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Sunnidale Park went from golf swings to swing sets (4 photos)

'A sacred place in Barrie,' Sunnidale Park was once eyed for possible residential development, but vision for park prevailed

One of Barrie’s finest parks has a history many residents may not be aware of.

Sunnidale Park offers residents almost 50 acres of open fields, a heavily wooded ravine with trails, a fine arboretum, a children’s playground, a dog off-leash park, community garden and the Dorian Parker Centre, a gathering place named in honour of the woman who helped make the park a reality.

The park on Sunnidale Road, south of Cundles Road West, has been home to countless community events, wedding photo shoots at the arboretum and days spent with family relaxing.

But before the playground swing sets there were golf swings; once upon a time, Sunnidale Park was a nine-hole golf course

The first rounds were played at what was then known as the Barrie Golf Club in July 1911. Work continued on the course and in 1919, the club amalgamated with the Barrie Country Club (BCC), leading to the construction of a clubhouse.

The structure was destroyed by fire in 1958 and a new clubhouse was built, which is now known as the Dorian Parker Centre.

In the late 1960s, the club purchased 200 acres of land in Vespra Township on the east side of St. Vincent Street. The new clubhouse opened in October 1969 and in 1970 golfers were hitting the new links of the Barrie Country Club.

Visitors to Sunnidale Park today may not realize it could’ve just as easily never become a park and instead just another development in a growing community.

Ernie Rotman is grateful things turned out the way they did.

The spry 88-year-old, who is still golfing and a BCC member since the 1950s, was on Barrie council at the time of the club’s move to its new digs.

“There was a lot of construction going on all around the course,” he said from his home, which is less than a 100 metres from the south end of the park.

“A builder wanted to buy the land when we (the club) were about to move (to the BCC’s current location on St. Vincent Street) and fortunately, Dorian Parker and Dr. Beeton started a movement to be able to raise money to keep it as a park,” Rotman added.

Residents today have much to be thankful for when it comes to that decision, he noted.

While he has utilized Sunnidale Park since it was converted from a golf course, over the 60-plus years he has lived on Brookdale Drive his fondest memories of the property are of the golf.

“We loved it. It was a great course,” Rotman said.

He used to keep his clubs in the garage, wait until dusk and walk through a neighbour’s backyard onto the course.

“I’d go out and play a few holes. My game was wonderful because I didn’t have to keep score. It was terrific,” he said with a laugh.

In what must be a unique aspect for a golf course, golfers had some help negotiating the steep incline that was part of the ravine.

“We had a rope to help us come back up the hill,” Rotman said. “We used to hold it and the rope was on an electric pulley and we’d be pulled up the hill to play No. 6 next to the clubhouse (Dorian Park Centre).”

That same hole has some other memories for him.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Ron Stewart was there and I almost got killed,” Rotman chuckled. “He missed a putt on No. 6 and I was on the No. 7 tee and he wound up and threw his putter and it whizzed over my head. So I’m thankful to still be here.”

“It’s a beautiful park,” he added. “There are so few parks of that size within a city and it doesn’t matter which city.”

Barrie's deputy mayor, Barry Ward, who has been a councillor representing the Sunnidale Park area for 19 years, concurs with Rotman’s assessment.

“One of the things I’ve recognized as a councillor over the years is that people really have a special connection to this park,” he said, while standing near the Adventure Playground that was redeveloped in 2014 in partnership with the Barrie Professional Firefighters Association.

“They see it as a sacred place in Barrie almost. It’s not just another park in the city,” Ward said. “We have to treat this park with more respect perhaps than any other park in Barrie.”

Doris Comtois understands that.

She was recently scoping out the Sunnidale Arboretum, named in honour of Wyman Jacques, for her July wedding.

“This park is beautiful and the arboretum has such beautiful flowers,” Comtois said. “I love that it has a commemorative area where you can dedicate a tree and plaque to someone you love.”