Experts pick the best, from Whistler to Jasper
Hockey may be the national sport, but when the snow melts, Canadians are on the links.
Some American golfers like to think the game is their domain in the new world. They may take umbrage at the fact that golf has been played in Canada longer than it has in the United States, that reportedly the term “mulligan” is a Canadian invention and that the phrase “You drive for show and you putt for dough” was coined by a Canadian. What’s more, according to a study commissioned by the Royal Canadian Golf Association, 21.5 percent of Canadians played at least one round of golf in 2005—making Canada the highest per capita golf-playing nation in the world.
Matthew MacKay
Senior Coordinator, Golf Programs & Services for the Royal Canadian Golf Association
Thomas McBroom
A leading Canadian golf course architect
Bob Weeks
Editor of Score Golf
Given the game’s popularity and pedigree, then, it should come as no surprise that Canada boasts a number of first-rate tracks, from mountain courses to seaside links to rugged minimalist designs on the plains. Many of the nation’s most highly regarded courses have been constructed in the last few decades. But if there’s one design name that’s etched across the fairways and greens of Canada, it’s that of Stanley Thompson. A craftsman of the golden age of golf course architecture, Thompson created many of the country’s most celebrated layouts in the 1920s and 30s, including St. Georges Golf & Country Club in Ontario, Capilano Golf & Country Club in British Columbia, and a top panelist pick, Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club, in Alberta.
See our slideshow of 10 Great Golf Courses in Canada.
“Thompson made the surrounding mountains an integral part of his design,” says Bob Weeks, editor of Canada’s leading golf magazine, Score. “On many holes, the far-off peaks are the targets, but even if you never pick up on that, this course is simply breathtaking. The beauty of the Rockies and the challenge of the course combine to make it one of the country’s best. It’s not a difficult course, but it is exceptionally fun to play and has enough teeth for even the best players. The resort is also second to none.”
Moving to the eastern province of Prince Edward Island, another favorite is Crowbush Cove, the work of Canada’s modern master architect, Tom McBroom, whose credits include 12 courses on Canada’s top 100 as compiled by Score. (In the spirit of full disclosure, panel member McBroom did not name Crowbush Cove on his favorites list.) “Crowbush travels so close to the ocean that players feel the spray on their faces,” Weeks continues. “Wind is a constant here adding to the challenge.”
About as far east as one can go, on the Nova Scotian island of Cape Breton, is Highland Links, another perennial favorite. Thompson called Highland his “sea and mountain course,” and the course indeed winds inland from a peninsula into thickly wooded country (replete with an Atlantic salmon river) before triumphantly returning to the sea.
For visitors seeking a golf vacation with multiple playing options, several cluster destinations are available. One is the Muskoka region, outside of Toronto. “Muskoka has long been the summer getaway for Toronto’s rich, but only fairly recently has it become a major golf destination,” says Matthew MacKay, senior coordinator, Golf Programs & Services, for the Royal Canadian Golf Association. “My favorite is Muskoka Bay, a Doug Carrick design that’s masterfully routed amongst massive rock outcroppings and towering pines that are the calling card of the region. A stay at a nearby lakeside cottage and a tee time at Muskoka Bay is as good as it gets.”
The Okanagan Valley, a four-hour car ride east of Vancouver, boasts 40 courses, including Predator Ridge, a Les Furber design that “captures the essence of Canada’s Napa Valley” according to McBroom. As the Napa Valley reference implies, many fine wines come from Okanagan and with the Columbia Mountains framing the entire setting, players might be distracted enough to have to take a mulligan or two.