Club History
The Olds Golf Association was originally formed in 1925 by a group of local bankers. The original Olds Golf Course was located one mile south of the Town of Olds on the East side of the railway tracks. When some of the more ardent golfers moved away, the course disappeared.
In the late '30s, the second course was developed on the southern edge of Town. The land was built in a low-lying area that made it difficult in wet years. In the mid-1940's the ravages of nature took over and the course became a grassy wetland.
In 1945 a third and more successful effort was developed in the center of Olds. This was a 9 Hole facility with sand greens. Part of the property that was used to build the course contained the horse racing track and when events involving the track were held there was no golfing. The course existed in this location until 1974 and remnants of the original layout can still be seen if you know where to look.
In the mid-1970's the golf course was sold to the Town of Olds for housing development. In 1974 the club bought 160 acres 2 miles east of Olds and 1/2 mile North where the course is located today. The original plan was to build a Championship Golf Course on this location that would rival some of the other local golf courses. It took a few years for the county to approve the golf course on this prime farmland but in the late '70s the original nine-hole layout was built and it officially opened on July 1st, 1981. This new 9 hole layout with modern grass greens was designed by local Olds College Plant Science Instructor Garry McCullough.
In 1989 a proposal was made to build an additional 9 holes. These new 9 holes opened for play on June 23rd, 1991. In the early 2000's the golf course had been decimated by several years of drought. A Provincial grant was secured to irrigate the original 9 holes. This project along with some much-needed rain in 2003 helped bring this beautiful course back from the brink.
In 2006 a Master Plan was approved by the membership in order to provide a vision for current and future board members to continue the process of developing the course into a truly Championship experience that at its heart remains an affordable community facility accessible to everyone. Over the next decade, the Olds Golf Club has gone thru over 1 million dollars in renovations that have made this golf course one of the best in Central Alberta.
The complete history of the Olds Golf Club Association can be found in the archives located in the clubhouse and is available for anyone to peruse at their leisure.