Roseland Golf and Curling Club

Donald Ross planned Roseland in 1926 for the Roseland Park development and the course was built in 1927. The property has been part of Windsor’s civic recreation fabric since the City acquired it in 1972, and the golf course itself—distinct from certain non-golf parcels—was designated under Ontario’s Heritage Act in 2003. These dates are consistently reported across municipal and heritage sources. The original 18-hole layout reflected Ross’s response to what is essentially level ground. Contemporary club materials emphasize that the greens “remain true to the original layout,” and modern yardage stretches to ~6,900–6,940 yards at par 72—longer than Ross’s 1920s tee markers, but with the central strategic identity preserved at the targets. Beginning in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Windsor initiated a Ross-informed restoration program. Public notices and trade mentions identify Albanese & Lutzke as the architects retained to restore lost bunkers and recover original green sizes—work that took place around 2011–2012 and was discussed locally by the club’s professional staff. While a comprehensive, sheet-by-sheet restoration report is not publicly archived, multiple sources indicate the effort was expressly historical in aim rather than a redesign. In parallel, the City has continued capital planning for the property, including the replacement of the clubhouse (with heritage protections for the golf course proper maintained). These items affect facilities but not the historic routing or green sites. Unique Design Characteristics Greens as the defense. On a largely flat site, the elevated, back-to-front-pitched greens create most of Roseland’s challenge. Club materials describe this explicitly, and local observers consistently single out the greens’ internal variety. A 2014 pictorial notes “some of the boldest greens in Windsor-Essex,” calling out Nos. 2, 3, 10, 12, and 14 as particularly assertive—evidence that the course’s identity still lives in its targets. False fronts and perimeter fall-offs. The front edges on several holes act as false fronts, repelling indifferent approaches and demanding trajectories that carry precisely onto the correct plateau. On a number of greens, tight-mown run-offs feed misses to collection areas, keeping recovery interesting without over-reliance on sand. (Hole-by-hole technical confirmation would benefit from Ross’s original green plans; ground-truthing and drone imagery suggest these effects are widespread across the inward nine.) Selective bunkering; restored intent. The 2011–2012 work focused on re-establishing lost bunkers and recapturing original green perimeters, sharpening angles off the tee and restoring hazard visibility. On the outward side, fairway bunkers that guard preferred lines—especially where the corridor is otherwise generous—now better cue players to choose line and length deliberately instead of defaulting to driver. Clearest surviving Ross examples. The original green pads—notably 2, 3, 10, 12, 14—read as the most authentic surviving windows into Ross’s hand at Roseland because their interior contour and surrounds still dictate play in a Rossian way even as modern tee lengths have crept. Their present character aligns with the club’s claim that the layout remains true to the original, and with the restoration’s stated objective of recapturing original putting-surface size. Historical Significance Within Ross’s Canadian oeuvre, Roseland is important as his first Windsor commission (pre-dating his work at Essex G&CC nearby) and as a rare municipal Ross preserved with formal heritage designation. In regional histories, Roseland’s 1926/27 creation is often paired with Essex (1928) to illustrate Ross’s late-1920s activity in the Detroit–Windsor metro. The course has also served competitive golf through PGA Tour Canada (Mackenzie Tour/Americas) qualifying and regional events, demonstrating that its strategic complexion scales to professional shot-making. While Roseland does not feature prominently in national ranking lists relative to private Canadian Ross venues, its scholarly value lies in how it shows Ross solving for featureless terrain: by concentrating design energy at the greens and using modest bunkering to steer angles, a lesson that remains legible after a century of municipal use. Heritage registers underline its significance at the provincial level. Current Condition / Integrity Routing & scale. The 18-hole Ross routing remains intact; modern yardage reflects extended tees but not a change in hole sequence. The separate par-3 course provides short-course play without altering the championship routing. Greens. The greens are the course, and they remain the defining original features. City-led work in 2011–2012 sought to reclaim original green size, thereby re-exposing false fronts and perimeter hole locations that had been lost to shrinkage. Reports and local commentary suggest this goal was substantially achieved. Bunkers. The same campaign re-installed or reshaped bunkers consistent with the Ross plan intent. Precise one-to-one replication of 1927 sand lines cannot be verified without access to original drawings and period aerials, but the program’s documented aim was restorative rather than stylistic modernization. Trees & corridors. Decades of municipal stewardship introduced substantial tree growth that narrows visuals versus interwar photographs; selective thinning has occurred episodically to recover width and air movement, but a comprehensive, published tree-management chronology is not available. Facilities & heritage. The golf course (not every non-golf structure) is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 281-2003). Current municipal planning anticipates demolition of the aging clubhouse and construction of a new one, a facilities project explicitly stated not to undercut the protected status of the Ross golf landscape. Public access. Roseland remains a public/municipal facility with daily-fee access and event hosting The course calibrates difficulty through green complexes rather than penal rough. Sources & Notes City of Windsor – Open House / Clubhouse Concept (2025): confirms 1926 design / 1927 construction, heritage status context. AM800 CKLW (news, 2025): reiterates 1926 design / 1927 construction and 2003 heritage designation. City of Windsor – Integrity/Heritage reports (2025): confirms By-law 281-2003 designation of the golf course. Historic Places Canada (Parks Canada Registry): lists Roseland as an 18-hole Donald J. Ross course (1926). Roseland Golf Club (official site): course description, par-72 / 6,943 yards, continued adherence to original layout; presence of 9-hole par-3. Golf Canada Facility Page: public scorecard access; lists par 72, 6,895 yards. WindsoriteDOTca (Aug 4, 2011): City budgeted $1M for bunker replacement at Roseland; notes City ownership (since 1972) and interwar Ross provenance. GolfClubAtlas forum thread (2012–2024): documents Albanese & Lutzke restoration emphasis (lost bunkers, original green sizes) and timing. Valuable secondary testimony from local professionals. YouTube (June 28, 2012) – interview with head professional re: changes during restoration period. TorontoGolfNuts pictorial (2014): identifies boldest greens at holes 2, 3, 10, 12, 14 with photo evidence. Secondary but specific feature identification. PGA Tour Canada / BlueGolf (2019; 2025): Roseland as host venue for qualifying (Windsor Championship; BioSteel Championship OQ).