The Evans at Canal Shores

A Message from the President

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A message from the President

Welcome!

As President of the Evanston Wilmette Golf Course Association for 2017-18, I want to invite you to be part of the Canal Shores community. Since we reorganized the Association several years ago, our volunteer Board has made great progress – making improvements to the course; engaging in environmentally friendly approaches to preserve and protect (and enhance) this gem in our community; and in creating a forum for discussion of issues facing the course in coming years.

For nearly 100 years, the land that winds through the Evanston and Wilmette communities along both sides of the North Shore Channel from Green Bay Road to the Baha’i Temple near Wilmette Harbor has been a setting for golf. Canal Shores is known as a welcoming venue, a fun and challenging golf facility and as a habitat for native species and wildlife.

The Board of Directors is dedicated to continuing the tradition of making Canal Shores an integral part of the community. Our guiding principles are: to ensure economic and environmental sustainability for the course; to provide golf and golf instruction to a wide range of golfers; and to connect individuals, families and the community-at-large to the outdoors and nature through multi-use recreational facilities. It is our goal to provide an outstanding golf facility that focuses on youth and family golf and that provides value – as well as options and challenges for seasoned golfers. We want all our stakeholders to enjoy and benefit from exposure to nature and the beauty of this unique space with updated design features and improvements.

Canal Shores is managed by a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charitable organization of neighbors from Evanston and Wilmette. The course receives NO public funds or taxpayer monies. We depend on revenues from golfers and generous donations from our supporters – and the sweat equity of committed volunteers. Canal Shores is part of the fabric of our community.

The course is here for golf and other outdoor activities on a year-round basis – a welcome respite from our busy lives. We offer walking paths; we welcome dog walkers and joggers; and encourage nature enthusiasts and bird-watchers. In the winter, there is cross country skiing, sledding, and quiet time to enjoy the beauty.

To make improvements and meet the needs of golfers in a challenging environment, we need your help! We must raise the necessary funds to continue and improve the operations of the course, as well as build a welcoming environment to provide for a satisfying golf experience.

In 2017, we will be re-engaging our neighbors and supporters so that they have a meaningful role in our efforts. We plan to complete our ecological study and develop a plan that will support the environmental health of the property long term.

We are committed to rededicating our effort to work with neighbors, community leaders, and professionals in the golf world to reimagine Canal Shores so that it can continue to serve all our stakeholders.

It is not our intent to change the character of this special space, but rather to make it better! We welcome input from all quarters and we continue to listen and learn from the past and apply lessons learned to the future.

We have faced many challenges in past years. But dedicated members of the community stepped up to the plate. Over the next few years, we hope to broaden our base to fulfill our mission – with the support of the community, generous benefactors and the hard work of our staff and volunteers.

We are looking at new options for meaningful participation by community members in the Association. We hope you will support our efforts and join the conversation. Visit the course. Purchase a season pass. Bring your friends. Try us out. Let us know what you think and what we can do to make the course better. Please make a donation to assure that Canal Shores thrives, and survives.

Thank you,

Chris Carey, President

The Association, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, was formed in 1919 to manage the operations of the 18-hole Canal Shores Golf Course. It is established as a charitable organization and qualifies as an exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The course runs along the North Shore Channel from Green Bay Road in Evanston to the Baha’i Temple near Wilmette Harbor. The land that comprises Canal Shores is sub-leased by the Association from the City of Evanston and Village of Wilmette, which lease property from its owner, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Cook County. It offers programs that celebrate the game of golf, with special programs designed for families, youth and the community. Visit www.canalshores.org to learn more about the Association and the golf course.