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Gordon DeLaat

Gordon de Laat

PGA of Ontario Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Born: April 11, 1917, Rosmalen, Netherlands
Died: November 25, 2017

Gordon “Gordie” de Laat’s life in golf spanned nine decades, including more than eighty years in the profession. His career developed through three stages: Assistant Professional, Head Professional, and golf-course owner and builder.

Assistant Professional

Gordie entered Lambton Golf and Country Club’s caddie yard in 1927 at age ten and began his professional apprenticeship there in 1935 under Willie Lamb. Representing Lambton, he won the Toronto and District Professional Golfers’ Assistants Championship in 1938, reached the Millar Trophy final in 1944 and made fifteen Canadian Open appearances between 1941 and 1968. 

Head Professional

In 1945, Gordie became Head Professional at Pine Point Golf Club. Three years later, he joined Weston Golf and Country Club, where he completed twenty-nine seasons as Head Professional. 

  • Mentoring and instruction: mentored Assistant Professionals including Sam Young and taught or encouraged golfers including Warren Sye, Gar Hamilton, Billy Swartz and Pam Johns.
  • Competition: won the PGA of Ontario Seniors' Championship in 1972.
  • Professional service: served on the national PGA of Canada Board and, in 1965, became one of the original directors of the incorporated Ontario association. 

Golf-Course Owner and Builder

The Mayfield Golf Club project began with the acquisition of land in 1955. It was built gradually, as resources allowed.

  • 1978: Mayfield opened with only six holes and little conventional financing, reaching nine holes later that season. The project had been unable to secure bank financing and relied instead on private financial support. 
  • 1979: after leaving Weston at sixty-one, Gordie began his first full season at Mayfield. 
  • Family and growth: together with his wife, Mary, and their nine children, Gordie developed Mayfield into a twenty-seven-hole public golf facility that became a multigenerational family undertaking. 

Mayfield was community golf by design—priced to encourage participation, maintained to provide exceptional value, and operated to make every golfer feel welcome.

Gordie became a PGA of Canada Life Member and was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2026, he joins the PGA of Ontario Hall of Fame.

Across nine decades in golf, three stages formed one professional life. Gordon de Laat became a complete Golf Professional and a steward of the game in Ontario.