Club History

On June 28th, 1957, Maple City Country Club was established following the sale of Chatham Golf Club by its owners. The former Chatham Golf Club had been sold for development and was transformed into the Indian Crest subdivision in Chatham. As a result of this sale, a group of local businessmen from the Chatham area invested $34,000 to purchase approximately 149 acres of land spanning Harwich and Chatham Townships, with the intention of developing a new golf course and clubhouse. An additional 11 acres were later acquired in 1969 for $6,000.

Robbie Robinson, a distinguished golf course architect and a student of Stanley Thompson, was retained to oversee the project. Mr. Robinson is highly regarded for his contributions to the design and restoration of over 140 courses across Canada, including Brudenell River in PEI, and notable Ontario courses such as Twenty Valley, Beverly, Craigowan, St. Thomas Golf Club (2nd nine), Hamilton Golf & Country Club (3rd nine), Westmount, Brantford G&CC, St. Catharines G&CC, Sarnia G&CC, Whirlpool, and Quebec's Kanawaki GC, Beaconsfield, and Royal Ottawa in Gatineau, Quebec.
 

Clinton E. "Robbie" Robinson, a native of St. Amadee, Quebec, was not only the golf course architect of Maple City Country Club but also served as the director of the RCGA Greens Section for several years. He even held two separate terms as the President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. In recognition of his contributions to Canadian golf, Robinson was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.
Following his design, the clubhouse opened in June 1958, and the members started playing on seven holes. By 1959, the entire first nine holes were opened for play, with the clubhouse in Chatham Township connected to the golf course in Harwich Township by a pontoon bridge over the Thames River. In September 1960, the new back nine was completed and opened for play, finally making Maple City Country Club a complete 18-hole course for its members

Maple City members decided to sell the Chatham Township clubhouse and property in 1968 and build a new clubhouse on the south side of the Thames River in Harwich Township. Howard Watson, also a protégé of Stanley Thompson, was hired to choose the new clubhouse location and redesign the course layout. Joseph Storey, a celebrated local architect, was selected to design the new clubhouse. Since its construction in 1968, the clubhouse has been improved with two additions and renovations, the most recent in 2005.
 

 
Over the years, Maple City has hosted national and provincial championships:

• 1967 Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship – Pam Miller (Oshawa Golf Club)

• 1983 Ontario Jr. Girls’ Championship – Heather Kuzmich (Barcovan Golf Club)

• 1999 Canadian Jr. Boys’ Championship – Kevin Klebe (Chilliwack Golf Club)

• 2014 Ontario Jr. Girls’ Championship – Courtney Tolton (GAO Public Player) 
   
• 2018 Ontario Jr. Girls' Championship - Jasmine Ly (Kingsville Golf & Country Club)

Throughout its history as a private golf club, Maple City Country Club has focused on being friendly, casual and family-oriented.  We have been fortunate over the past 60 years to have long-serving and committed management and staff, strong leadership from our Board of Directors, ongoing support of our members for change and improvement, and one of the most scenic and well-maintained golf courses in southwestern Ontario.