Gillam completes Golf Canada headquarters as RBC Canadian Open begins

Special to Ontario Construction News

Golf Canada has opened the doors to its new national headquarters and permanent home in Caledon, ushering in a new era of Canadian golf. Gillam was the construction manager for the three-story, 26,000-square-foot, $24 million headquarters on an eight-acre site next to TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. It is expected to serve as Golf Canada’s national headquarters for the next 50 to 100 years.

The building is part of the larger Home for Canadian Golf project, which also includes relocating the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, construction of Talon Links, the first community putting park of its kind in Canada and the First Tee – Canada Headquarters, which provides children with life-enhancing experiences through golf.

This year’s RBC Canadian Open – taking place at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley from June 11 to 14 – presents an opportunity for Golf Canada to show off its new home. For many years, the Golf Canada headquarters and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame were located at Glen Abbey in Oakville.

“Several years ago, conversations began about the possibility of relocating the Golf Canada national office. The ownership group at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley expressed interest in establishing a long-term partnership with Golf Canada that ultimately led to the decision to move from Oakville to Caledon,” Fraser explained.

At the time, they didn’t have a construction partner lined up.

“After a lengthy interview process, we decided to work with Gillam as the lead on our Home for Canadian Golf project,” Fraser said. “We were impressed with the team and had confidence in their expertise. Most importantly, everyone understood our vision and what Golf Canada wanted in its new national headquarters. From day one, the entire Gillam team has been a pleasure to work with and over the last three years, we have established a wonderful working relationship.”

The project broke ground in October 2024.

“After breaking ground, we did a small dedication ceremony that included Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum, COO Garrett Ball, and several other senior staff,” Fraser said. “We were all able to see the first footings that were poured that day and haven’t looked back since.”

An important piece of the Home for Canadian Golf project involves a putting park for the community called Talon Links and the third component of the project was to relocate the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. It’s not your typical Hall of Fame experience, Fraser stated.

“We’re not in a standalone building anymore,” he said. “Under the leadership and direction of Meggan Gardner, Golf Canada’s Director of Heritage Services, Golf Canada has modernized the whole Hall of Fame experience, providing exhibits and displays celebrating Canadian golf history. In addition to having exhibits and displays at the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley Main Clubhouse, Golf Canada’s office is decorated with an assortment of Canadian golf artifacts, images and memorabilia.”

Well before the start of construction, Gillam was instrumental in advancing project planning, establishing the schedule and helping to secure all necessary permits and approvals. The work also included a six month value engineering and optimization process.

With a wood-siding façade, the building was designed to fit in with the existing buildings on the site. The structure consists of concrete, steel, precast concrete, cold-form steel and block and each section had to be carefully sequenced.

Although constructing the building was a relatively straightforward process, coordinating the different aspects of construction proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially as the bulk of the work was done through the winter months.

“What made this successful was the way we managed the project,” said Jeff Collett, Project Director at Gillam. “We coordinated the different aspects of the project and were able to find creative solutions to problems resulting in cost savings.”

The building is an open-concept space with shared working areas and features floor-to-ceiling windows and a mezzanine overlooking the entrance.

“Our executive team have designated offices, but most of our office space is shared among our managers and staff,” said Fraser. “It reflects what’s happening in today’s workplace. We have two floors where it’s completely open concept, with large windows overlooking the golf course.”

Golf Canada officially took possession of the building on Friday, April 10 and welcomed staff into the building on the following Monday, grateful for the expertise and professionalism Gillam brought to the project, especially because there were a lot of moving parts which involved dealing with the town, architects, engineers and planners.

“From day one, I’ve been in good hands with the Gillam team. I can call any one of them at any time, and if there’s an issue, we’ll figure it out. Together we navigated and managed all the moving parts associated with our project, and believe me, there were many,” Fraser recalled.

Golf Canada appreciated the support received from the Gillam team, which included Project Director Jeff Collett, Project Manager Jeff Hoskin, Assistant Project Manager Sebastian Larco and Project Coordinator Gurnoor Kainth.

“Gillam is proud to be a partner of Golf Canada,” said Gillam President Craig Lesurf. “Working closely with Grant, Garrett Ball (Chief Operating Officer), and the broader Golf Canada team has been an exceptional experience. This project stands as a testament to a strong collaborative effort, and we are pleased to feature it within Gillam’s portfolio of work.”