Back
NOVA SCOTIA, Canada - Who's the better golf course architect - Doug Carrick or Thomas McBroom?
Many Canadian golfers have pondered that question. Between them, the Canadian duo has built, restored or renovated more than three dozen of the country's best courses. Like other successful artists who compete against one another, there's plenty of pride at stake when it comes to the legacy each man wants to leave behind.
Their friendly rivalry has been put aside as the two embark upon, perhaps, the most interesting and influential project of their careers - the revival of the golf experience at Fox Harb'r, one of Canada's most luxurious golf resorts. Instead of debating who has had the better career, now the question pivots: "How good can they be together?"
Fox Harb'r, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, debuted a new Ocean Course nine earlier this summer, the first step in the transition from 18 holes designed by Graham Marsh to 36 new holes by Carrick and McBroom to be renamed the Ocean and Vineyard courses.
Think of it this way: Would Mozart ever collaborate on a sonata with Beethovan? Would Michelangelo dare share a canvas with Leonardo da Vinci? Carrick said it's been fun bouncing ideas off of McBroom, who helped launched his career in the 1980s. They also previously worked together on a master plan while building two separate courses at Legends-on-the-Niagara.
“I guess they couldn’t decide, myself or Tom," Carrick said with a chuckle. "We did have a similar vision for what we thought should be done, and that was really utilizing the coastline and creating two different golf experiences. They asked us if we would consider collaborating. We both said yes.”
When the work is all done by 2027, Fox Harb'r will be ready to stake a claim as one of Canada's premier golf destinations. With six holes directly on the Northumberland Strait, the Ocean Course will rival Canada's consensus top two resort courses - Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links - as Nova Scotia's most scenic round.
A golf jigsaw puzzle at Fox Harb'r
When the original course at Fox Harb'r opened in 2000, it was heralded among the best in Canada. With two greens and two other holes directly on the water, its views captivated anyone who teed it up. Resort Owner Ron Joyce, who made his fortune as the co-founder of Tim Hortons, even brought Tiger Woods up for a charity fundraiser in 2009. Woods left with a course record 63.
As with most courses of that era, however, its architectural appeal - the disjointed greens and fairway mounding - fell out of favor as other top modern courses like the links duo at Cabot Cape Breton emerged.
Several of golf's top architects submitted proposals to Fox Harb'r CEO Steven Joyce, Ron's son, and Fox Harb’r Resort President Kevin Toth in 2018, but the name recognition and visions of Carrick and McBroom won the day.
This new modern look will change the trajectory of Fox Harb'r among serious golf travelers. With American golfers flocking to Cabot Cape Breton less than four hours away, Fox Harb'r seems poised to attract more international business, too. It was a conscious choice by Toth and the architects not to mimic the bouncy fescue fairways of the Cabot courses. The fairways and greens of the Vineyard and Ocean courses will be green and lush creeping bentgrass, complemented on the Ocean Course by wispy golden fescue grasses waving in the breeze to evoke an overseas links. The primary rough will be Kentucky bluegrass on both courses.
Throughout the project, 18 holes will always be in play as each course takes shape. For golfers hoping to visit Fox Harb'r next year, you'll likely be playing nine holes from the Vineyard and the new Ocean holes I played, giving you a taste of both experiences.
“With both the Ocean and Vineyard Courses, Fox Harb’r will be one of the most diverse golf destinations in North America,” Toth said.
In August, I played a hybrid course of nine original holes that had yet to be redesigned into their Vineyard hole equivalents and eight holes of the new Ocean front nine (my back nine) that concluded with the Ocean Course's new 18th hole. Carrick and McBroom maximized every view on the Ocean Course by stacking the inland holes from nos. 9 to 13 (which are still under construction) and no. 18 above the two magnificent coastal stretches of holes 7-8 (a wonderful par 3-par 5 sequence) and holes 12 and 14 through 17. Here's a rendering of the dramatic back nine.
The Ocean Course's new holes forced the closure of an under-utilized short course, although a new putting course has been added near the driving range.
The Vineyard Course will be entirely inland in the Heathland style famous around London, wandering through trees, vineyards, open meadows and fairway corridors pinched tight by wetlands and ponds. It will be more sheltered from the winds that tend to kick up in the spring and fall.
Carrick insists there has been only thoughtful conversation throughout the design and construction phase.
"I would say maybe some of the differences (in our styles) is how we approach bunkers from an artistic standpoint and how we design our greens, but we are close enough that we really haven’t had any disagreements about anything," he said.
Most of the discussion has centered around eliminating bunkers originally drawn into the plans. Three greenside bunkers were taken out on the sixth hole of the Ocean Course because, playing into a head or crosswind off the shore, it was already hard enough at 441 yards.
"We are thinking about playability and presenting a golf course as, 'It’s a resort'," Carrick said. "You want people to have fun and not punish golfers too much. It’s a fine balance."
The glamour of Fox Harb'r resort
Golf isn't the only sparkling new amenity at Fox Harb'r, Eastern Canada's only Four Diamond, Five-Star resort. A new Spa & Wellness Centre opened this spring. Any resort guest can use the hydrothermal circuit consisting of a bio sauna, aroma steam room, an experience shower, a salt lounge and a cold plunge to stimulate circulation and muscle recovery. Between the upgraded fitness studio, massage treatments and indoor pool, both the kids and adults will leave the wellness center rejuvenated.
Fox Harb'r can accommodate up to 200 guests, from the wonderful suites I stayed in to the 18 new Harb'r Stone Village Townhomes in the rental program that can sleep golf groups up to 8-10 players.
My suite came equipped with a separate living room with a fireplace and kitchenette, a heated floor in the bathroom and a balcony overlooking the golf course out to the water. You can easily stay a week without feeling an ounce of stress.
Diverse entertainment options are spread throughout the 1,400-acre property. We spent one afternoon at the Sporting Lodge, attempting ax throwing, sport shooting and archery. I would have loved to get out on the water in a kayak or hit the courts for a little pickleball or tennis, too. Biking, hiking and more are also available.
To get here, a private 4,000-foot runway accepts Gulfstream 100s, Challenger 604s and other private aircraft for the luckiest of travelers. For one afternoon, I was one of them, enjoying a cruise on the Fox Harb'r yacht, which is docked in the deep-water marina. A lobster boil as the sun set over the Northumberland Strait only solidified my stance on Fox Harb'r: I can't wait until 2027 when everything's done.
Atlantic Canada rates among the most beautiful spots in all of Canada in the summer. If you're looking for an authentic Canadian golf experience, there aren't many more interesting options than something built by McBroom, Carrick and Tim Hortons, eh?
Comments (0)