For those of you who are thinking, ‘I would like to begin research on my golf club, but I don’t know where to start,’ we would like to offer some tips on the best ways to find the information you need.

Check out this research article written by the curator of Golf Canada – The CGHF Research 101

Step 1: Form a History Committee

• Have each committee member read several club histories.
• Look over several other publications about the history of sport in Canada.

Decide what your goal is:

• Publishing the club history to commemorate an anniversary?
• Recording the information for potential future publication?
• Gathering the information, informally, for the club’s records?

Step 2: Begin the Search

The first task of the committee is to inform club members of the project. Members tend to collect exactly the kind of information that you will require. Ask specifically for old club papers, photographs, trophies or other memorabilia that you can borrow, photograph or scan. Instead of spending hours looking for something that might be right under your nose, ask your members what they have!

For more modern clubs, consider performing oral history interviews with older members, who may still remember pivotal events and can provide a boundless source of anecdotes. (Keep in mind that no one’s memory is entirely reliable all of the time, so if at all possible, try to find more than one source.)

There are a lot of primary sources to help you find information. Look for:

• Record of meeting minutes
• Club newsletters
• Tournament records

• Old photographs

• Trophies

Step 3: Sort and Organize

When your research and collecting is done, sort through the material and put it into chronological order. With the information organized in this fashion, it will be easier for you to determine the specifics on important dates, key figures and major events. Any club history should have information about founding members, location changes, changes in course layout, the evolution of the clubhouse, the growth of the membership, staff and tournaments history.

If your golf club has had members who have won a provincial or a national title, or if any such championships were ever held at your course, definitely make the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum a priority when sourcing information. If you aren’t within driving distance, try writing to the Curator at cghf@golfcanada.ca. We can gather information on these events for you. All member clubs have access to free research and referencing – a great resource right at your fingertips!

‘Is there any other places or people that you would recommend I contact?’

Alberta

Alberta Golf– albertagolf.org or 1-888-414-4849.

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame – albertasportshalloffame.com or 403-341-8614.

Royal Alberta Museum
royalalbertamuseum.ca or 780-453-9100.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame – nbsportshalloffame.com/en/ or 506-453-3747

Golf New Brunswick – golfnb.ca or 506-451-1324

New Brunswick Museum – nbm-mnb.ca or 506-643-2300

Ontario

Golf Association of Ontario – gao.ca or 905.852.1101

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and Museum – nwosportshalloffame.com or (807) 622-2852

Ontario Golf Hall of Fame – gao.ca/about-us/ontario-golf-hall-of-fame/ or 905-852-1101

British Columbia

Golf clubs in British Columbia should contact the BC Golf Museum bcgolfmuseum.org or 604-222-4653. They have a very comprehensive collection and knowledgeable staff.

BC Sports Hall of Fame – bcsportshalloffame.com or 604-687-5520.

British Columbia Golf – britishcolumbiagolf.org or 1-888-833-2242.

Royal BC Museum – royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or 250- 356-7226

Newfoundland

Golf Newfoundland – golfnl.ca or 709-895-8721

Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame – sportnl.ca/programs/hall_fame.php or 709-576-4932

The Rooms – therooms.ca/archives/sports_archives.asp

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador – manl.nf.ca or 709-722-9034

Prince Edward Island

PEI Golf – peiga.ca or 1-902-393-3293

PEI Sports Hall of Fame and Museum – peisportshalloffame.ca or 902-436-0423

PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation – peimuseum.ca or 902-368-6600

Manitoba

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame – halloffame.mb.ca or 204-925-5736

Golf Manitoba – golfmanitoba.mb.ca or 204-925-5730

Manitoba Museum – manitobamuseum.ca or 204-956-2830

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Golf Association – nsga.ns.ca or 902-468-8844

Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame – nsshf.com or 902-421-1266

Nova Scotia Museum – museum.novascotia.ca or 902-423-4677

Quebec

Golf Québec – golfquebec.org or 514-252-3345

Québec Sports Hall of Fame / Panthéon des sports du Québec – rds.ca/pantheon or 514-722-2551

Golf Museum of Quebec / Musée du golf du Québec – golflescedres.com/boutique or 450.372.0167

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Golf Association – golfsaskatchewan.org or 306-975-0850

Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum – sshfm.com or 306.780.9232

Royal Saskatchewan Museum – royalsaskmuseum.ca or (306) 787-2815

National/International

PGA of Canada – pgaofcanada.com or 1-800-782-5764

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame – sportshall.ca

LA84 Foundation – la84.org