Talon Links Community Putting Park is the most impressive putting course I’ve seen since 2005, when I paid Scotland’s famous Himalayas at St Andrews a visit.
If you’re a city official, the head of a community parks department or you run golf at a municipal or public facility, this 18-hole putting experience on the campus of Golf Canada’s new headquarters at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., is something you should know about. Same thing if you’re a golf-centric philanthropist or a company wanting to leave a legacy in your community or city or town.
At a time when Canadian golf’s supply scale has tipped decidedly back toward demand, new pathways with smaller, more affordable footprints like putting courses, short courses, ranges and simulator golf are breaking down entry barriers to the game.
“We know there are municipalities across Canada thinking about multi-use sport and recreational facilities,” said Garrett Ball, Golf Canada’s chief operating officer. “As far as one of these putting parks, we’re not asking for a lot, and you don’t need a lot. All that’s required is existing land and adding golf to a multi-sport pathway. What we’ve built here is significant. It’s 80,000 square feet (approximately 1.8-acres) when it’s all said and done, but you don’t need anything even close to that much space for a putting park.”
The blueprint can be replicated anywhere. The only maintenance the artificial turf putting park requires is the occasional run through with a leaf blower. No staff is needed, there are no tee times and everyone — regardless of age, experience or ability — is invited to come and enjoy the facility. Don’t have a putter or golf balls? No problem. At Talon Links, Golf Canada is supplying both for shared use.
Did I mention the best part? Talon Links Community Putting Park is free. The only exception will be for groups interested in hosting an outing there.
What I love about this space, in particular, is its nod to a traditional links experience.
Talon Links Community Putting Park sits footsteps away from Golf Canada’s new headquarters at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. (Photo: Golf Canada)
Designed by Paul Jansen of Himalayas Golf, Talon Links traverses up and down unique landform with fescue, gentle mounding and unique rock formations providing neat backdrops and design features. Holes range in length from 27 to 90 feet with the 18th hole the highlight of the journey. Nick Taylor’s 72-foot putt to win the 2023 RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club has been replicated to exact specifications.
“Yeah, I heard about it a while back,” said Taylor with a smile. “I love that people get the opportunity to try that putt. Pretty cool.”
Jansen believes of the 10 putting courses his company has done in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada, Talon Links Community Putting Park is on another level.
“All of them are really good but this is our best,” he explained just prior to a ceremony during this year’s RBC Canadian Open to officially open the facility. “One big reason for that is we had a lot of opportunity to do some really cool stuff between holes here. Some of the smaller ones you can’t do that on, and I think they lose a little bit of their personality. This one had more of that open space, which allowed us to be more creative.”
For who, it was built — and where — also makes it Himalayas Golf’s most important project to date.
“To have done this for Golf Canada here at its new headquarters at one of the country’s best known golf facilities definitely adds another layer of significance,” Jansen said. “I also think it shows what’s possible with artificial turf and what you can do with a small space to support and grow the game. But at the end of the day, it’s a social space. I want it to be somewhere you can come, pick up a golf club, have fun, meet people, have a few laughs. And, of course, some of the people who come here will literally be picking up a golf club for the first time in their lives. When I arrived this morning, there were all kinds of kids running around having fun. That really made me happy.”
Naming Talon Links a putting “park” rather than a putting “course” was intentional. The connotation of a park means it’s inclusive and accessible to everyone, including families.
“Calling it a course means there could have been a suggestion of a private entity with elements of exclusivity,” Ball explained. “We’re trying our best to break that down. As golf continues to grow, we know that growth isn’t going to necessarily come from private clubs. We’ll get there in the end but parks like this, short forms of golf, municipal courses and simulator businesses is where the real funnel of growth is going to be created.”
The name is also reflective of Golf Canada’s ties with TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
“Talon was included in the name due to the close relationship we have with Chris Humeniuk, the owner of TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley,” said Grant Fraser, Talon Links’ project manager. “The links reference is to the links-style design Paul (Jansen) envisioned and Golf Canada’s commitment to engage and establish close ties with the Town of Caledon and the local community.”
Community putting courses, er parks, seem poised for a breakthrough. Golf Canada is currently working with an individual donor for one at Don Valley Golf Club, one of Toronto’s five municipal courses. It would coincide with the construction of a new national headquarters for First Tee. Jansen and Himalayas Golf have also fielded several inquiries from towns and cities across the country as part of a due diligence process.
“Companies will want to get behind something like this,” Ball said. “Canadian Tire is a perfect example with Jump Start, which is all about getting kids to play sports at an accessible rate. We know those are in play. From an individual perspective we’re working with someone at Don Valley. That’s out in the public domain already, not necessarily the donor at this point, but we are working with the City of Toronto for a putting park and/or First Tee headquarters. The other one we see with big potential are real estate developers as part of development projects. With those you’re required to generally give two per cent of your development back to the city as parkland. So why not create a nice asset in that park that actually becomes an incentive to buy in that new development? Yeah, we’re just starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”
Talon Links Community Putting Park will become a true park in time. Swings, playground equipment and Muskoka chairs are being considered, along with the possibility of food trucks and a Saturday morning farmers market for Caledon and the surrounding area.
Until then, golfers and non-golfers alike can visit and see what all the fuss is about.
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