Canada 150 isn’t the only milestone being celebrated in Chestermere this year.
Lakeside Golf Club is celebrating their 25th anniversary here in the city.
The growth of the club is inextricably intertwined with the growth of Chestermere from summer village to town to city.
Twenty-five years ago, Chestermere was still known as a summer village and had a population of about 2,000 people, a far cry from the busy city it is today.
When Lakeside Greens Inc. was given approval to develop the land into a gold course, part of the deal was for the development to pay to connect Chestermere to the City of Calgary’s water supply.
“That’s how the village of Chestermere got city water, the golf course paid for it,” said Managing Partner Wayne McBean.
McBean has been involved with the club since the beginning and has been managing it for the last 19 years.
Not only was a stable water supply a key factor in the successful development of the course, it also allowed Chestermere to start on the path of growth that has led to where it is today, a bustling city of over 20,000 people.
“The golf course in an interesting way became a catalyst for the growth of the town of Chestermere from village to a town to a city,” said Managing Partner and Director of Golf Glenn Carr.
“It’s been very exciting to watch the village of Chestermere grow into the city of Chestermere,” said McBean.
The club has grown right alongside the city, thanks to the support from the community.
As their way of thanking the community for this support, Lakeside Greens is offering free green fees to residents after 4 p.m. from July 31 to Aug. 6.
“[It’s] to say thank you and congratulate Chestermere on becoming what we are today,” said McBean.
He said that the club has a very strong relationship with both the community and club members.
They’re hoping that the community will take advantage of the promotion and that maybe some people new to the sport will come out and give golf a try.
“People who’ve never played golf before, come out and try it, it’s free,” said McBean, “it’s a great game it’s a great family game.”
Looking back over the past 25 years, some of the events that stand out to McBean are the many fundraising tournaments that Lakeside has hosted.
“We raised over $1 million for STARS Air Ambulance,” he said of a series of tournaments held over a period of ten years.
Another tournament they are proud of is the Marcus Lavilee Memorial Tournament which raises funds for hockey scholorships.
“Those are probably the two biggest ones that we’re very proud of,” said McBean.
