Legacy Golf Classic carries on new legacy of community giving

September 10, 2026 · 0 Comments

By KATHRYN FRASER

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The second annual Legacy Golf Tournament at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on September 2.

Community members came out in droves to participate and spend a fun day out enjoying rounds of golf.

All funds for this event are being donated to the Caledon Agricultural Society (CAS), as they are the 2026 Grant Recipient.

This was a two-year grant for CAS, and all proceeds will go towards the planned expansion for the area, including the new Community Centre building that is to be built on the Fairgrounds.

The idea for the event came from friends of Anne and Allan Thompson, former Mayor of Caledon, who recommended that they hold a fundraiser. Instead, they decided to hold a tournament and work with sponsorships to help raise funds.

They decided to support CAS as the Association announced the launch of their capital campaign last year, and the Thompsons said it felt like the right choice at the right time.

“It seemed like the perfect choice because, for Allan and I, this is his forever community. I came from a different farming community, but for each of us, our leadership skills, that sense of service to community, was rooted in our families who taught us that, but also just in the culture of the agricultural and farming community,” says Anne Thompson. “It seemed like the perfect launching pad last year, and because our intention has been that we would choose a different major grant each year.”

As last year’s event was quite large and sold out in 12 days, it was decided by Legacy Golf Classic that they would offer two courses this year instead of one.

Despite not being able to have the event fully funded like last year, there were still many members of the community who came out in support of the event and were able to enjoy time out on the course.

“We’re very grateful for the support of the community, the sponsors, both agriculturally, the local businesses and big corporations that have investments in Caledon, saw value to invest into us to make this thing a success. We’re very grateful and, you know what? [It’s a] work of progress and is something that we can work forward to next year and building it bigger and stronger.”

The day was filled with many rounds of golf and even included special competitions, including a hole-in-one, beat the pro, and even a new addition this year: a golf cannon that golfers had to compete against to try and get their ball into the hole first, which was enjoyed quite a bit by the participants.

“The atmosphere was electric. It was positive. With all the nonsense that’s going on in the broader political world, it’s great they can get out and have fun. But, despite that all going on, everybody came out and had a great time,” says Allan Thompson. “We had a wonderful experience and, to me, that’s what it’s about bringing the community together, having fun for a great cause. Everybody enjoyed the moment, and that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to crave something that was positive, especially right now. It’s needed.”

Looking to 2027, Anne and Allan Thompson are looking forward to the next event and hoping to see the community come out once again and golf.

“We are incredibly 100% humbled and grateful for the support and the response, and, as Allan said, everybody needs something positive to look forward to. I think, for us, especially with an agricultural component to it, certainly we reached out to our suppliers, the people that we buy our product from. Farming is changing in this area,” says Anne Thompson. “Allan’s family’s been here since 1820 farming in this area, and except for our three fairs, which are multi-day events, the only event we have left in our community is the ploughing match as a one-day event. We no longer have our beef cattleman’s barbeque, or we don’t have our black and white show, or the things that used to pull the farm community together as well. We know we live in a great community, and we know that we have good people who live in our community, and so it’s really exciting to see the community come together for a positive experience to, together with us, make a positive impact in our community.

“The legacy is shared and it’s what we’re doing it together.”