Very sad to hear the news of Gord Stollery’s death yesterday. While details are still a bit vague, apparently he died accidentally while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands. He was 64.

As most Fairways readers will know, Gordon was the owner of Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham. He had other successful business ventures in oil and gas, real estate and horse racing but it was golf that defined much of his life and certainly his passion. He was the driving force behind Angus Glen hosting the 2002 and 2007 Canadian Opens, as well as a CN Canadian Women’s Open and the Telus Skins Game.

Although I often saw Gordon at Angus Glen, particularly during the big events, we really only spoke at length on two occasions. Both times I was amazed at his knowledge and deep passion for golf and particularly his own courses.

The first time we spoke was at a press conference leading up to the 2007 Canadian Open, to be played on the North Course at Angus Glen. Davis Love III had been invited up for the presser to explain the changes he had made to Doug Carrick’s original design. As you may recall, in 2001 the pros had played the Skins Game on the North Course and absolutely shredded it. Gordon didn’t want a repeat performance during the Canadian Open so had asked Davis Love to make the course somewhat defensible.

When it came time for me to ask a question, I asked Love how you can change what is essentially a corporate tournament course into a demanding track for PGA Tour pros. I can’t recall all of the details of my question but it certainly referenced generous fairways and large inviting greens. I’ve always liked the North course and certainly think it’s a wonderful venue for a corporate or charity event but in my opinion it was not a tough enough test for a national championship and the world’s best players.

Before Love could answer my question, Gordon angrily jumped into the conversation and said it’s not a corporate course. He vehemently defended all of the course’s attributes and declared it fit for a Canadian Open. I tried to suggest that perhaps there were aspects of the course that might not be all that challenging but Gordon was having none of it. We went back and forth on this theme and even continued the discussion after the press conference. While we didn’t agree on much that day, I came to understand one of the reasons for his success in business. To this day however I can’t recall if Davis Love ever did answer my question.

I didn’t see or speak to Gordon again until this past summer when Fairways columnist Jim Deeks arranged for us to play golf with Gordon at Goodwood, his ultra private course north-east of the city. Jim and Gordon had known each other since both were juniors at Rosedale and had been trying to play together for some time. Our foursome was rounded out by Lorne Rubenstein.

Obviously not a lot of people have played Goodwood, even though it’s been open for four years. However, anyone who has had the good fortune to tour the course, comes away bubbling with excitement. I have to admit I fell in love with the place by about the third hole and it just got better with every shot.

Gordon exhibited the same passion and pride in Goodwood that he had shown in defending Angus Glen North several years before. It was evident that Goodwood wasn’t just a case of another rich guy turning a piece of property into a golf course because he thought it would be a good investment. There was way more of Gordon invested in this project than his money.

From the start Gordon talked about the routing, the obstacles, how shots needed to be shaped and why certain design elements were utilized on this hole but not that one. He spoke about the land, which might be one of the best natural pieces of property for a golf course I have ever seen. Some of the holes designed themselves while others had to be discovered but there isn’t a feeling that a lot of earth was moved to do it.

I asked Gordon about working with Donald Steel, the esteemed British architect who designed Goodwood and also Redtail Golf Club near London, and he referred to the process as a collaboration. While he didn’t go so far as to take credit for anything, he had lots of input and spent many hours walking the property to understand the flow and how it would impact play.

The obituaries will note that Gordon Stollery was an accomplished golfer, particularly in his younger days but that may not be enough to indicate the depth of his passion for golf. During our round together he explained that business and a nagging knee injury didn’t allow him to play as often as he’d like but as we got more into the holes at Goodwood, it wasn’t difficult to see how much fun he was having and how competitive he could be too.

Hole after hole he described each shot and explained why – not like an analyst but more like a proud father. At times he was as awestruck as we were, even though he presumably had seen everything many times before. Goodwood is like that and I told him it would easily be one of my top five courses.

After the round I told Gord that I’d like to feature Goodwood in the Spring issue of Fairways Magazine. He was delighted at the prospect and invited me to give him a call over the winter to talk about the story and review the images they had. Sadly, we’re not going to have that chat now and I’ll have to rely on the notes I took last September.

One thing it won’t be difficult to recall is the rampant enthusiasm Gordon exhibited that day at Goodwood. He was a congenial host and took great delight in our enjoyment of the course. It was a memorable golf experience made more so by his presence.