Prince Edward Island Golf Weekend
Golf Digest 8/09
T&L Golf, 7/07
Away Game | Prince Edward Island
Prince Charming
By Roland Merullo
Edited By Matt Ginella
Golf Digest August 2009
East of northern Maine, north of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island floats like a crumpled fedora in the Northumberland Strait. With its sloping red-dirt farmland and intricately varied coastline, the island, named for Queen Victoria's father, seems to have been created with golf in mind. In fact, it has become something of a north-country golf mecca: There are 31 courses on the island. None is strictly private. And, shades of Bethpage State Park and Torrey Pines, the best places to play are owned and operated by the provincial government.
Everyone seems to agree that the Links at Crowbush Cove, a Thomas McBroom design that opened in 1993, takes first honors. Although it's only a 30-minute ride from the Charlottetown airport, Crowbush feels remote. It sits on a spectacular piece of seaside property, just west of Shipwreck Point, past the potato and timothy hay fields and the steep-roofed, neatly kept farmhouses. Bald eagles and blue herons glide above the spruce, pine, larch and white birch trees, and lesser yellowlegs scoot and squeal on the beach. What golfers will notice most of all is the wind.
I played on a day in late June, when the course was not crowded, the grass still showed one or two winter scars, and the wind whistled in the trees with gusts of more than 30 miles per hour. The opening shot was over a good-size pond into the wind. I was standing indecisively at the white tees with my just-barely-single-digit handicap and fickle-of-late driver when Ryan Garrett, general manager of the provincial golf properties, happened by. "I think you ought to move back a set," he said, indicating the 6,600-yard gold tees.
I glanced at the scorecard again -- 144 Slope Rating from that distance -- and listened to his words fly over my shoulder toward the weathered gray-shingle clubhouse, and I thought, OK. No problem. What I probably should have been thinking was, Pride goeth before a fall.
The 144 Slope seems like an exaggeration for the first few holes in spite of the energetic gusts, the moguled, bunker-freckled fairways, and greens that buck and tilt like the ocean. Even the gradually narrowing 567-yard fifth with a third shot over water was manageable (especially if you avoid the steep bunkers that require a ladder to get in and out).
And then the course turns toward the sea.
The sixth, seventh and eighth holes all ask for long carries over marsh or pond, then Crowbush wanders away from the water for a while on the back nine, only to return with a vengeance. Hold on to your hat -- literally -- when you reach the elevated 16th green, and be sure to look back along miles of empty, dune-hemmed coast.
"Good thing you didn't play it on a day when the winds were up near 70," one local told me after I finished with a three-putt on 18. I didn't ask whether the 70 was in miles or kilometers per hour.
In the nongolfing hours, my family and I took in some of the island's other attractions. There are wonderful walking and biking trails that make the most of the rolling landscape and picturesque bays. There's an Anne of Green Gables museum (the book was written and set here), an abundance of small fishing villages and impeccable red and ivory sand beaches where the water -- considering how far north you are -- is surprisingly warm. One of our favorite pastimes turned out to be a ride along the Elliot River in a rented canoe, an excursion we finished with a swim off the dock.
While on the island, I also checked out the Dundarave and Brudenell River golf courses, two provincially owned layouts that share a large piece of land along the Brudenell River. Though neither the older Brudenell (yellow-sand bunkers, Poa annua greens) nor the newer Dundarave (red-sand bunkers, bent-grass greens) can compare with Crowbush Cove in terms of scenery, both provide a good measure of enjoyment.
Brudenell River is a pretty parkland course with six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. The landing areas are generous, and the course maxes out at 6,517 yards, 128 Slope, and so is a bit kinder to the high-handicap player. The elevated tee on the 553-yard 17th offers a beautiful view of the entire course and the Brudenell River, and the approach shot on this gentle dogleg-left is to a long, narrow green and must be played between two ponds.
Dundarave has a wind-swept, forested feel to it. At 384 yards from the tips, the eighth hole sits at an oblique angle to the elevated tees -- think dogleg-left with the first half of the hole just air above and gorge below. (The hole plays straight from the shorter tees, as seen in the photo below.) You can choose how far up the fairway to aim -- i.e., how much of the gorge to cross -- but the landing area is bracketed by bunkers and seems to tilt ominously downward toward the Brudenell River just beyond the green.
It ranks as one of the best tests of shotmaking on an island brimming with them, and as one of the finest golf holes I've ever seen or played.
Nova Scotia and PEI
T&L Golf, 7/07
The Place: Along with its unique Celtic heritage and the rugged drama of its coastline, the Maritimes region also offers some of the country's best and most popular golf courses. Accessible through flights into either Halifax, Nova Scotia, or Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, the area is perfect for golfers looking to beat the Lower 48's summer heat.
Playing: Bell Bay Golf Club Located an hour and a half south of Highlands Links, Bell Bay is often overshadowed by its more famous neighbor. But this Thomas McBroom design utilizes a rolling piece of property and interesting greens sites to create a modern yet quite timeless layout that overlooks the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes. $59–$71. 800-565-3077, www.bellbay.ca.
Highlands Links Since it first opened in 1939 on a remote point in northern Cape Breton, Highlands Links has been regarded as Canada's finest public golf course and is widely recognized as one of the best in the world. Not a true links, Highlands starts out on a dramatic isthmus and runs into the mountains before returning to the sea. In between, it provides a ravishing variety of great golf holes. $48–$79. 800-441-1118, www.highlandslinksgolf.com.
Staying: Glenghorm Beach Resort This hotel offers cottages with multiple rooms—great for buddy trips. $98 per night. 902-285-2049, www.capebretonresorts.com.
Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa The pricey alternative offers easy access to Highlands Links. $230–$316 per night. 800-565-0444, www.signatureresorts.com.
Dining: Purple Thistle Dining Room at Keltic Lodge When in Atlantic Canada, why not eat like the natives? This restaurant sits just a short jaunt from Highlands Links and is a great spot for golf travelers to tuck into a lobster that was likely caught only a well-struck driver away. 902-285-2880. $$$
Other Activities: Take in the majestic Cabot Trail, a road that touches on some of Canada's most amazing ocean settings. Also be sure to stop by the Glenora distillery and try some Glen Breton Rare, the only single-malt scotch produced in Canada. 800-839-0491, www.glenoradistillery.com.
See Also: Cabot Links