Le Portage Golf Club

Spoke to a few friends who come from Nova Scotia and they said this is a great course. They were right. Situated on the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, this course deserves more recognition than it gets. The tee boxes, fairways and greens were very good. The views of the mountains were awesome to see. The routing is excellent and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this golf course situated in a little Acadian community! I would play this course over and over again!

Greens were is good shape but the bunker were the worst I have ever seen on a golf course that charges $100. Some fairway bunkers were GUR which should have been the case for ALL the bunkers. Very friendly staff.

My dad and I have been playing golf in Cape Breton this week starting off at Bell Bay, then Highlands Links, and now Le Portage. While Highlands Links was no doubt a great experience, I found Le Portage to be much more enjoyable. It was in much better condition than Highlands and Bell Bay and each hole was unique from the hole prior. This course is overshadowed by Highlands and Cabot Links/Cliffs. However, the course was in great shape (ran by a maintenance crew consisting of only 6 people) who really seem to care about the appearance of their course. Do yourself a favor and stop at this little gem in Cheticamp on your way to/from Cabot.

Sandwiched between two world class courses on the legendary Cabot Trail, it's easy to overlook Le Portage in the coastal town of Cheticamp. On one side of the Cabot Trail about 90 minutes away is Stanley Thompson's Highlands Links, while Cabot Links is less than an hour's drive south.

So why stop off at the member-owned Le Portage along the way? Well, after the non-descript entrance past a few industrial-looking buildings, you walk up to the elevated clubhouse and on the other side is a fantastic opening par 5 complete with an elevated tee and mountain backdrop. From tee-to-green, the course is more manicured than it's more rugged neighbors, yet it's a great bargain at about $70 CAN walking.

The course, while a good challenge, isn't as tough as Cabot and Highlands can be, so it can even be a little bit of a confidence builder should your game need it (and there's a full practice facility here unlike those two courses).

If you've got a little time to kill between Cabot & Highlands Links or just like playing as many courses as possible on a golf trip, stop off at this neat Cheticamp course.