Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links: Two Of World’s Top Golf Courses Are Nova Scotia Neighbours
April 19, 2021 ctn_admin
By Anita Draycott
When Cabot Links opened in 2012 it caused a sensation in the golf world as Canada’s first and only true links course. How fitting that the game that was born in Scotland traversed the ocean and took root in Inverness, Cape Breton, first settled by Highland Scots in the 1800s and still a place with strong Celtic traditions.
In 2016, the folks who own Cabot (Toronto-born Ben Cowan-Dewar and Mike Keiser of the highly ranked Bandon Dunes in Oregon) opened Cabot Cliffs by the acclaimed design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Global Golf Post described it as reminiscent of “Pebble Beach on steroids.”
I was one of the lucky golf writers to have a sneak preview before it opened to the public. I vowed that if Cabot Cliffs wasn’t ranked the number one course in Canada, if not North America, I’d eat my putter. Sure enough, in 2018, Golf Digest ranked Cabot Cliffs number nine on its list of the World’s 100 Great Golf Courses. (Currently Golf Digest ranks Cabot Cliffs number 11 and Cabot Links number 35.)
Golf architect Bill Coore remarked about his design of Cabot Cliffs, “the greatest curse in life is extreme potential.” His partner, Ben Crenshaw added, “We’ve seen a lot of golf courses, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier sight than this one right here. Right on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it’s got gorgeous undulations and the movement of the ground is graceful.”
Indeed, the fairways tumble and twist down from a forested glade high above the sea. They meander up and over dunes, cross meadows and ravines and skirt ragged cliffs. There’s an empathetic harmony between the golf course design and the rollicking terrain—an ebb and flow with endless sea views. And although there’s no lack of WOW factor, a romp over Cabot Cliffs feels natural. There’s a rhyme, a reason and a natural rhythm to this masterpiece.
Standing on the first tee at Cabot Cliffs, inhaling the briny air, feeling the wind rustle my hair, watching the russet fescue swaying, I wondered if maybe I’ve been transported to Scotland. Furthermore, that round island in the Gulf sure looks like Ailsa Craig at Turnberry on Scotland’s west coast. It’s uncanny.
“Is Mike Keiser so rich that he can afford to tow the Ailsa Craig across the Atlantic Ocean?” quipped another golf writer. No, the locals call this Ailsa clone Margaree Island (its real name is Sea Wolf).
There’s not a weak hole at Cabot Cliffs and many you will never forget. Number 6, a par-three 186-yard gem resembles something you’d play in the British Isles. The green is positioned in the bowl of a cluster of dunes—memories of the Dell at Lahinch in County Clare, Ireland.
What differentiates Cabot Cliffs from typical Old World links courses is that along with the ocean, fescue, craggy bunkers and dunes, you will encounter a forest starting on the spectacular 7th hole, plus the most intimidating tee shot on the course with a forced carry that looks longer than it really is.
The most photographed holes of Cabot Cliffs are the green at 16 and the tees at 17, both located on jagged, windswept promontory. Number 17 is a cliff-hanging drivable par-four. Once you tee off over the chasm, the roll of the fairway propels your Titleist towards the green. Birdie this one and you’ll be on cloud nine.
In keeping with true links traditions, Cabot Links, is planted from tees-to-greens with 100 percent fescue. The par-70, 6,803-yard course, designed by Albertan Rod Whitman, offers views of the sea from every hole. Drop your first putt and you’ll be rewarded with the sound of it clinking into a tin cup. You don’t have to hire a caddie, but I highly recommend doing so the first time playing both tracks. Our caddies, Steve and Keith from Inverness, gave us lots of valuable tips, especially about how to negotiate the cleverly contoured greens. They also provided local colour. Commenting on one of my badly struck shots, Keith remarked, “That’s what we call a mother-in-law. It looked good leaving but didn’t go far enough.”
Unless you have a medical condition, you do have to walk both courses. And what a joy that is, especially around numbers five and six that play around MacIsaac’s Pond where lobster and crab boats bob in the harbour. Numbers 14 to 16 play right along the beach. With luck you’ll spot dolphins or whales while you practice your bumps and runs, plus every other shot in the book. Number 14, a nod to the famed seventh at Pebble Beach, is a short 100-yard, par-three with a downhill pitch to a peninsula green jutting into the water.
The latest addition to golf nirvana at Cabot is The Nest, at 10-hole short course, ideal when you want to play a quick round with a handful of clubs.
The philosophy at Cabot is similar to that at Bandon Dunes. Nothing supersedes the fantastic golf experience. That said, guests enjoy well-designed rooms with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Cabot Links and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Lodge incorporates local materials, such as cedar and heavy timber combined with a timeless and modern aesthetic. Stenciled on every door are clever quotes by famous golfer characters. Mine, by Harry Vardon, read, “Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.” The heavenly Beltrami bed linens are custom-made for the resort in Italy. Amenities such as walk-in rain showers, l’Occitane toiletries and Nespresso coffee machines all add up to a top-notch resort experience.
In addition to The Lodge, guests can also rent two and four-bedroom villas. Each villa is totally equipped with top end appliances, tasteful furniture and state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms.
Everything on the menu is good but some dishes are outstanding, such as the award-winning chowder. Some guests, including yours truly, request it for breakfast
Panorama is the main restaurant, but you can also enjoy casual fare and local live music until the wee hours at the Cabot Public House on the property. They bought a Moretti Forni, the Italian “Lamborghini” of pizza ovens. Specialties include thin crust Italian-style pizzas and local craft beers.
At the end of a memorable day on the links, tucking into some fabulous seafood in the Panorama restaurant, watching the sun slide into the St. Lawrence while the last golfers sink their putts on number 18, is about as good as it gets. The folks at Cabot deliver golf as it was meant to be played and life as it was meant to be lived.
COVID PROTOCOLS
For the latest on COVID rules and regulations at Cabot, visit the website.
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