Haileybury Golf Club’s Century of Memories
A conversation with club historian and author JP Rivet.
The cover of his book Haileybury Golf Club: A Century of Memories
Northern Ontario is renowned for the wealth of its natural riches. The endless blankets of forests, the sparkling minerals and gemstones held within its granite grip, and the countless waterways with their coveted bounty of sport fish are all iconic symbols of the vast territory that sits between the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay. Northern Ontario communities tend to be close knit, hardy and deeply connected to the natural landscape. It is no surprise that golf is a well established and historic part of the lives of many found in towns and cities of the Canadian Shield.
According to the records of Golf Canada, the first club in Northern Ontario dates back to 1910 in Thunder Bay. The 1919 building of the Sault Golf Club added an additional northern course. This year sees two other historic Northern Ontario clubs, Haileybury and North Bay, celebrating their 100th year anniversary. Next year, Sudbury’s Idylwylde and The Hollinger Club in Timmins will revel in their centennial as well.
Haileybury may not be the most recognized municipality in Northern Ontario, but it does have a lengthy history dating back to 1889 and the Hudson Bay Company fur trade. The town sits on the western shore of Lake Temiskaming, a historic corridor along the Ottawa River, which brought Europeans settlers north in search of a wealth of opportunity. The area today is part of a clay belt and has an usually large agricultural community to go with the customary forestry and mining activities found in the north. It was the discovery of silver in the nearby town of Cobalt that brought miners and businessmen to the area in the early 20th Century. This metallic discovery and the resultant influx of wealth to the area were major reasons for the construction of the Haileybury Golf Club.
JP Rivet didn’t grow up playing golf like many other club historians. His entrance to the game occurred when he was operating a local motel in Haileybury and wanted to make time for himself and to enjoy his community. This led him to the golf club for mens night on Thursdays. There, Rivet found a welcoming second home, the same way countless men and women have across Canada and the globe. It was a place of fun, camaraderie and provided an opportunity to connect deeper to his community. He has remained a member at the club since taking up the game and has fulfilled many leadership roles such as club president, leader of the junior program and now club historian and author of “Haileybury Golf Club: A Century of Memories.”
Rivet said the book has been a labor of love for the past two years. When the club formed an anniversary committee, he took on the challenge to chronicle the storied past of the club and its place within the town. Rivet proudly describes the club as a community hub having hosted generations of townsfolk and guests alike. He shared a conversation he had with a long time member who recalled being a young boy and caddying for the famous boxer Joe Louis. His role directing the junior program is a prideful point for Rivet.
He speaks with great pride of the work the club has done to game with the youth of the community. One of the notable juniors Rivet remembers is Natalie Desjardins, who had an accomplished NCAA career as a scholarship player at Long Island University and is now the Head Womens’ Golf Coach at Seton Hall University. When contacted about her history at the club, Desjardins shared, “That place holds a special place in my heart! I have the golf course layout hanging up in my office as a reminder of what that place has afforded me throughout my years as a member; it will always be my HOME course!”
Rivet describes the nine hole course as a pleasurable experience from the moment you step out of the car. Each hole has a view of the beautiful water of the lake and is both challenging and playable for golfers of all abilities. He did share a funny story about the rail line that runs along the edge of the course. One member boasts of hitting the longest drive in history on that hole, as his tee shot landed on a speeding train destined for Vancouver. Assuming the rail car went all the way to the west coast, it would have been about a four thousand kilometer drive.
Rivet’s book captures the essence of the golf course, the club and its membership and also provides a well crafted summary of the surrounding regional history. It highlights the individuals that spearheaded the building of the course and what it has meant to the town for the past 100 years. Rivet is pleased to have been able to include many historic photos, as he paid homage to the eternal expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
The club has ambitious plans to celebrate their centennial, but the Covid pandemic and uncertainty which surrounds the ability to gather has shelved some of the celebrations until 2022. A commemorative granite plaque is scheduled to be unveiled on the clubhouse July 24th this summer, however. As for Rivet’s book, “Haileybury Golf Club: A Century of Memories,” it is in its second print run and copies can be ordered in advance through the course’s website.
Congratulations to the Haileybury Golf Club on its milestone anniversary and to JP Rivet for the contribution he has made to the club’s history and the Northern Ontario golf community.
Visit the club’s website here to order your own copy of the book or to plan a trip to this historic Northern Ontario golf venue.
