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For well-traveled golfers, an 'eclectic 18' is a fun exercise in remembering great golf holes one has played. It can be a bit of a puzzle to assemble a composite golf course out of one's favorite first hole, second hole and so forth from a particular bloc of golf courses.
An eclectic 18 works especially well as a way to assess the courses in a specific destination or at a multi-course resort. The exercise often forces some tough choices, especially towards the finishing stretch, when many golf courses tend to flex their most scenic and volatile moments. Which standout 16th hole gets selected, and which must be left out?
Enter the golf courses of the Cabot Collection, a growing portfolio of upscale resort golf courses that started in Nova Scotia and has spread from the original site, Cabot Cape Breton, as far west as Las Vegas, as far north and east as Norway and as far south as Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Cabot has rapidly evolved from a couple of owned resorts to a globe-trotting group of both owned and managed properties. They have worked with some of the leading golf course architects to create a flywheel of interesting places for avid travelers to stay and play.
GolfPass managing editor Jason Scott Deegan and I have visited a handful of Cabot's properties, but we haven't been everywhere (yet). So in creating this eclectic 18, we enlisted the help of someone who knows the Cabot Collection's courses better than anyone: Cabot CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar. We held his feet to the fire, forcing him to choose favorite holes at properties he no doubt regards with equal affection.
Eclectic 18: Cabot golf courses
Total: Par 70, 6,635 yards
Note: all hole yardages are listed from the longest tee set.
Hole 1 - Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo): par 4, 475 yards
I don't like "gentle handshake" opening holes because they are often mundane get-me-over fastballs that waste an opportunity to make a strong first impression on the golfer. Karoo suffers no such deficiency; its first hole is a mission-statement for the rest of the course, telling the golfer in no uncertain terms that he or she is in for a wild ride across hilly, sandy interior Florida terrain. A split fairway, intense bunkering, rippling contours and a massive green are all themes architect Kyle Franz returns to repeatedly at Karoo. The first hole is a bold-faced welcome sign to all that. - Tim Gavrich
Hole 2 - Lofoten Links: par 3, 156 yards
Our signature par-3, ranked among the world’s best, delivers an unforgettable experience — often watched over by sea eagles and shaped by ever-changing winds and the height of the midnight sun. - Ben Cowan-Dewar
Hole 3 - Cabot Highlands (Old Petty): par 3, 235 yards
This intimate par 3 plays tight to the walls of Castle Stuart, creating a rare, up-close encounter with the historic landmark as you hit toward a subtly contoured green. Wind and precise distance control matter more than length in one of the course’s most atmospheric moments. - BCD
Hole 4 - Cabot Citrus Farms (The Squeeze): par 5, 559 yards
The Squeeze is my favorite of Cabot Citrus Farms' four courses. In just 10 holes, course architect and rock music aficionado Mike Nuzzo manages to create a concept-album of sorts, centered on the idea of "half-par" holes. The Squeeze's lone par 5 is superb, using short grass alone to create interest. That makes it a refreshing rarity on a property where so much of the golf is defined by sandscapes. Moguls and humps tug the golfer downhill with a noticeable rightward tilt the whole way. Playing the hole is like surfing in a heavy crosswind. - TG
Hole 5 - Cabot Highlands (Old Petty): par 4, 435 yards
A sweeping hole across rumpled, natural ground that rewards a bold drive and careful planning on the second shot. A small, historical bothy butting up against the green adds both a visual landmark and a strategic element, forcing thoughtful approach placement amid expansive Highland views. - BCD
Hole 6 - Cabot Cape Breton (Cabot Links): par 4, 465 yards
The southernmost spot on the entire property reveals The Harbor Hole, a compelling Cape hole that doglegs to the left around an peaceful inlet that’s home to a local marina. Players must pick a line off the tee that covers the water without hitting it through the fairway. The approach shot can run onto the green from in front. Four bunkers along the left side act as catcher’s mitts, keeping errant misses from bounding into the water. - Jason Scott Deegan
Hole 7 - Serket: par 4, 365 yards
Playing down into a narrow corridor filled with scrubby desert, this appealing hole is a proper reward for golfers who can hit it straight when it matters most. The front-right-to-back-left angle of the green makes it a tricky target set within a true box canyon. - JSD
Serket (formerly Rio Secco Golf Club) is one of four Cabot-managed courses in the United States, joining Cascata (also in the Las Vegas area), Grand Bear (Mississippi) and Chariot Run (Indiana).
Hole 8 - Cabot Citrus Farms (Roost): par 3, 231 yards
This downhill devil of a long-iron par 3 is one of the more intimidating looks on the course. Luckily golfers can grab some liquid courage at the comfort station behind the tee. The putting surface tilts from high-right to low-left, with a collection of bunkers making the whole green complex look as if it is sliding down the hill. Chances to watch a ball bounce and release across a green are too few, but it's a virtual guarantee here. The only question is whether your ball will be rolling towards the cup or away from it. - TG
Hole 9 - Cabot Citrus Farms (Roost): par 5, 585 yards
The presence of consecutive Roost holes on this list is a testament to how strong the course is around the turn. The three-shot 9th slings out of old oaks and bangs a left into an open part of the property that grants lovely panoramic views across several holes. Water on the right and bunkers on the left tighten the layup and approach, which drifts downhill. It's just enough of a birdie opportunity to coax golfers into trying something foolish. - TG
Hole 10 - Cabot Citrus Farms (The Wedge): par 3, 100 yards
A par-3 course is a perfect opportunity for an architect to get a little weird, and Mike Nuzzo's weirdest and best hole at Cabot Citrus Farms' short loop is this one, with a striking green that is 60 yards long and barely 10 yards across at any point. - TG
Hole 11 - Cascata: par 4, 346 yards
Shortish par 4s provide necessary drama on great golf courses, and Cascata's 11th fits that bill for me. It's necessary to hit the fairway in order to try and attack the small, semi-blind green perched above a pond fed by one of the course's many rushing streams. - JSD
Hole 12 - Cabot Bordeaux (Vignes): par 4, 404 yards
The second hole in the pine forest section, emblematic of the Vignes course, this right dogleg defended by a large pine tree on the inside bend gives this par 4 a superb perspective. Play this hole at the end of a summer's day and you will enjoy golden light on the pines and high roughs. - BCD
Hole 13 - Cabot Cape Breton (Cabot Cliffs): par 4, 398 yards
Although it heads inland, this fun par 4 kicks off an epic closing stretch by Coore & Crenshaw. A berm stands like a sentry guarding a blind green, giving golfers precious little information about where to aim and how far to hit the shot. As long as you clear the hill, missing short is probably best as the ball funnels into position on a bowl-like green for a potential birdie putt. - JSD
Hole 14 - Cabot Bordeaux (Châteaux): par 5, 535 yards
This short par 5 is bordered by a stream on the left side from the tee to the green. Players wishing to attack the green in two will need to execute a very nice shot to the right side of the green, hoping not to end up in the inviting bunker on the right in front of the green.. -BCD
Hole 15 - Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo): par 4, 388 yards
The most recognizable and best holdover hole from the course's previous life at the Pine Barrens at World Woods Golf Club, this short drive-and-wedge par 4 can even yield up an eagle chance in favorable wind conditions via a heroic swing straight at the green. The rest of us will play out to the left and confront a tricky wedge to a rumpled green. -TG
Hole 16 - Cabot Cape Breton (Cabot Cliffs): par 3, 176 yards
I’d argue this is the best waterfront, clifftop par 3 in the world if the 16th at Cypress Point didn’t exist. Most golfers play it from the more forward tees, making it a thrilling short iron to a narrow green hanging on a precipice and bracketed by difficult bunkers in front and back. Those who bail out to the left half of the green if the pin is on the lower shelf face an impossible putt. - JSD
Hole 17 - Cabot Saint Lucia/Point Hardy Golf Club: par 3, 187 yards
One of the most dramatic shots on the course, this par 3 plays over a rocky inlet to a clifftop green, demanding a bold carry with the ocean roaring below and little room for error; the elevated, exposed setting makes club selection and wind reading paramount - BCD
Hole 18 - Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart): par 5, 595 yards
The mark of a good hole is that it wows average players with its beauty but challenges pros with its strategy. Phil Mickelson won the 2013 Scottish Open by being aggressive on this par-5 closer, which bends back toward the clubhouse and Castle Stuart. Even players who aren't as talented as Phil can use the fairway’s natural movement to set up a possible run at the green in two. A burn and encroaching rough tighten the lay-up and approach, with the art deco-inspired clubhouse providing a dramatic final backdrop. Castle Stuart ranks among my three favorite links in Scotland, and it's holes like No. 18 that bolster that affinity. - JSD
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