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Norfolk Golf Club (NGC) is relatively small compared to its Ontario counterparts, but few courses can boast a more prestigious history.
Published Jul 23, 2025 • Last updated 40 minutes ago • 3 minute read
The Norfolk Golf Club in downtown Simcoe is celebrating its 130th anniversary this summer. Pictured are secretary and treasurer Jason Bernardon alongside Club President Kirby Shieck. Photo by Jacob RobinsonArticle content
Norfolk Golf Club is relatively small compared to its Ontario counterparts, but few courses can boast a more prestigious history.
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“It’s just a great track,” said club president Kirby Shieck. “It’s a golf course that is short by yardage but plays way longer than it measures and it’s not a golf course you can overpower. The big hitters can’t overpower it – if you don’t get the ball in the right place for the next shot, it’s work. “
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“People who get golf really get this golf course.”
The nine-hole course is so beloved that it’s now celebrating its 130 anniversary. It stands as one of the oldest in the country, especially given that the club has maintained the same location for its entire existence.
“It’s extraordinary to be on the original ground,” said Shieck.
“It’s just a great test, and most golfers will say if you can score well here you can score well anywhere.”
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The man responsible for the current layout is none other than famous golf course designer Stanley Thompson.
A Torontonian, Thompson returned from the First World War and began designing or redesigning more than 140 golf courses across Canada, the US, the Caribbean, and South America. Thompson was often called “the genius of Canadian golf architecture” with a signature for dramatic landscapes and a strong connection to the natural environment.
Thompson attended and advised club management of the day on ways to layout the property in the 1920s and little has changed since.
“The result is classic golf architecture laid over intriguing terrain,” Ron Gable, president of the Stanley Thompson Society, said in a letter acknowledging the club’s anniversary.
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Despite its longevity, club secretary and treasurer Jason Bernardon says the course remains “relatively unknown” even within its own community. Bernardon added that all it takes is a single round to understand the appeal.
“It’s one of those things where you know once they play that first nine and maybe play a second nine on that same day they’re amazed when they see the challenging shots and the diversity of the shots you have to hit,” he explained.
These days, the club is opening its arms to the public. Like most courses in Ontario, membership numbers are down, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t enjoying the sport in new ways.
“This place has been run as a private club for 128 years,” Shieck explained. “It’s just not a financial model that works, so our effort now is to try and get the public to be aware that they are absolutely welcome to come here and it’s working.”
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Last year, the the NGC clubhouse welcomed popular Simcoe eatery Ferrera and what Shieck called its “cult following” to the grounds, which has helped further increase traffic.
“Our green fee play last year grew 60 percent, we’d love to see it grow another 60 percent this year,” Shieck noted. “Even with 60 percent growth, our best month was August, it was at a 36 percent utilization rate. There’s tons of room to grow.”
For as much as things have stayed the same at the club, updates are happening. New lawnmowers have allowed for an expansion of greens while a fresh fleet of carts and flags also greet players.
“We’re making an investment in the future,” Shieck.
In addition to cosmetic updates, Shieck and company are openly welcoming families and young children to get involved.
“We’re quite open to families,” he added. “If you want to go out there with your young children, we’re quite open to that, we encourage that. A lot of courses don’t.”
Bernardon, now in his fifth year at NGC, said walk-ins are also encouraged.
“We can always find a spot for people that are here,” he said. “We want to get the families out – it’s a friendly atmosphere we want to promote that.”
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