Highland History, Silver’s Mentoring Unique To Local Links
Reed On The Greens September 2, 2015
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com
When Highland Country Club director of golf Mike Silver talks about the club with which he has enjoyed a 38-year love affair, the long-time PGA of Canada golf professional looks well past the pomp and circumstance which will accompany its hosting of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship Sept. 14-20.
“This Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada event will allow us to showcase our club to Londoners who perhaps don’t even know we’re here,” said Silver. “We are a unique club within the city, and we can’t wait to show it off to a larger audience.”
When the Tour stops at Highland for its season-ending event in just a few short weeks, it will do so on a piece of property without equal in the Forest City. It offers an unparalleled view of the city skyline, mature trees, spectacular elevation changes, pristine conditions from tee to green, abundance of wildlife and highly-regarded member services.
In its 75th Anniversary publication, Highland wrote that John M. Moore, the club’s second president (1925-28), was an Ontario land surveyor and architect responsible for the London Life building. Moore was elected Mayor of London in 1926, but his health failed, and he died in June 1930.
In 1922, Moore had quipped, “It’s about time London had a golf course in the south end of the city.” In the Roaring Twenties, the city’s south border was marked by Emery Street. Highland property was then farmland located in Westminster Township. The first clubhouse was actually a farmhouse on the Johnson property on Commissioners Road – a barn served as the first locker room.
Highland’s original board of directors capitalized the new club at $100,000, with 1,000 shares of $100. Seven male members launched Highland, including its charter president, J.N.O. Pringle. Renowned Canadian golf course architect, Stanley Thompson, was enlisted as course designer, charged with turning property boasting heavy clay and lack of running water into a south London oasis. Wells were the only source for watering fairways and greens. Much later, in 1986, Highland’s now-recognizable pond was built as part of a course overhaul.
Highland initially paid Thompson the grand sum of $1,000 for his expenses, and $5,000 to seed nine holes, and construct nine tees and greens. It was Thompson who recommend Highland hire its first golf professional, John Innes. He received a monthly salary of $75. James Hickman was the first greenskeeper, hired at an annual salary of $1,500 and given a house to live in at $15 a month.
When the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship was held at Highland in 1957, expansion and improvement plans were launched, leading to the official opening of a new clubhouse, designed by Charles Grillin and built by John Hayman & Sons. The new $300,000 digs included a six-sheet curling rink. A modest clubhouse expansion took place in the mid-1960s, and a new roof was installed in 1985.
In the early-1990s, Highland approached concrete business owner Nick Spivak about swapping its inner-city land for Spivak’s parcel of land in Delaware, but the deal was never made. Spivak, who died last November, liked the idea of building a golf course, so he created The Oaks Golf Club.
Highland has hosted the 2000 Ontario Women’s Amateur championship, and during its 75th anniversary the 1997 National Club Professional Championship, which Silver said produced a three-round winning score of -8 playing at par-71.
Mentoring Silver’s Passion
The life of a head golf professional can be a nomadic one with little pay and few deserving accolades. Yet even though Silver has held that post at Highland for 38 years, it’s not his longevity that will be his legacy. Rather, Silver will forever be known as one of the greatest mentors within the local golf industry.
That’s not to write off the 67-year-old Sudbury native just yet – there’s still a lot of fire in his belly when it comes to giving back to his adopted community.
Silver, named PGA of Ontario Golf Professional of the Year in 2000, has been a PGA of Canada member since 1971. He was awarded Master Professional status in 1998, writing his thesis on, Maintaining Playing Ability, and Maintaining Playing Ability for Seniors. Yet, his work with junior golfers has rarely been matched in London.
“Carl Vanstone (Idylwylde Golf and Country Club in Sudbury) was my mentor. He was tough – he’d kick your butt if you needed it. But he always had five minutes for you,” said Silver. “And that’s been my goal since I came to Highland. I love working with junior golfers.”
Silver has helped scores of juniors secure golf and academic scholarships during his tenure at Highland, not to mention raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities. Numerous area pros apprenticed under Silver, too. “That’s a responsibility I take very seriously,” Silver said.
There’s a big push to include junior golfers at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship – kids can download a free ticket here.
It’s a great way to promote the tournament, and more importantly grow the game of golf – more dear to Silver’s heart than any other aspect of his storied career at Highland.
Click here for the Freedom 55 Financial Championship website.
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