Niagara on the Lake (1875) - A Photo Tour!

[Mark Saltzman]

Niagara On The Lake Golf Club claims it is the oldest golf course in North America, dating back to 1875.  A more recent claim to fame, NOTL has been ranked among the nine best nine hole courses outside the United States by Golf Digest Magazine.




A newspaper from 1896 with hole descriptions...




And a 1934 v. current pair of aerials:






The unique tee markers at NOTL are apropos as Fort Mississauga sits within the golf course's boundary:




And a putting green that reminded of the putting green at Fishers Island, set against the lake...




The golf course starts with a simple and straightaway par-4 of 350 yards.  Imagine how beautiful this hole, among others, was when trees did not block the view of the lake.




The second hole showcases the overgrowth of trees, and the par-5 3rd offers the first introduction to the mounding that lines several of the fairways...




It seems the 3rd and 4th were combined into a single par-5 in the 1934 aerial, but the current 4th is a very nice short par-3 with a devilish back-right shelf...




Curious bunkering short of the green on the par-5 5th is explained by the 1934 aerial; the bunkers once surrounded the green, which has since been moved some 50 yards back.  Still, the current green is a very good one, with a high point in the centre and a unique pear-shape:




With a bit of imagination, one can see that the 7th was once a great hole.  The bold line was down the left, near the water; the bailout is to the right.




Playing to the left leaves a simpler pitch to the green...




While playing to the right leaves an awkward pitch over bunkering...




To a green that slopes severely (and I mean SEVERELY!) away...




The view from behind the current 8th tee:




And the 8th green is forgettable...




Except...

[Ronald Montesano]

Ninth hole is also forgettable?

[Mark Saltzman]

Ninth hole is also forgettable?

Actually, it's a ball busting 230 yard uphill par-3 with a green that falls off on two sides.  Just didn't get a good picture.

[Tyler Kearns]

Mark,

I walked portions of this course in the winter way back when and remember the old military fortifications, neat to see some pictures of the golf course.

TK

[BHoover]

How much of the old star fort site can you see from the course?  Based on the aerial, it looks as though much of the fort may be blocked by the trees.  Is that the case?  Does the fort come into play at all?

[Mark Saltzman]

How much of the old star fort site can you see from the course?  Based on the aerial, it looks as though much of the fort may be blocked by the trees.  Is that the case?  Does the fort come into play at all?

Brian,

if you look in the picture of the first hole you can see the brick tower beyond the first green.  Part of the star-shaped depression is about 5 yards beyond the first green.

You get close to the fort again on the 8th, which is where the public walking path / entrance to the fort is.  I'm told one hole once played over the corner of the star, though don't know if that's true or not.

[Ed Homsey]

Thanks for that great tour of NOTL.  I just moved it up a notch on my bucket list.  Combined with some great, nearby wineries, and shopping for my wife, I'm looking forward to it.  But, is it really the oldest golf course in North America?

[Ronald Montesano]

oldest continuous same site golf course in North America

[Dan Herrmann]

Niagara on the Lake is a very cool town to boot.  Highly recommended.

[Keith Phillips]

I (thought I) played Niagara on the Lake several times with my father in the '70s...seem to recall a blind par 3 into punchbowl green where my Dad had an ace...do I 'misremember?'

[Doug Wright]

Thanks for this Mark. I stayed in Niagara on the Lake for a summer in the 1970s and played the course a couple times (preferring to play at Whirlpool GC down the road towards Niagara Falls, a course I really liked a lot). I think even back then there wern't that many trees encroaching on the golf course and messing with the view. I remember the history, but don't remember the course itself as being very interesting, just a 9 hole muny OK for a quick evening round.

Niagara on the Lake is, indeed, a very fun place to visit.

[Matt Bosela]

Super cool tour, Mark.

I live 15 minutes away and unbelievably, I've never played NOTL GC.  I'll have to rectify that soon...

[Jud_T]

I wonder how many trees could be taken out with today's safety standards.  That old treeless aerial looks amazing.

[Wayne_Kozun]

One thing that I have always wondered is why are there so few courses built along the Great Lakes, especially in Ontario?  NOTL is one as Is Toronto Hunt and, more recently, Cobble Beach.  But there is tons of Great Lakes coastline in Ontario so why isn't it used more for golf?  There are also some great dune sites that could have been used back in the day but where you could never build a course today due to environmental regs.

There is Whistling Straits in WI, but what about the rest of the lakes and the shoreline in NY, OH, MI, MN, etc?

[Dan Herrmann]

Wayne - Oswego, NY and the whole western shore of Lake Ontario provide amazing views and great land for golf.  Only issue is that the huge amount of snow.

I don't think people up there appreciate the lakes as much as they should.  As far as I know, there are no courses on Lake Ontario or Erie anywhere in NY.

[Ronald Montesano]

More valuable as real estate.

More valuable as nature preserve.

It's golf, not life.