Homeowners moving into the Belwood Estates and local residents who just happen to enjoy the game of golf will be in for a treat in the spring of 2027 when a Doug Carrick designed executive course opens at about the time the housing development will also be nearing completion.

Carrick, considered among the top golf designers in the country, has been tasked with turning the former Fergus Golf Club into “a challenging, interesting and fun layout” that can be played in under four hours.

Describing what will be known as Belwood Golf Club as being “unlike anything I have designed to date,” his layout of the 5,200-yard course will consist of eight par threes, eight par fours and two par fives. In addition, a new clubhouse is planned for the site.

The project itself is a joint venture between home builder Geranium, the creator of Belwood Estates in Fergus, and GolfNorth Properties, a golf course management firm, which operates 41 golf courses across the country.

In announcing the venture in July, Boaz Feiner, principal of Geranium, said that “living in the Fergus/Elora area means being a part of a community rich in history, golf culture, and lush surroundings. Our estate homes are designed to enhance the lives of future and current residents, while also complimenting Belwood and its surrounding areas.”

Shawn Evans, president and CEO of Golf North, says the decision to team up with Geranium is a “great opportunity to do something different because as we all know there have been very few golf courses built, not only in Canada, but throughout North America over the past decade.”

He describes what used to be Fergus Golf Club as a course that was “fun to play, but definitely not professionally designed to maximize the golfer experience.”

The Carrick designed course, says Evans, is “once-in a generation opportunity to redefine what a local public golf course can be. Golfers will be thrilled with the new design and clubhouse, while ensuring that this will remain an affordable option for the residents of Fergus/Elora and area.”

The decision, he adds, to opt for an executive style course as opposed to a longer one was an easy one: “We essentially had 100 acres to work with so that was the starting point, but there is more to it than that. If you try to put a par-72 course on 100 acres in today’s world with the way equipment is and how far people hit the ball, it often feels a little forced and a little tight, and people are a little too uncomfortably close to people on other holes.”

A par-66 design, says Evans, creates a “better flow and allows for more space. It creates a better golfing experience.”

As for Carrick’s work on an assortment of courses ranging from TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (site of the 2025 Canadian Open) and Bigwin Island to Cobble Beach and Muskoka Bay, he says he “has to be in the conversation as Canada’s greatest living golf architect. His resume is outstanding.”

Cheryl Shindruk, executive vice president at Geranium, says there is an opportunity for the course to cater to both ends of the playing spectrum: Those who are new to the game and those who “have been golfing a long time, they are not 300-yard hitters, but they love to play on a nicely designed, manicured course.”

As for the connection between home building and the game of golf, she says the two have “gone together for years. There are all kinds of communities around Ontario that are associated with and affiliated with golf courses in that recreational pursuit. And we know from our experience, people enjoy living next to a golf course. They enjoy playing the game. They enjoy what the golf course offers in terms of an amenity.”

Evans says that while there are a “lot of phenomenal activities going on in the Fergus area, clearly the golf course is a significant draw with the clubhouse being a natural community gathering place for residents. It is going to be exciting how this property evolves.”

Redevelopment of the course and construction of the clubhouse has begun, and it is expected to be open for business shortly after the first new owners move into Bellwood Estates, which is expected to take place in early 2027.