After almost 50 years of operation, the Dumas family-operated and -owned Club de Golf Ormstown is changing hands.
The Club de Golf Ormstown, nestled onto the quiet rang Dumas, began in the mid-seventies as a small nine-hole course and clubhouse. “Ormstown Golf Club was founded on a farm; the site of the main clubhouse was a stable at the time. My father, being a carpenter by trade, was called upon to build the clubhouse. Its famous varnished stone floor on the bar side still exists, but it has caused several waitresses to curse because it is difficult to walk on the uneven floor and to level the tables,’’ recounts Marie-Lise Dumas, one of five siblings currently involved in running the family business. “In 1975 we had the first customers; then in 1976, the first season pass.’’
In 1980, Jean Dumas and Claude Dufour, two of the original three owners, decided to add another nine holes. “We had a big party to inaugurate the 18 holes, [and] a Bavarian orchestra [Old Munich of Montreal], for two days under the marquee. Lots of beer flowed during that weekend!” During the winter months, the club rented cross-country ski equipment and maintained trails on the property. Jean Dumas was also an avid lover of card games and regularly hosted tournaments “My grandmother, who lived to 103, also adored playing cards’’ recalls Marie-Lise.
For many years, the principal clientele of the club were retirees. Golf was dominated by men in the past, but Marie-Lise, being a golf enthusiast herself, always pushed to have female leagues at their club. “We have had several women’s leagues over the years – finally surpassing the men’s leagues in terms of numbers.’’ During the pandemic the club enjoyed a surge in young people interested in golf. “Young people tried golf and adopted it. It was the only activity to get together during the pandemic, because everything was done outside with distancing. Now the clientele is of all ages, both male and female.”
In 1995, Jean Dumas’s five children took over the business, Marie-Lise being the youngest of the entrepreneurs at age 30. “The children contributed to the success of the company at a very young age. At 13, I helped my mother in the restaurant kitchen; at 16, I was a cook; at 18, I was a waitress; at 22 I had my diploma, I did accounting and was a bartender. My sisters were in turn waitresses; my nieces were also waitresses. Over the years, the tasks were added, and I became general manager, and my brother Jean-Maurice became field superintendent.”
While the third generation of the family has now decided to pursue other professional paths, there is no confusion about how the Dumas family feels about the sale. “The new owners, four friends from the region, want to maintain the family atmosphere. We are therefore happy to pass the torch to a new team that will perpetuate the family tradition while introducing new improvements over the years. The Dumas family is of course nostalgic about this sale but is happy with their choice.”
Now Marie-Lise and her siblings can enjoy a well-deserved retirement: “For my part, I will finally have time to play golf more often,” she says.