MINDEMOYA—The venerable Brookwood Brae Golf Course in Mindemoya is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and course superintendent John Seabrook (who previously owned the course which was originally opened by his father Jack), says the course should be ready to go for the next 60 years.
“Golf courses can last forever, as long as people are still playing golf,” said Mr. Seabrook. “This year marks the 60th anniversary of the golf course (the oldest golf course on Manitoulin Island). I’m sure it will go for another 60 years at least.”
And there are some big changes being made to the course this year, said Logan Middleton, who is the nephew of John and Cheryl Seabrook, and who bought the course and adjoining Pirate’s Cove Cottages on May 1, 2022.
“It’s the 60th anniversary of the golf course and my third year here,” Mr. Middleton told The Expositor. “I have learned a lot from John and Cheryl. The biggest change to the course, and something John has had on his mind for a long time, is making the eighth hole an Island green. They got the green cut out last fall, and it might be ready by the end of this season.”
“Everyone wants a water green at their course,” stated Mr. Middleton. “Just look at the popularity of water green at (Professional Golfers Association) Players Championship. We already have a couple of signature holes, and this one will be as well. One of the interesting things about golf courses is that even courses like Augusta National (home of the annual Masters tournament) have been redesigned over the years. I can appreciate John’s close to 50 years’ experience and vision. Brookwood Brae is fortunate to have great land and elevation, and where we have had holes in the past that were relatively easy, he has made small changes to make them a little more difficult.”
The property the course is located on used to be a farm in the Hodgson family, before Jack Seabrook turned it into a golf course. The golf course was later purchased and taken over by the senior Seabrook son, John. The course was sold to Mr. Middleton, keeping the course in the family. Mr. Middleton is the son of the late Brad Middleton and Deborah Seabrook.
“I forget the name of the guy that came in to lay out the course,” said Mr. Seabrook noting, “in those days it was an eight-hole course, and you played the first hole twice.”
“The original clubhouse was a box of a box from a dump truck with a wood roof on top of it,” said Mr. Seabrook. “When it first opened there were a big group of guys from Gore Bay, Manitowaning and Wiikwemkoong who came here to play. And there were people who signed up as members but didn’t play golf. When dad opened the course there were maybe 40-50 members, guys like Duff Brown, Cy Williamson, Charlie Cadieux, Andy Watson and many tourists.”
“The course has come a long way in terms of the quality compared to what it was,” said Mr. Seabrook.
Jack and Marian Seabrook built Brookwood Brae in 1964. “Dad sold Massey Harris tractors and was a machinist,” said John. “He would get trade-ins for his work all the time, like sheep, and he would keep the animals on the farm until the fall.”
The farm had belonged to Ben Becks, Mr. Seabrook said. “He was married to my aunt Priscilla, my grandfather Joe Hodgson’s sister. Eventually, my grandfather inherited the farm and my dad bought Pirate’s Cove Cottages, which were built in the 1950s.”
“The joke was always that Brookwood Brae was built as a golf course because my dad didn’t think there would be much work to it,” Mr. Seabrook said. “My dad had a bad back and no one knew anything about golf.”
Originally the course had about six golf carts. And in the original clubhouse, “The fridge was in the middle of the clubhouse and for 25 cents, you could buy a chocolate bar and a pop,” said Mr. Seabrook. That clubhouse was located in the middle of the existing parking lot. “Then dad built the old clubhouse, and I built the first part of the new clubhouse in 1983,” he said. There have been a couple of additions since then. In 1992, he tore down the old building and rebuilt it, and purchased Pirates Cove Cottages.
In 1993, Mr. Seabrook who took ownership of the golf course at the age of 21, moved the barn behind the first green and built both bridges. All of the greens on the current course were originally in different locations and the golf course only had eight holes initially.
In those early days, green fees were two dollars. “We couldn’t go to three bucks or we would have no one to play. Dad had maybe 50 members when he opened the course. I remember the first-year membership fees were $50 for the year.”
Pirates Cove Cottages ownership came to John Seabrook’s great uncle and aunt, Alma and the late Allan Tustian, and eventually John Seabrook purchased it from them, restoring the entire original farm back to single ownership.
“John has kept the course in great shape for so long,” Mr. Middleton said. “He has done a fantastic job with the course.”
Earlier this spring Mr. Middleton said a representative of Golf Ontario was at Brookwood Brae to take measurements and provide a rating of the course. “For diehard golfers, they will love this because the course will be officially rated, and they will be able to get official handicaps. When members are finished their round they will be able to post their score to get their handicap. And the course rating will be posted on the Golf Canada website.”
“Being rated is a prestigious thing,” said Mr. Middleton, “and it can open us open to holding Ontario level tournaments. I don’t know if we will do that, we’ll see about this in the future.”
“Our course and clubhouse staff are amazing, and the course and clubhouse are in great shape because of them,” added Mr. Middleton.
