Roseland, Ambassador golf courses tee up for PGA Tour Canada stop

A pair of Windsor, Ont. golf courses are getting ready to host a PGA Tour Canada stop this week.

The Windsor Championship will bring in some of the best up and coming golfers to a community that is slowing putting itself on the map as a golf tourism destination.

Roseland Golf and Curling Club will host the qualifier on Monday.

“The course is going to be a great test for all the players that are coming from all around to qualify for the event,” said Dave Deluzio, the general manager and head pro at Roseland.

116 players will tee off Monday. Only the best eight will get a spot in the Windsor Championship later in the week.

“These are your high end amateurs, but mostly professional players that will be showing up to Roseland on Monday to try to win a spot in this week's event,” said Deluzio.

Those players will round out of field of 156 golfers who will play at Ambassador Golf Thursday through Sunday for their chance to raise the cup and collect $36,000 in prize money.

“The tour keeps coming back. They love the golf course. They love the structure that we have. They love the city,” said Wagner. “The hospitality that the city as a whole provides for us is something that they don't see in too many cities.”

These are just two of dozens of courses across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, where club pros said golf has really taken off.

“Windsor is a hotbed for golf,” said Deluzio. “Sometimes you'll see stats where in the other areas. Golf might be kind of falling off right now after pre-COVID. In this region, it's still very strong.”

Wagner said tee times keep filling up daily, something not seen to this extent in Windsor-Essex in the past.

“We've never seen the amount of traffic that golf gets right now,” said Wagner. “Post-COVID has obviously been incredible, people in Windsor and Essex, they love to play golf.”

As the club hosts more prestigious tournaments, Wagner said it’s putting Windsor on the map as a golf tourism destination.

“From the wineries to the entertainment to everything that we have in the city and the city has to offer obviously with access to the U.S., golf is just another piece of that puzzle,” he said.

The courses will be closed for public play on the days of the tournament, but open for spectators.

Tickets are $10 for a daily pass $25 for weekly pass. Kids 14 and under are free all week.

“Hopefully, we get the chance to see the next up and coming stars on the PGA Tour,” said Wagner.