The Squire Green Golf Club is a thriving course for golfers from the Bathurst-region and tourists alike. 

But the course almost had a different fate.  

In 2019, Squire Green was at risk of closing for good when the then owner walked away from the business. That’s when a not-for-profit structure was set up by a group of dedicated community members and golfers, with the help of CBDC Chaleur.  

“If it wasn’t for the CBDC, I doubt that the golf course would still be open,” said original board member and bookkeeper Jacques Roussel. “They also provided us flexible terms that suited all of our needs" 

The original board of 10 was comprised mainly of people who own homes in the nearby Squire Green subdivision, properties they purchased so they could enjoy a round of golf anytime.  

Once the board was in place, CBDC Chaleur offered the course a Social Enterprise Loan with money up front to kick-start their operations for the season, which was only a few months away.  

“They made things pretty straight-forward,” Roussel said of the loan process, adding the terms of the board’s agreement with CBDC Chaleur were very reasonable and allowed the new board to get off to a good start. 

“We started running with nothing. We were lucky to have some of the original staff,” Roussel said.  

The first step was to get a budget in place while they worked out how to run the course. And they did just that.   

The board repaid the $20,000 loan in the first six months after surpassing the revenue budgeted in the first year. Roussel said the club continued to turn profit 5 of the 6 first years in operation under the board, with one year hindered by rainy weather conditions.   

Roussel said the course continues to surpass revenue projections each year.  

“We’re doing something right,” he said. 

The focus has been continual improvement of the course to attract more people and keep existing members coming back, Roussel said. There has been more than $300,000 invested in the course over the past six years and another $40,000 and 25 new golf carts are slated for the 2025 season.  

“We’ve put a lot of money into the course to make it more enjoyable for golfers,” said Hugo Morrissette, manager of golf operations. 

“I think that’s what makes it such a success. Everything is getting reinvested to make the experience better for golfers.” 

That strategy is working. Squire Green saw its highest number of green fees in a season in 2024, at almost 18,000 rounds of golf. There has also been an increase in membership holders aged 19 to 35.  

“No matter what, if people have a good golf experience they’re going to come back and maybe they’ll want to get a membership and join the community,” Morrissette said.  

With operations running smoothly and continual improvements underway, Squire Green is looking to the future. They’ve drawn up plans for a new four-season clubhouse that would include a full restaurant and bar, golf simulators and could become a hub for winter sports that take place on the nearby trail system.  

“I think that this part of the community could be vibrant. It could attract tourism 12 months of the year,” Roussel said. 

With the community-minded nature of the CBDC, Roussel and Morrissette say the course wouldn’t hesitate to work with the organization again in the future.  

“They are very easy people to work with,” Roussel said.