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INVERNESS, Nova Scotia, Canada - Where do I hit it?
It's no doubt the reaction of every golfer who steps onto the 17th tee of Cabot Cliffs for the first time. The Coore & Crenshaw Course has delivered wonderful views for the last four hours, culminating at this stunning spot hugging the cliffs. What you can't see remains the problem.
A giant ridge hides the fairway and the green. Fairway bunkers on either side serve as the only guideposts. After hitting, my threesome spent five minutes looking for balls at the top of the ridge before a shocking discovery down the hill. All three balls were nestled into a front greenside bunker.
The unlikely recovery of what we thought were lost balls brought immediate smiles and relief. Fun surprises and magical moments like this are why Cabot Cape Breton has quickly risen to become the premier golf destination in Canada home to its top two public courses. Links golf so pure is rarely found this side of the Atlantic.
I won't bore you with comparisons of Cabot vs. Bandon, East vs. West, America vs. Canada. All I'll report is Cabot Cape Breton exceeded my expectations from the first tee to the last putt. Only a handful of resorts in my 26 years of traveling have invoked similar sentiments. Just as many East Coasters have no problem flying west to Bandon Dunes, despite the long journey, this Californian would have no qualms about flying to Cabot's original resort to do it all again. The two plane rides, layover and four-hour drive from Halifax to Cape Breton Island would only build the anticipation to experience that rush once more.
I realize this story recapping my August visit is too late in the season for a 2025 trip. I'm planting that seed for 2026 and beyond.
Playing golf at Cabot Cape Breton
For those who've never been to Cabot Cape Breton, it's divided into two distinct campuses, both anchored by world top 100 links. The main resort village houses the most restaurants, the 72-room Lodge, 19 two- and four-bedroom Golf Villas and Cabot Links. It's closest to town, a connection I think gives it a great local vibe. I saw couples dining that I'm sure weren't golfers. The rise of the resort since Cabot Links opened in 2012 has revived the entire community, which saw its main employment driver, coal mining, shutter years ago.
I stayed at Cabot Cliffs, several miles down the road by car or resort shuttle, inside one half of a Hillside Home. Three- and four-bedroom Dunes Cottages are also available. I could easily walk down the hill to the Trackman driving range, small pro shop, the Cliffs Couches overlooking the 18th green, two clay tennis courts or The Nest, a dynamite short course lit for night-time adventures. Construction was just getting started on a new clubhouse, wellness center and expansive putting green.
Remember that Cabot Cape Breton's three all-fescue links are walking-only, just like the ancient links overseas.
Playing Cabot Cliffs, costing up to $390 in high season, felt like a spellbinding 6,835-yard journey. When Ben Crenshaw says that Bill Coore is the best guy for routing courses on the planet, he's referring to complex sites like Cabot Cliffs. He found a way to squeeze 12 greens or tee complexes next to or on the cliffs, plus another three holes playing directly toward the water. The views roll one after another like waves out on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Sprinkling in a few tricks on the inland holes - the two greens on the par-3 fourth or the completely blind shot over a dune to the 13th green - keeps those brief intermissions from the scenery just as interesting and engaging.
When golfers crest the tumbling 15th fairway, any sore feet they might have tend to float home the final 3 1/2 holes along the coast. The reveal of the infinity green of this par 5 provides a shot of adrenaline that only amps up to the next level on the 16th tee box, a thrilling 176-yard shot over the cliffs.
Cabot Links is slightly less spiritual an experience although no less fun. It's a tad easier to walk and score with fewer uphill holes than the Cliffs. As a par 70 with three par 5s and five par 3s, the 6,860-yard links fits my game perfectly.
Both courses start with a par 5 to ease golfers in, then ratchet up the difficulty. From the 6,400-yard green tees, the par 3s on Cabot Links forced me to hit a different club on every tee shot - driver on the 230-yard second, 6 iron on the 172-yard fifth, 5 hybrid on the 186-yard seventh, 53-degree wedge on the 95-yard 14th and 8 iron on the 142-yard 17th. That's the sign of a great course. Architect Rod Whitman, with an assist by Jeff Mingay, was a relative unknown when he originally designed the 6,860-yard course.
As for the most memorable moments on Cabot Links, the par-4 sixth boomerangs left 465 yards toward the lobster boats moored in the harbor. That wee par-3 at no. 14 plays directly toward the ocean ala the 7th at Pebble Beach. The holes to fear both feature wetlands that gobble balls - the tight 330-yard third and the long carry off the tee on the 580-yard eighth.
After playing Links, I skipped lunch to tackle The Nest, the 11-hole short course ($57-$90) added by Whitman and Dave Axland in 2020. It was much tougher - in a good way - than anticipated. I loved it. I met up with a father and daughter who don't play much golf. They both ended up in the large valley well below the green on the 118-yard third. Nobody gets up and down on the wild, expansive double green from there.
The 142-yard fifth requires a real golf swing to clear the pond although the finishing hole does not. I putted my way 91 yards down the hill just like the finishing hole at Bandon Preserve, the famed short course at Bandon Dunes. Now that's good, clean fun!
Off the course at Cabot Cape Breton
I think the secret sauce of Cabot Cape Breton that provides a leg up on Bandon Dunes is the friendliness of the Canadians, from the staff to the majority of the golfers. My playing partners - a Canadian husband and wife - and I got on so well at Cabot Cliffs, they invited me to a family dinner with their college-aged son. We witnessed an incredible sunset from The Barn, a lobster shack that serves fresh seafood, including a traditional lobster boil, and smoked meats. We toasted our sunny good fortune and new friendship with a bottle of wine.
The next night I splurged at the Panorama Restaurant overlooking the 18th green on Cabot Links. It's fascinating to watch the dynamics of other foursomes. Some guys pick up their ball and head straight to Whit's Public House for a drink, while others grind and celebrate like they've won a major when putts drop.
Cabot Cape Breton recently released its first homesite real-estate opportunity. Potential home owners can either build a four- or five-bedroom custom home, or a pre-designed option, at the Cliffs Residences. Lots start at $1.3 million Canadian currency, which is touted as a steal for U.S. buyers. The current exchange rate is stacked in our favor: $1.40 per loonie for every U.S. dollar.
Forget 'A Season in Dornoch', the popular book about the Scottish Highlands by Canadian Lorne Rubenstein. I'd gladly savor a few summers at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia ... aka 'New Scotland' ... just as much.
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