With the British Open heading to the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews, it seems fitting that Canadians would seek out courses where they can have a similar links experience, places where the ball bounces along firm fairways and hidden bunkers gobble up wayward shots.
An actual “links,” a term thrown around loosely in golf, is a tract of sandy land where the sea retreated. These courses are relatively common in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but in Canada there are only a couple of courses that are real links, namely parts of the newly opened Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links, both of which can be found in Nova Scotia.
However there are a handful of courses open to the Canadian public that capture the nuances, style and feel of links golf. You won’t find a Road Hole bunker on any of them, but you can get the feel and flavor of Scottish golf without the seven-hour flight.
Cabot Links and Cliffs (Inverness, NS)
Two of the most heralded designs in Canada, these two courses on Cape Breton island have fescue turf and the rumpled fairways common to links. Both courses are also right next to the ocean, though the newer, Cabot Cliffs, which opened this month, also has clifftop holes that don’t quite follow the links format. Both are spectacular and allow you to play the bump-and-run shots so commonly found on overseas links.
Osprey Valley Heathlands (Caledon, Ont.)
The original links knock-off, this Doug Carrick design offers many of the features you’ll find in Ireland or Scotland, but is set inland. Fescue grasses frame the fairways, and this easily walked course feels like playing in the UK, even if the ocean is no where to be seen. The best holes, like the long par four 14th, seem plucked straight off of a Scottish course.
Tarandowah Golfer’s Club (Avon, Ont.)
Set in Southern Ontario, this course was created by a designer, Martin Hawtree, who is well known for his work on British Open courses. He captures the best elements of links courses, from the difficult long par four 11th, to the quirky semi-blind shot on the 16th. Easily walked with fescue lining the fairways, Tarandowah’s devilish pot bunkers dot the fairways on holes like the par four second, or the 13th. Worth seeking out as this is one of the best values in Canada.
The Links at Monck’s Landing (Norland, Ont.)
A little-known nine-holer in Northern Ontario, Monck’s Landing is built on sandy soil and meanders just like a real links. There’s all sorts of quirky elements on this course, from a stone wall to a barn that’s in play.
Wolf Creek (Panoka, Alberta)
Designed by Rod Whitman, the designer behind Cabot Links, both of the 18-hole courses at this club south of Edmonton have distinct links elements to them. The Old Course used to hold a Canadian Tour event and holes like the par three third and the 6th hole, and the short, but well bunkered 8th, both look like they were plucked off an Irish links. The second course, called fittingly, “The Links,” has broad fairways that you’d find at courses like Kingsbarns in Scotland.
Kings Links by the Sea (Delta, BC)
Set next to the ocean south of Richmond, BC, Kings Links offers sod-wall bunkers and fescue grasses. Firm fairways and the ability to putt well off of the greens, Kings Links has the rugged, rustic look of courses found in the south-west of England, and its proximity to Vancouver means golfers don’t have to travel to Bandon Dunes in Oregon to get their links fix.
Eagles Nest (Maple, Ont.)
Designer Doug Carrick’s big and bold homage to links golf, Eagles Nest is a links course with a modern touch. Previously an undistinguished gravel pit, Carrick turned the site into a monster, creating dune-like areas to separate holes and lining them with fescue. The most links-like holes are found on the back nine, including the difficult 11th and the par four 12th, with its dramatic elevated tee shot.
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