New look for Mississaugua
Mississaugua Golf & Country Club will unveil its most significant renovation project in club history this spring with the reopening of its newly transformed greens.
In the space of ten weeks between August and October last year, Canadian architect firm Carrick Design and contractor Evansgolf rebuilt all 19 green complexes (the club has an extra short hole) with some minor changes to the bunkering at the 102- year-old parkland layout.
"From the very beginning it sounded like a very ambitious project. We couldn't find another club in Canada that had successfully undertaken such an intensive renovation project in such a short time period," said general manager Ian Scott.
"That said, we had remarkable fall weather that seemed to extend summer right into November, and that was a key factor for finishing on time and on budget." The club's first nine holes were laid out by Percy Barrett in 1906 and George Cumming extended it to 18 in 1909. The club is famous for having some of the smallest greens in Canada. As part of a long range master plan developed by Carrick associate Steve Vanderploeg, the total green area has been increased to 110,000 sq ft from 85,000 sq ft – still well below average. The project also improved drainage around the greens, increased the number of pinning areas on each green and helped improve entry/exit points to the greens to reduce turf stress.
"Our goal was to design new greens with a consistent style and feel across the whole of the golf course with increased challenge and interest for members and visitors of the club, while also dealing with many technical issues that had been causing problems for maintenance and playability over the years," said Vanderploeg.