MARKHAM – Two years from now, the Americas’ best golfers will be making the trip up to York Region as part of the 2015 Pan Am Games.
Markham’s own Angus Glen Golf Club – a Living Realty favourite featured in our recent Angus Glen Neighbourhood Profile and guide to York Region’s top golf clubs – was selected on September 4th to be the official host club of the prestigious games’ golf events.
With two challenging courses ready to test the mettle of even the very best of golfers, Angus Glen is no stranger to international competitive play – having hosted the PGA’s annual Canadian Open in both 2002 and 2007. According to the CBC, the 2015 Pan Am games will bring 64 competing golfers to the club – a mix of “elite amateurs” and “young professionals” with bright futures in competitive sport.
GTA Real Estate News got in touch with Kylemore Communities’ President Patrick O’Hanlon – a golf enthusiast and one of the biggest advocates for the neighbourhood – who was delighted about the decision to host the golf event at Angus Glen.
“We are very proud that Angus Glen Golf Club has been selected for this most prestigious world-class event and look forward to the spotlight shining on Markham,” said O’Hanlon.
“This announcement will certainly amplify what our homeowners already know about living in an award-winning community, alongside beautiful golf courses,” he added.
The City of Markham’s Mayor Frank Scarpitti was on hand at the announcement event, which was also attended by a variety of sport and political VIPs that included MP Bal Gosal and Toronto-raised LPGA Tour athlete Rebecca Lee-Bentham.
“Since opening in 1995, Angus Glen has helped put Markham on the map for hosting major international sporting events,” Scarpitti said. “We know in 2015 they will once again do us proud when the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Games come to our city.”
Bringing the western hemisphere’s finest amateur athletes together since 1951, the Pan Am games sees OSA member nations compete in more than 50 different sports events, from weightlifting and rugby to water polo and equestrian events. While many of the 2015 Pan Am Games’ events will take place within the City of Toronto, the games’ organizers promise that there will also be many host venues in other municipalities across the GTA, “from Oshawa to Welland.”
The 2015 Pan Am Games golf events will take place on Angus Glen’s “south course,” and the Markham Economist and Sun reports that work has already commenced on a $6-million course overhaul that will include bunker relocation, fairway redesign, and the addition of more natural course elements.
“Canada is the longest defending Olympic golf champion,” renowned Canadian golfer George Lyon told the Economist and Sun. “There is a lot of excitement. I can’t wait to watch some amazing shots and an upset or two.”
The 2015 Pan Am Games will mark a major achievement for Markham’s exposure on the world stage – and a very special milestone for the Angus Glen Golf Club, who will be celebrating their 20th anniversary during the same year.
Other events hosted in Markham will include badminton, volleyball, and aquatic events, making use of a brand-new 36,000-square-foot Downtown Markham multi-purpose centre featuring an Olympic-sized pool.
For more information on which sports events will be hosted in your part of the GTA, TORONTO 2015 offers web surfers an interactive venue map that you can use to check out local venue details in any part of Greater Toronto.
