A meeting at the StAlbans Shirley Working Mens Club in September 1964 attended by 16 representatives from 8 workingmens clubs was to have a major bearing on the formation of the McLeans Island Country Club.

The meeting was held with the intention of forming a body called Combined Workingmens Clubs Golf section committee.

In 1967 the committee decided to investigate the possibility of creating and running its own course. It applied to the South Island Federation of Workingmens Clubs which supported the proposal.

With the support of 11 Workingmens Clubs an incorporated body was formed call the Canterbury Workingmens clubs and Cosmopolitan Clubs Recreational Association. Each Workingmens Club was represented by one member on the committee.

Eventually the committee was offered 350 acres by the North Canterbury Catchment Board at McLeans Island. It was accepted and was leased in April 1969 for an annual rental of $750.

It was suggested the Golf Club be called McLeans Park Country Club but when the first Golf Club committee was formed on august 13th1969 it was agreed that the club be known as McLeans Island Country Club.

The sowing of the greens on the permanent course was started in August 1969 and completed in October 1970, along with the planting of 1500 trees. The land was old riverbed. Many days and hours was spent by volunteers removing stones from the fairways.At the second AGM it was recorded some 125 tons of stones had been removed.

The new Clubhouse was opened on May 27th 1972. Women and Juniors were admitted to the Club as member in 1973.

McLeans Island entered its first interclub team in the Canterbury competition in 1974 (Simon Cup) and Woodward Cup debut in 1991. We have several teams competing in the interclub competitions. Both Men and Women and have a few successful overall wins. The Over 60's team had a good win this year.

In 1983 McLeans Island became the second largest Golf Club in Canterbury.

In the 1980's the Club ceased to be a Workingmens Club club and stood on its own as McLeans Island Golf Club ass it is today.

Over the years we have been hit with big snow storms which do a lot of damage to our trees and also the big wind storm in September 2013 cost a lot of trees. Thanks to our greens staff and members who volunteered their time and a massive effort got the course playable again.

The course was redesigned in the late 1980's – No 1 became No 10 and vice versa. No 3 became a par 5.