North America’s oldest golf club is 150 years old now, and golfers and history buffs are being given a chance to own a print of an award-winning painting celebrating that milestone.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, founded on its current location in 1875, has been marking its birthday all season — and on Sept. 26 it will hold a commemorative tournament and reception to celebrate in style with some 180 golfers hitting the links.
As well, NOTL artist Gail Kerr, a retired interior designer, has created a dynamic collage that incorporates renderings of the club’s entire nine-hole layout, the clubhouse, nearby fort and historic imagery from days gone by.
Kerr, a social member of the club, entered her painting, “Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf — 150 Years Strong,” in the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre’s 2025 hydro box beautification competition, where it won the People’s Choice Award.
“That was really extra nice to win,” Kerr said in an interview.
Her painting eventually will be displayed on a hydro box at Niven and Niagara Stone roads, near the Village plaza, where the new grocery store, hotel and other amenities are being built.
But long before the award was even announced last week, the original work was sold as it was hanging in the Pumphouse gallery.
Avid NOTL golfer Ted Carmichael and his wife Kim saw it, loved it and scooped it.
Then Carmichael suggested the painting could be tied in to the upcoming 150th birthday celebrations at the club.
The result is that the original 24-by-24-inch unframed canvas will be on display on Sept. 26 at the golf club along with an example of a giclée print that can be ordered.
The 17-by-17-inch giclée version will be available at cost, for $160.
“The idea is to make it affordable for people who are interested and think, ‘Oh, I’d like to have a little bit of that history. I’ve been golfing there for years,’ or even if they’ve only played it a couple times, but they love it,” said Kerr.
People embrace the course’s history and location, right on the water, “so we just want to give them an opportunity to have a piece of it” through a print of the painting, she said.
“There’s all these things related to wine and theatre and, in my opinion, the golf course is a real gem on the water there, and it often gets missed in the representation of the town.”
