Whistle Bear History
The Land
The land that Whistle Bear sits on was originally owned by one of Cambridge’s founding fathers, William Dickson. Dickson purchased the property in 1816 for today’s equivalent of approximately $1.00 per acre. He later sold the property to Joseph Bowman in the early 1800’s. Bowman built the original log home between 1829 and 1832, which is now incorporated into the clubhouse today.
A portion of the property also consists of wetlands and forests that have been left untouched. They are there to preserve the natural habitat of wildlife and plant life in the area.
The Course
The links-style course, as you see it today, has been built on 178 acres of a 232 acre property owned by Emilio Cabral of Regional Sewer and Watermain Ltd.
The back nine holes were opened in late summer 2000, and the front nine opened in July 2001. In fact, each of the 18 holes at Whistle Bear tells a part of the lands historic story. Researching Cambridge’s archive records revealed the site had 18 previous owners. It was Emilio who decided to name all 18 holes after the previous landowners. Visit The Course for more info.
The Name
The name Whistle Bear comes from Thomas Vair, who was a 19th century blacksmith that set up shop in the area. Legend has it that Vair would whistle while walking along the country road. Over time, the road that runs along the second and third holes became known as Whistle Bare Road. Bare was then changed to Bear to describe the aggressive nature of the course.
Today Whistle Bear is co-owned by Emilio Cabral and Pearle Hospitality. Owned by the Ciancone family, Pearle Hospitality has inspired itself with a visionary strategy: to source Ontario’s under-utilized heritage landmarks and restore them to their former architectural glory while creating destinations that offer world-class hospitality and the finest Earth to Table food the season – and our chefs – have to offer.