Golf Canada has officially opened the doors to its new national headquarters and permanent home in Caledon, Ont., ushering in a new era of Canadian golf.
Gillam was the construction manager for the three-storey, 26,000-square-foot, $24 million headquarters, located at 1564 Beech Grove Sideroad on an eight-acre site next to TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. It is expected to serve as Golf Canada’s national headquarters for the next 50 to 100 years.
The building is part of the larger Home for Canadian Golf project, which also includes relocating the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, the construction of Talon Links, the first community putting park of its kind in Canada, and the First Tee – Canada Headquarters, which provides children with life-enhancing experiences through golf.
This year’s RBC Canadian Open – taking place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley from June 11 to 14 – presents an opportunity for Golf Canada to show off its new home.
“The RBC Canadian Open is a significant PGA (Professional Golf Association) Tour event,” explained Grant Fraser, project manager, Golf Canada. “Golf Canada will be on will be on display not just across Canada, but throughout the United States as well. It’s our national championship and a significant event for all of us…We want to put our best foot forward for the golfing world and to proudly say this is Golf Canada’s new home and Home for Canadian Golf.”
For many years, the Golf Canada headquarters and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame were located at Glen Abbey in Oakville.
“Several years ago, conversations began about the possibility of relocating the Golf Canada national office. The ownership group at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley expressed interest in establishing a long-term partnership with Golf Canada that ultimately led to the decision to move from Oakville to Caledon,” Fraser explained.
At the time, they didn’t have a construction partner lined up.
“After a lengthy interview process, we decided to work with Gillam as the lead on our Home for Canadian Golf project,” Fraser said. “We were impressed with the team and had confidence in their expertise. Most importantly, everyone understood our vision and what Golf Canada wanted in its new national headquarters. From day one, the entire Gillam team has been a pleasure to work with and over the last three years, we have established a wonderful working relationship.”
The project broke ground in October 2024.
“After breaking ground, we did a small dedication ceremony that included Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum, COO Garrett Ball and several other senior staff,” Fraser said. “We were all able to see the first footings that were poured that day and haven’t looked back since.”
An important piece of the Home for Canadian Golf project involves a putting park for the community called Talon Links.
“Our putting park occupies about two acres of our eight-acre property. We built this park intentionally to bring golfers and non-golfers to our location to enjoy an actual 18-hole golf experience,” explained Fraser. “Everyone is welcome – families, individuals – and there’s no charge to play. We provide putters and golf balls and it’s all part of Golf Canada’s mandate to grow the game and to make golf more accessible and enjoyable. We built Talon Links to do exactly this.”
The third component of the project was to relocate the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. It’s not your typical hall of fame experience, Fraser stated.
“We’re not in a standalone building anymore,” he said. “Under the leadership and direction of Meggan Gardner, Golf Canada’s director of heritage services, Golf Canada has modernized the whole hall of fame experience, providing exhibits and displays celebrating Canadian golf history. In addition to having exhibits and displays at the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley Main Clubhouse, Golf Canada’s office is decorated with an assortment of Canadian golf artifacts, images and memorabilia.”
Well before the start of construction, Gillam was instrumental in advancing project planning, establishing the schedule and helping to secure all necessary permits and approvals. The work also included a six-month value engineering and optimization process.
With a wood-siding façade, the building was designed to fit in with the existing buildings onsite. The structure consists of concrete, steel, precast concrete, cold-form steel and block. Each section had to be carefully sequenced.
Although constructing the building was a relatively straightforward process, co-ordinating the different aspects of construction proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially as the bulk of the work was done through the winter months.
“What made this successful was the way we managed the project,” said Jeff Collett, project director at Gillam. “We co-ordinated the different aspects of the project and were able to find creative solutions to problems resulting in cost savings.”
The building is an open-concept space with shared working areas and features floor-to-ceiling windows and a mezzanine overlooking the entrance.
“Our executive team have designated offices, but most of our office space is shared among our managers and staff,” said Fraser. “It reflects what’s happening in today’s workplace. We have two floors where it’s completely open concept, with large windows overlooking the golf course.”
Golf Canada officially took possession of the building on April 10 and welcomed staff into the building on the following Monday.
“We’re not quite done, as we continue to fine-tune the interior and exterior of the building,” Fraser said. “So far, the overall response has been very favorable. It’s a wonderful place to work with amenities such as a Golfzon simulator and lower-level cafe that walks out onto our landscaped terrace and the golf course.”
Golf Canada is grateful for the expertise and professionalism Gillam brought to the project, especially because there were a lot of moving parts which involved dealing with the town, architects, engineers and planners.
Golf Canada appreciated the support received from the Gillam team, which included Collett, project manager Jeff Hoskin, assistant project manager Sebastian Larco and project co-ordinator Gurnoor Kainth.
“Gillam is proud to be a partner of Golf Canada,” said Gillam president Craig Lesurf. “Working closely with Grant, Garrett Ball, and the broader Golf Canada team has been an exceptional experience. This project stands as a testament to a strong collaborative effort, and we are pleased to feature it within Gillam’s portfolio of work.”
