Our Cape Breton Island Golf Experience

As Covid numbers finally dwindled, and travel restrictions eased, golf travel and buddies golf trips started to once again, take place; This was the day that we had been patiently waiting for. After some careful research and planning on MyBuddiesTrip.com, we decided that our first post pandemic golf trip would be Cape Breton Island, in beautiful Nova Scotia. A golf destination that Forbes described as “the hottest island in golf”.

The goal was simple, to simply go, play and explore five of the seven courses that make up Golf Cape Breton. Regrettably, time constraints did not allow us to make the other two, but I promise that these are on the do to list. The itinerary that we decided would be: The Lakes, Bell Bay, Highlands Links and of course, la crème de la crème, Cabot Links and the number one rated golf course in Canada, Cabot Cliffs.

I had a tough time with this one. In a sense that it might be the nicest course on the island that no one talks about. Maybe because of its location, being the farthest course, relative the the entrance onto Cape Breton Island. The Lakes is located in Ben Eoin (15 minutes from Sydney) and it offers dramatic elevation changes and spectacular views of the beautiful Bras d’Or Lakes.

We couldn’t get enough of it. With newly built accommodation options right on the property, it is a place you could park and play for a weekend, very easily. The signature 6th hole, overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes, offers a dramatic elevation change, with extreme hang time on a well struck tee shot. Regardless if The Lakes does not get the attention it rightfully deserves, we would say for the value, the course and the offerings, it could make for a very appealing hidden gem buddies trip destination.

Speaking of hidden gems, wow! talk about value. We played a 3pm twilight rate for $65. Maybe the best $65 I have ever spent? Tee boxes were perfect, fairways were perfect, rough was perfect and greens were.. perfect. An unfortunate fire that caused the clubhouse to burn down, has yet to be replaced might be the only thing that seemed out of place.

Similar to The Lakes, in a sense that it weaves up and down a mountain side, offering many shots with the ball above or below the feet. You know, those really comfortable shots. Bell Bay playing all the way back is no joke. From the tips, stretches as far as 7000 yards with a slope of 144 (FYI we DID NOT play the tips. But Bell Bay has hosted many a provincial tournament and big events in the past, and might be the highest rating, in terms of sure value for your buck.

The infamous Stanley Thompson “mountains and oceans course” and former number one rated golf course in Canada, Highlands Links is everything you would hope it would be, and more. It is said that “When Canadian architect Stanley Thompson arrived in Ingonish Beach, N.S., back in the late 1930s, he likely thought he’d instead stumbled into paradise. A gorgeous setting bordered by water and mountains tucked against the northeastern shores of Cape Breton Island, in his mind, it resembled Scotland”.

The course has so much natural flow and scenic views, that it has to be fake, right? Seriously, it’s a place you need to come see for yourself. Slope, elevation, topography, playing in the mountains, blind shots, precision shots, bump and runs, forced carries, lay ups, flop shots, you name it, we experienced it. Highlands Links, is it!

Stay and play packages via the Keltic Lodge are available as well. With a beautiful scenic view on a perched peninsula, we would strongly recommend this as part of your experience. Act quick as during the prime summer months, availability at the resort is limited. End of season rates are also something to consider as the foliage and natural beauty are something to be seen.

By this point of the trip, we are tired, weary and sore. But all of that changed the second we arrived on property. Cabot Links, the first of the now two most famous courses in Canada, opened in 2012. This walking only golf course, will instantly put you at peace with its beauty and its surroundings. As described by @bobweekstsn of ScoreGolf “The land was full of humps and bumps and rolls. Grass, short and long and green and brown, wavered in the breeze. The ground looked like a rolled carpet, as if it had never been touched, except perhaps by Mother Nature”.

Normally when I play golf, it is easy to get frustrated with foul balls or missed 3 footers, but not here. As every hole has an ocean views, you are never too far from hearing the calming sounds of water crashing against the rocks on the Inverness Beach. The course plays very wide and forgiving off of the tee. The greens are large and make putting fun again. Hitting an approach shot into a bowl shaped green and letting the ball do what it is supposed to do, with an ocean back drop, still puts me at a loss for words.

As memorable as the round of golf was, walking up the 18th fairway with bag pipes playing in the background and a picturesque sunset in the distance is something I will never forget.

The baby course to Cabot Links, Cabot Cliffs was open for play in July 2015, and it was worth every bit of the hype. To make Cabot Cape Breton a true golf resort and top destination, and now boast 36 holes, has brought the experience to a new level. On this particular day, we had beverages with many who would go and play 36 holes or more. If you are going to take this option, make sure to call ahead and space out your tee times, grab a nice lunch in the panoramic restaurant, oh and change your shoes.

Cabot Cliffs boasts so many memorable holes, it is not easy to pick just one. For me though, on the front, 2, 5, 8 and 9 stand out. While on the back 10 and 14, then the fun really starts with your second shot on 15, hitting a blind shot into a par 5 and the revealing of the oceans vistas will take you home. From there, inward to Canada’s most photographed par 3 number 16, followed by a blind shot 17th hole and a indescribable oceanside stroll up 18; what a finish. The couches snuggled comfortably between the first and eighteenth offer you a spot to sit, reminisce of the past four and a half hours and get lost in the views.