Lot of holes before future site of Canadian Open is set

Thespec.com
Aug. 2, 2017

When Golf Canada's new CEO Laurence Applebaum announced during the RBC Canadian Open that the 2018 tournament would be played at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville there were more than a few eyebrows raised.

It was no surprise that they were going back to Glen Abbey next year. After all it will be the 30th time the tournament has been played at its semi-permanent home.

What was a surprise to some was that they didn't announce that the 2019 tournament was going there as well. That non-announcement will, of course, lead to speculation that a deal might be close for it to be played at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club on the 100th anniversary of the first time the tournament was played in Ancaster.

No such luck, at least the 'close' part.

And you can also put to bed the rumour that the sticking points are that the executive at the Hamilton club want two years not one and that they are far apart on the money issue.

"There is absolutely no truth to that whatsoever, absolutely none," says Golf Canada's Chief Championship officer Bill Paul.

"The members of the board I've been working with have been positive but they've been on hold while ourselves and RBC get our strategic plan together on this event which includes venues but is not just limited to venues."

Golf Canada supposedly wants to have its future permanent home site finalized by this fall. The Town of Vaughan wants it but interestingly Jack Nicklaus, who built Glen Abbey and who apparently has been tabbed to build Glen Abbey 2.0 was at ClubLink's Rattlesnake Point GC last week with topographical maps of the 36-hole property laid out on a table.

Golf Canada have a new long term deal with RBC to sponsor the tournament so they're going to have a say maybe even a veto on where the tournament is played on a year-to-year basis.

And then there's ClubLink. If they are going to build Glen Abbey 2.0 and gut their Rattlesnake Point GC to create another spectator friendly championship course you can bet the farm they will want a guarantee of how often the Open will be played there.