CARLA WILSON
Times Colonist
The DuTemple family is selling its 47-acre Ardmore Golf Course in North Saanich to the Pauquachin First Nation, which plans to continue operating the business.
After 74 years with the DuTemple family, the Pauquachin Nation takes ownership March 1, said Teri DuTemple, president of Ardmore Golf Course.
“It was a difficult decision to make to sell the property and the business. However, the timing was right and we could not be happier that the property will be returned to our longtime neighbours and friends, the Pauquachin First Nation,” she said in a joint announcement with the buyers.
Ardmore has 170 members and the business is profitable, she said.
It went up for sale in 2018 with a price tag of $3.45 million. The sale price is not being revealed.
George DuTemple, Teri DuTemple’s grandfather, bought the course in October 1946 from Alan Steamship as a family business for wife Alice and sons Ronald, Barry and Wally. Ronald is Teri DuTemple’s father.
The 930 Ardmore Dr. property served as a farm and golf course, with the three sons responsible for chores for both uses.
The pro shop, run by Alice DuTemple, not only sold golfing equipment, but also fresh eggs, milk and butter that she made in a washing machine.
After Wally DuTemple took over management of the course in the early 1970s, he brought in donkeys to graze on its slopes. They became a local feature when they were hitched to pull two-seater golf carts from hole to hole.
The property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve and designated for golf course and related uses. It has a nine-hole course, with alternate tees allowing golfers to play a second nine for an 18-hole course.
The 700-square-foot cottage on the property has been a home for many of the family members, said Teri DuTemple, who lived in it with her parents and five siblings.
For the owners, consisting of three groups of family members, it has been an emotional decision to sell. “I think the fact that is going to the Pauquachin has really softened it,” she said. “Every single one of us is thrilled.”
The sale includes a clubhouse with the pro-shop, a kitchen, bar, lounge, a liquor licence, a maintenance area with sheds, a barn and the cottage. Special events, including weddings, are held on the property.
Interest in buying the property came from Vancouver Island and California, DuTemple said.
Chief Rebecca David of the Pauquachin First Nation said: “We raise our hands to the DuTemple family for their respectful engagement with us in negotiating the purchase of Ardmore.
“We are delighted to have the return of our land and we intend to carry on with the golf business.”
Current Ardmore management is planning to stay on, she said. This will provide consistency for golf course users.
