Mayfield Golf Club - A Family Run Ontario Golf Course Without the Frills

Mayfield Golf Club isn’t the ritziest or fanciest golf course near Toronto, but it sure is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Whether we know it or not, every day we’re walking through stories.

Sometimes grandiose plaques aim to remind us of a certain story, but more often than not, we walk right on by, oblivious to what once was.

I began writing all those years ago because of my feeling that some stories must be kept alive, and that, in the end, it’s a privilege to ensure that what needs to be remembered is never forgotten.

Sometimes we come across people who clearly share that same ambition, and Chris de Laat is one of them. About 40 years ago, Chris’s father Gord founded Mayfield Golf Club, and in speaking to him, it’s clear that Chris feels he is carrying on his father’s legacy and story.

He too wants to make sure that the stories of the past are carried into the present.

“I vividly remember the day we opened the completed course. My father stood proudly on the front steps of the clubhouse, as much as to say he had accomplished his dream. The picture on our scorecard recreates that moment in time. If you look closely at the front rail, when you visit our clubhouse, you will see the years of wear from Dad’s arm.”

Golfing in Ontario at the Present Moment

Mayfield Golf Course is an Ontario Golf Course that suits everybody

As someone who writes about Ontario frequently both on this site as well as Ultimate Ontario, it’s clear that what we’re able to do in the province at the present moment has been greatly altered, and will be for some time.

However, golfing in Ontario is still something we’re very much able to do. It’s something I addressed with Chris right off the bat, and I wanted to clearly convey to people who are considering golfing at Mayfield that it’s top of mind for Chris.

He noted, “I had to rewrite every policy. Everything has changed. Adversity breeds opportunity, and I’m just grateful to have an opportunity. For me, I have a chance to make things better, and at least survive. I will never lose sight of the fact that it’s my obligation to make it work.”

Chris has also taken to creating instructional videos and learning programs, which are actually very helpful for those looking to improve their game before even returning to the course.

It’s funny, on the weekend, I was talking to my brother, Dave, and he offhandedly mentioned that he golfed at Mayfield just days prior. I quickly let him know that I was featuring them in an article, and I asked if he had met Chris. Dave let me know that he had met Chris, and Chris came to greet them before the tee off to explain how they were prioritizing the safety of golfers at this time, and how kind and welcoming he was.

He didn’t know that Dave was my brother, but after hearing that, I realized that even if he had known that, he probably wouldn’t have treated him any different, as he treats everyone like they deserve to be treated.

With everything going on right now, I’m prioritizing the telling of local stories, so I’m proud to share Mayfield’s story, but even more so because of how determined Chris and Mayfield seem to be in putting their golfers and community first.

Long time readers will also know that I profile local businesses with some regularity, so if you do like this article, you may also be intrigued by my write-up on the Forks of the Credit Inn, which is just a 25 minute drive from Mayfield Golf Course.

The Origins of the Mayfield Golf Course

Gord de Laat alongside legendary golfer Sam Sneed in 1955. Photo courtesy of Mayfield Golf Course.

The story of Mayfield Golf Club begins with a ten year old boy by the name of Gord de Laat. He had come to Canada as an immigrant just four years prior, and his family ended up settling just to the east of the Lambton Golf & Country Club.

Little Gord quickly became enamoured with the game, and used the Dominion Day celebrations of 1927 as an excuse to finally visit the course. Not long after, he caddied his first game there for a whopping twenty cents.

Chris added that “golf became the way he supported his family. He accelerated twice at school, which enabled him to take a year off before high school, and that’s when he got the chance to work at Lambton full-time. He knew that golf was going to be his life.”

After a while, Gord began to have a vision for what his own golf course might look like. He knew that he could never truly exact his vision while working for someone else, and I suppose you could say that in that realization, the first seed of what we now know as Mayfield Golf Club was planted.

From Dream to Reality

Gord became the head pro at Weston Golf & Country Club in 1948. A handful of years later, he was at the Canadian Open where he witnessed Arnold Palmer’s first tour win, and it seems like something about that moment inspired Gord to chase his dream at all costs.

“It was the Monday after that Canadian Open that he knew he needed to make a change. He put the downpayment down in 1955. In 1958 he bought more land and bought out his partners,” Chris said.

“In the late summer of 1978, Mayfield opened its first 6 holes. We humbly began with open fairways and trees sparsely scattered over the terrain. By the fall of 1979, our first 9 holes were completed, and by the summer of 1986 we were ready to open our 18-hole course.”

From the beginning, Gord clearly had designs of Mayfield being a family business that he could create and pass down to his children, and then they could, in return, carry on his legacy.

It was Chris specifically who was mentored by his father for the role that he’s in now. He has been groomed for the role since the age of 7, when he first started to help out at the course.

It’s become clear to me now that since that moment that he first began, he hasn’t stopped aiming to learn and evolve both himself and the course.

I should also pause here for a moment to note that Chris wasn’t the only one who has put in work over the years. His brother Greg currently is principally responsible for keeping the physical grounds and equipment in order, and his brother Paul basically planted every tree on the property, and focused on irrigation.

All that to say, Mayfield really is a family business.

Mayfield Golf Club Today

Mayfield Golf Course. Photo courtesy of York Durham Headwaters.

Gord played his final round at the age of 99 years old, if you can believe it. He never stopped having a deep passion and respect for the game, and he played with some legends along the way.

While Gord and Chris always playfully battled on the right way to do things prior to Gord’s passing, it seems as if the family underneath it all shares a united dream of being a community based, golf-first establishment.

“Dad and I didn’t agree on everything, believe me,” Chris noted. But when I asked how his father felt shortly before his passing a different tone emerged in his voice and he simply said, “he was really proud of the way this evolved.”

Mayfield posits itself as a place for everyone. They embrace people regardless of their skill level, background, or anything in between. Different from many other golf clubs, Mayfield Golf Club actually promotes their inclusivity as opposed to exclusivity.

That attitude has roots all the way back to 1955 when Gord was able to see the first professional black golf player tee off - a man by the name of Charlie Sifford who is a legend in his own right. Gord, at the age of 98, is quoted as saying, “it was as natural as can be. He deserved to be there because he was a good enough player. To me, everything else was irrelevant.”

Over and over again throughout our conversation, Chris continued to harp on the notion that Mayfield is “everybody’s golf course.” He continued, “It’s not lavish, it doesn’t have a big golf club. It’s about golf, and people, and people sharing.”

Teeing Off at Mayfield

At Mayfield, it’s not a typical arrangement in which you’d have one 18 hole golf course. Rather, you’ve got three 9 hole courses, which are labelled the red, blue and white courses respectively. If you’d like specifics on the courses, you can check out their course tour, which gives a rundown of the holes on each of their courses.

You can play one course, or all three, it’s very much a choose your own adventure scenario. I’d personally recommend giving them all a try, perhaps over two different outings, and then deciding which one suits your fancy.

You can easily book a tee time on their site, and their rates are very competitive, which again comes down to Mayfield’s commitment to making sure their course is accessible.

Mayfield also offers coaching, and that program is headed up by Chris who took his passion up to another level when talking about helping others improve their game. It was also once again clear that it’s all about golf. Not the big screen TVs in the clubhouse or valet parking, but golf.

“We offer no peanuts on this flight. We’re strictly golf. I was trained as a classic golf professional, and I’ve had a very large junior program for a long time. I have a long list of loyal clients, and the average client has been coming to me for 12 years.”

I should also mention it’s easy to book right from their website if anyone is interested, or give them a holler at 905-843-1626.

With So Many Golf Courses in Ontario, Why Mayfield?

Gord de Laat leaving the car, and heading for the course. Photo courtesy of Mayfield Golf Course.

Let’s remember that, for me, it’s all about the story. It means something to me that my brother went to play on Mayfield’s golf courses, and that, by chance, he met Chris and was so well treated. I can’t recall that many courses where I’ve met one of the owners on my visit.

This isn’t an easy time to be running a business, for myself included, but there was something about Chris’s subtle optimism that I found inspiring when we were talking.

After a pause during our conversation, he took me back to a time when Mayfield almost never became the place we know today. He described seeing his father sitting on the floor with his face in his hands in the early 1980’s. The interest rates had risen dramatically, and he thought that he would lose everything. But, somehow, he held on.

For all his efforts and determination, Gord de Laat was actually inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame back in 2016, a list which also includes some household names in sports like Johnny Bower, Ken Dryden, Paul Henderson, George Chuvalo, Brendan Shanahan, Joey Votto and many, many more.

After he reflected on his family journey, Chris paused and said, “Nothing has been easy, but as a result of that, we passionately love what we do.”

He told me that he hoped I wrote something that would honour his father, but that even if I wrote the worst article on the planet, I’d still be his guest for the day the next time I’m up there. And I believe him.

I feel honoured to tell these stories. I’m grateful to be able to give a voice to the people and places that deserve them. I do it because it’s what feels right, and I’d much rather dive into the story of an Ontario golf club than write about the ten places to take an Instagram photo in god knows where.

Life isn’t going to be easy sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you don’t wake up everyday and come to bat. At the very end of our conversation, one that we both happily extended for five times as long as originally planned, he told me that whatever happens, he’s proud of what they’ve done, and excited about what they can do in the future.

The final pause of our conversation felt thick with memories of the past. I could almost see him staring out the window and onto the course when he said the words I knew would finish this article.

“Everything has unequivocally been a labour of love. “

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