Things To Do
Sports and Recreation
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Our bracing climate seems to encourage do-it-yourself sports. From aquafit to volleyball there's plenty of enthusiastic groups to join. Recreational hockey and skating, indoors and out, are popular through the winter, but school gyms also host badminton, soccer, and volleyball leagues. In summer, recreational softball rules the parks. Joggers and bicyclists fill the streets of the city, and families relax on Fred Henne Park beach.
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The 25 metre Ruth Inch Pool charges by the swim, and opens most mornings at 6 am. Runners can be see on the "airport loop" almost any day of the year. There's a curling club, a squash and racquetball club, and fitness clubs. There's theatre through the winter, staged by several local drama groups (see Events). North American films are shown at the local cinema.
There's quilting and pottery and tai-chi. There's a riding stable and night school courses. In summer, there's mini-golf, and Yellowknife's special oasis, the Yellowknife Golf Club.
Yellowknife Golf Club
The 18-hole Yellowknife golf club celebrated its 50th anniversary
in 2002. Stretched across a scenic rock and sand course, the club
features a pro shop, club and cart rentals, driving range and a
welcoming clubhouse with food and bar service. Visitors are welcome.
It’s the location each year for a number of tournaments, the
most famous of which is the Midnight Classic, played each June 21st
weekend, on the longest days of the year.
History
It was a hearty band of fifty golfers who first brought the game
to Yellowknife in 1948, before jets streaked through the sky and
when a highway north was only a dream. Members hauled an old DC-3
fuselage onto the smooth Precambrian rock and used it as the first
club house. Legends surround the course – there are reports
of ravens stealing balls, and visits by the occasional black bear
over the years. We have yet to lose a golfer.
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The Midnight Classic Golf Tournament is a long standing highlight of the short summer season. Originally called the Midnight Marathon, golfers teed off at midnight and played as long as they could. In 1970, Sandy Hutchinson made club history with 171 holes of golf played during a 33.5 hour marathon.
For the first 45 years, the club featured a nine-hole course with sand fairways and oiled greens. In the 1990s, three experimental artificial greens were installed, and by 1995, all nine holes had artificial turf.
Membership
Membership now totals 700. Activities include: a junior program,
Ladies’ Night, Men’s Night, and weekend tournaments. Private
bookings are available. The Yellowknife Golf Club is owned by the
membership and run by a volunteer board of directors.
Photos by David Marcus (Outcrop) and Kyle Bussell (NFVA).
