NOVIA SCOTIA

OFFERS FINE GOLF

by BRUCE VITTNER

People often talk about traveling to Scotland, the birthplace of golf. How about considering “New Scotland” i.e. Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia sits about 200 miles east of Maine and makes a wonderful golf destination. We had the opportunity to spend some time golfing there last month, and the golf, food, views, accommodations and friendly people made for a most memorable trip.

It didn’t hurt that we had met Bill Spurr, golf writer and food critic for the daily paper in Halifax, a few weeks before our trip and he gave us a wonderful plan for our travels through his province. “If you are landing in Yarmouth play Clare Golf and Country Club and eat at Chez Christophe either the first or last day,” said Spurr, who added that Clare was a hidden gem and one of his favorite courses in Nova Scotia.

He was right. We played the course an hour after getting off the CAT in Yarmouth. The proud club president, Ricky Thurber, had waited for us to arrive and was our playing partner. “We’ve had nine holes since the 1960s but we added nine more in the ‘90s, and we think we rival Digby Pines as the top course in the region,” said Thurber. This friendly community course, owned by the members but completely public (most are in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), offered great elevation changes, scenic views of the Strait of Saint Marie and some picturesque golf holes. My favorite holes were number 4, a very downhill par 3 over a brook and number 11, a short par 4 to a green tucked behind a small pond. The flow of the course is excellent and we saw many families playing.

Since we were playing in Clare, we decided to spend the night in a bed and breakfast in town. Were we lucky. Spurr’s recommendation of Chez Christophe proved to be the site of a wonderful restaurant and also a quaint bed and breakfast. Innkeeper and chef Paul Comeau, whose family roots go back to the Acadian settlers in the area in the early 1600s, proved to be a wonderful cook and fine host. We had the best scallops ever. “My supplier gets the seafood right from these waters daily, and we are so lucky to have him,” said Comeau after closing the restaurant and coming across the street to his B & B.

During dinner a trio of musicians played and sang native Acadian music. “We try to have entertainment a few nights per week,” said Comeau who said that his B & B frequently hosts folks on golf packages. “We are less than an hour from the ferry and it makes a great first or last night’s visit,” he added.

We were off early the next morning for a long drive to Pugwash to play Northumberland Links Golf Course, but our fine host had hustled across the street to prepare us some sustenance for our trip. “Can’t let you leave on an empty stomach,” said a smiling Comeau who proved to be one of many warm and friendly people we met on our journey.

Northumberland Links G.C.
 

Northumberland Links sits right on the Northumberland Strait in the northeastern part of Nova Scotia. The cover picture of this issue highlights a little of the course but not all. You can view the sea from 15 holes and the scenery will remind you of the highlands of Scotland or maybe the views from Pebble Beach. The greens are undulating and fast but very true. While we were playing, Canadian singer Anne Murray, a local summer resident whose golf carts has headlights and a sticker to drive on the roads, was a few holes ahead. “Anne is a member and plays here often,” said clubhouse manager Bruce McIntyre who sent me the photo on our cover.

That evening we stayed at Amherst Shore Country Inn located about one-half hour from Northumberland Links and forty minutes from the Confederation Bridge that links Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to the province of Prince Edward Island. The inn was wonderful. The owner, whose family also owns the renowned Blomidon Inn in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and his wife, served a wonderful four-course gourmet dinner and a delectable breakfast the next morning. My wife wanted to spend the rest of our vacation staying right at the inn with its wonderful grounds and over 1,000 feet of beach right on the sea, but duty called. Amherst Shore has fourteen rooms available in the inn and adjacent guest cottages. Reservations are required for dinner, and there is only one sitting at 7:30 p.m. You shouldn’t miss it.

After breakfast we were off to Prince Edward Island (see story on page 18), but returned to Nova Scotia a few days later via the ferry from Woods Island, PEI to Caribou, Nova Scotia. Our next stop was Highland Links in the Cape Breton region on the Cabot Trail.

Highland Links can best be described by one word—WOW. It is consistently voted number one public course in Canada and Top 100 courses in the world with good reason. Highland Links was designed by the renowned architect Stanley Thompson within the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rated one of the best national parks in the world.

Highland Links fabulous 3rd hole.

What makes Highland Links so magnificent is the fact that it was built in 1941. Thompson, who was a good friend and associate of Donald Ross, is considered the best all-time golf architect in Canada. His masterpiece is often considered to be Highland Links where he wanted to create a dramatic layout that encompassed ocean views with highland majesty. He succeeded.

“You can’t build them like this anymore,” said Joe Robinson, who has been a golf professional at the course for 36 years and was my playing partner for the round. Robinson’s insight and knowledge of the course’s history and the dramatic design made this one of the best rounds of golf of this writer’s life. Thompson used work crews similar to the WPA in the States for two years in creating the course. “He only could use the crews 20 hours per week, because that’s all they would get paid for,” said Robinson who mentioned that all Thompson had for equipment were two aged motor plows and most work was done with pick and shovel. Special grasses were imported from Scotland to give it the true Gaelic feel.

The course was not maintained properly for decades, but in 1996 the course, owned by the national government of Canada, was restored to its original glory and they actually began allowing the use of carts. The seven-mile traverse up and down small mountains and through valleys and streams on the course might have been more than this aging writer would attempt without the use of wheels.

There are very few level lies on the course. Elevated tees and greens and severe bunkering make this a great test of golf, and one that you must experience in your lifetime. Robinson pointed to two bald eagles that nest behind the third green that were scrutinizing our putts and then our tee shots from the fourth tee. The tenth hole is a dramatic par 3 that drops about 80 feet to a well-bunkered green with the Clyburn Brook behind it. Burn means brook in Scottish, and the long path along the Cly “Burn” between the 12th and 13th holes is considered, “The best walk in golf,” by noted Canadian golf writer and author Lorne Rubenstein. Carts are not allowed to travel on the path, so draw straws to see who gets to walk or play it twice so each can make the trek. The Atlantic Ocean comes into view in the distance on the last few holes. “You have to see this course in the fall; the foliage is spectacular,” commented Robinson.

When playing Highland Links, the must stay location is the Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa located a five-iron away from Highland Links. Located on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic the Keltic Lodge has 102 guest rooms in the Main Lodge and many cottages throughout the property. The Purple Thistle dining room offers five-star dining. While we were there a busload of folks from England filled the property. Comments ranged from “Just like the Highlands of Scotland,” to “We can’t get food this good back home.” “We strive to provide outstanding rooms, food and service and maintain the Gaelic Highlands tradition,” said Jim Frise, general manager of the Lodge.

The Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa is located a

five-iron away from Highland Links.
 

There are three other golf courses on Cape Breton besides Highland Links—Bell Bay, Le Portage and Dundee. They are often referred to as the Fab Four, although Joe Robinson prefers to just call them the Cape Breton Golf Group. We did not play Bell Bay Golf Club, but it was awarded Best New Course in Canada in 1996 and the Wayne Gretzky and Friends Invitational was played there in 2001.

The ride along the Cabot Trail reminded us of Route 101 in California. Spectacular views abound around every corner with cliffs leading down to the Atlantic as you climb up Cape Smokey Mountain. There is wonderful Gaelic entertainment and activities throughout Cape Breton.

Our next stop was the Halifax area. Almost half of the 850,000 population lives within 25 miles of Halifax although the 30 golf courses in Nova Scotia are sprinkled throughout the province. We visited Glen Arbour Golf Course in Bedford. Graham Cooke, the world-renowned Canadian designer built, “The nicest course in the Halifax area,” said Bill Spurr. Both the first and tenth are played uphill and the four ponds on the property come into play often. Score Magazine rated Glen Arbour the Best Service Course in Canada in 2006 and the LPGA held an event there in 2005.

We spent the night in Halifax. The Tall Ships were in town and the large and festive waterfront made a great place to stroll around. We were allowed to be tourists and visit Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse and have dinner on the ocean.

Our last day in Nova Scotia was one of our best. Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa on the southwestern shore was a treat. The Pines Golf Resort Course was built in the late 1920s by Stanley Thompson and is also owned by the province. We were already used to the bumpy fairways and dramatic par 3’s that were Thompson trademarks after playing at Highland Links, so it didn’t come as such a surprise when we got to the second hole. Number 2 plays downhill over a pond with a severely sloping green. Daunting would be the word to describe that hole and numbers 8 and 16 that were eerily similar. Scott Nickerson is the third generation head professional following his dad and grandfather. Nickerson has been the name on the door for 59 years. Scott and his staff were very accommodating. We didn’t have time to visit the resort and spa, but friends have said it is as nice as the Keltic Lodge, which is quite an endorsement.

After golf we drove an hour to Yarmouth to get back on the ferry. A week of golf and great food with wonderful, friendly people. A great golf vacation that we will remember for a lifetime. New Scotland is very much like the old one across the pond—only a shorter distance away.