 a year for 10 years) plus $2,740 in annual dues.
“This is a magical place where history, tradition, wilderness and natural beauty meld together perfectly so that every minute you spend on this land it feels like you were meant to be here,” says co-founder Silvio Di Gregorio. “You can stand on the banks of the Kaministiquia River, in the tranquility of the Northern Ontario backwoods and take a 200-year journey back in time to the days of the fur trade.” In the serene Kaministiquia River Valley, where eagles soar silently in the clear skies and wildlife from moose and deer to bear and lynx roam free, Whitewater is a tonic for the body and soul. Di Gregorio’s vision is to develop Whitewater GC at King George’s Park Estates a world-class golf facility and residential community in Northern Ontario that will draw both American tourists from nearby Minnesota and Wisconsin and avid golfers from across Canada. At the heart of the project is McBroom’s 27-hole masterpiece. Estate lots, town homes and luxury condominiums will be meticulously designed to exist in harmony with Whitewater’s precious natural setting and not intrude on the golf course. Lots are still available in this thriving community. Whitewater’s rough-wood and stone-faced clubhouse has been designed with imagination and detail to capture the essence and history of the fur trading days. Two 35-foot birch bark canoes hang overhead in a quaint setting that features a rustic looking bar and a small fine dining area featuring portraits of explorers, beaver pelts, paddles and other antiques from a by-gone era. An outside balcony offers stunning 180 degree vistas of the golf course and a majestic wetland in the river valley below with the endless back drop of the boreal forest. There’s also a larger conference room and pro shop on the main floor with member and guest locker rooms and an executive boardroom on the lower level. The Whitewater Golf Academy may well prove to be one of the premier teaching facilities in Canada. “This is by far the best setting I have ever had to develop a practice area,” McBroom says. Sunken in the midst of an immense pine forest the 20-acre golf academy is second to none. The academy features putting, chipping, sand and short game stations as well as a 400-yard range with double-ended bentgrass tee decks. Come and enjoy all of what Whitewater Golf Club has to offer.
