Joy in Mudville

Golfing in London

    It was announced in the London Free Press today that the municipal golf courses will be opening on April 4. That is good news since the assumption is that spring is near, although most of us will likely watch more golf than play it until well after the magnolias have bloomed at the Masters. It is good news, as well, that the courses still exist since about a half-dozen years ago the city considered selling them. One of them, Thames Valley, is particularly pretty and as advertised, is actually in a valley along a river. Even the game of golf does not spoil a walk around it.

Thames Valley in the 1930s

    I mention all of this because I ran across an article from almost 80 years ago which indicates that the City Fathers (and they probably all were), were no wiser back then, although the need for cash for the city was probably greater given that this was the during the ‘Dirty Thirties’. Here is what a columnist had to say about the proposed sale:

Let’s hope that golfers in London, Ontario, will rally round to keep the civic fathers from doing any more than just considering the closing of that city’s famous municipal course at Thames Valley and selling the land. The 27 hole Thames layout is probably the finest municipal links in Canada, and no less an authority than Gene Sarazen a few years ago described it as one of the finest public courses in North America.

  Thames Valley’s case is the old story of a low-fee public club being the developing ground and feeder for private clubs. Business at Thames Valley has been slumping ever since the new Sunningdale course was opened, and, although the municipal course has never cost the ratepayers a cent in taxes, storm signals have been sent up by the Public Utilities Commission, which operates the links. Thousands of golfers throughout Ontario who have enjoyed the Thames test of golf, as well as its scenic beauty, will doubtless join the writer in hoping that this fine course can be saved.

(“Diggin' Divots At the 19th,” Roche, Bill. The Globe and Mail, Sept. 30, 1937, p.19.)

   I found the Sarazen description interesting and wondered why and when he might have visited Thames Valley. I learned that he was here in 1933 as the photograph below indicates and it was probably because he played in the Canadian Open that year, which was won by the Aussie in the photo - Joe Kirkwood. Apparently Sarazen won the match at Thames.

From left to right, Joe Kirkwood, Sandy Sommerville, Gene Sarazen and Jack Nash pose for a photo on the first tee Of Thames Valley prior to their opening day match. July 29, 1933.

    All of this information is provided by John Cowie and can be found in his book: From Rough to Fairway: The First 85 Years of the City of London Golf Courses. An excerpt of the book (along with the photo above) is found on this website: History of London and Area Golf Courses, with which Mr. Cowie is associated.

    Anyone interested in golf in this area should have a look at History of London and Area Golf Courses. It answered for me this question which I have often asked: “Wasn’t there a golf course on Gainsborough Road, on the north side before you get to Hyde Park?” The answer is “Yes”.

Additional sources:

    Information about the proposed sale of some or all of the courses back in 2011:

“City May Sell off One Golf Course ; London Assets: Revenues are Declining and a Report Says the Market is Overbuilt”, Patrick Maloney, The London Free Press, Sat. Jan. 15, 2011.Page: A3.

“Give Links Away, City Told ; Public Golf Courses: A Realtor Says Unloading Courses Would Be More Profitable For the City, But Others Say That’s Not the Answer to a Saturated Market,” Jennifer O’Brien, The London Free Press, Jan. 17, 2011, p.A1.

A response to the above: Letters to the Editor Column, The London Free Press

Sat Jan 22 2011 Page: E3. This good letter by Mr. Phil Gingrich offers strong reasons for keeping the municipal courses.

    The 1933 article by Mr. Roche was found in The Globe and Mail, as indicated. I am not sure what was written at that time in the London newspaper about the proposed sale since it is only available on microform.

    Mr. Roche, by the way, was born in Forest and worked for a time at the London Advertiser. He later joined the staff of The Globe and Mail and worked there until his retirement in 1958. He covered hockey as well as golf and wrote: The Hockey Book: The Great Hockey Stories of all Time, Told by the Men Who Knew the Game the Best. For an obituary see: “W.V. (Bill) Roche: Book Told Anecdotes About NHL Players, The Globe and Mail, June 26, 1962, p.30

    He is buried just up the river from Thames Valley in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.