By developing their vision at a slow and steady pace, the owners of Tangle Creek Golf Club are able to fulfill their goal of accessible and quality golf.

About to open for their fourth season, they are just now ready to introduce their new clubhouse.

"There are so many very expensive golf clubs in the GTA," says James Sheppard, Director of Golf at the south-Barrie facility. "We were built with the mind to create a premium golf course that's affordable for everyone.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

"That said, the owners decided to build it in stages. The first thing we did was build a great golf course."

Owned by Mark Elliott and Tom Fischer, the club is located on more than 200 acres of what was the Elliott family farm. It was designed by renowned Canadian golf architect René Muylaert, who died last year.

In keeping with the owners' style, the club opened in stages. It opened its original nine holes in June of 2002 and the second nine in September.

In 2003, they were fully operational and were able to offer "the premium public golf club north of Toronto and up to Muskoka," states Sheppard, who joined the team the next year. A native of Barrie, Sheppard came home from his most recent position at Hockley Valley Resort, where he spent 10 years as Head Pro.

Even with the course operational and key staff in place, the owners weren't finished creating.

The next step was to make some improvements - like paving cart pads and adding GPS to the carts themselves.

"The Global Positioning System is very popular with the corporate events," says Sheppard. The high-tech feature is available on only two other courses in Ontario.

"It allows us to send messages to the cart and build leader boards."

Allowing players to keep score on their cart's built-in computer screen, the data is relayed immediately to an ever-updated leader board during tournaments. The GPS also provides yardage on a hole, how far away a player is from a hole, golfing tips, and a menu, so food can be ordered and waiting at the halfway house.

The next step in Tangle Creek's evolution is the new clubhouse and banquet facility.

"We've had a temporary building to house the pro shop, lounge area and nice deck," Sheppard describes. "And we got a marquee tent that would seat 150 people. But it's outside and you can only control the environment so much."

The newly-built 22,000 sq. ft. structure, that will feature vaulted ceilings and many windows, to take advantage of a view that "on a clear day, you can see Blue Mountain," and a country-estate ambiance is set to open with the 2006 season.

The clubhouse will feature regular golf-course amenities such as a locker room and shower facilities, a main lounge and restaurant, as well as a private dining room that can seat up to 40 people.

"Our banquet facility, when completed, will have a capacity for 275," Sheppard says.

He adds that in theatre style, it will be able to seat 450 people comfortably. "There is also a deck that is approximately 3,000 square feet and overlooks the entire valley."

The new ballroom, that will be able to be converted to two smaller spaces, will be equipped with full audio-visual capabilities to suit corporate functions. A smaller meeting room, "perfect for groups of 12 to 16" will also be available on the lower floor.

The culinary department has not been neglected in the club's evolution.

Headed by chef Richard Dauginis, Tangle Creek has a varied and flexible menu with the capacity to offer off-site catering as well.

Also in the works is a full wedding ceremony site. The gazebo, that also overlooks the valley, has already been built.

The coming-soon clubhouse is already gaining popularity.

"We had four weddings last year," he says.

"At this time, we've got 17 booked and five more pending. And, we're already booking Christmas functions."

But despite the regular improvements and development, golfers can rest assured that rates won't be going up any time soon to compensate.

"We've frozen all our prices, and even lowered some," states Sheppard.

"Our goal is never going to be a club that isn't accessible to everyone. We have rates for everyone."

Visit www.tanglecreekgolf.com for more information, or call 720-2150.