Canadian Golf Courses To Try In 2022
Cabot Links, Cape Breton. Photo by Tourism Nova Scotia
Summer is just around the corner and that means golf season is in full swing. In case you’re looking for somewhere new to hit the golf ball this year, we’re highlighting a few great spots from around Canada. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of the country’s best courses, but it is a short guide meant to inspire.
Whether you’re looking to get in a round while on a business trip or you’re planning your summer vacation around golfing, these awesome locations below are a worthy of your consideration.
All of our picks below are open to the public, no membership required. If you have a course suggestion you’d like to share, please leave us a comment below!
Get ready for some Canadian golf inspiration!
View of Cabot Cliffs famous 16th hole. Photo by Adam Hill
Cabot Links & Cabot Cliffs (Inverness, Nova Scotia)
The coastal village of Inverness on Cape Breton’s western shores is a golfer’s dream. Cabot Cape Breton Golf has two incredible courses just a few minutes apart and, while both have stunning views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, they offer two very different golfing experiences.
Designed by Canadian golf course architect Rod Whitman, Cabot Links is spread out between the ocean and the village of Inverness to take full advantage of the natural elements of the landscape. Six of the 18 holes are played right on the edge of the water and the inland terrain includes marshland as well as a tidal pond.
A few minutes north sits Cabot Cliffs and, as its name suggests, this 18-hole course is designed atop stunning ocean cliffs that offer fun and challenging play. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the Cabot Cliffs course meanders over sand dunes and hugs the rugged shoreline. Jaw-dropping scenery guaranteed.
Surrounded by sandy beaches and great Nova Scotia hospitality, these courses make for an epic golfing holiday!
Behind 10th green at sunrise, Eagles Nest Golf Club.
Eagles Nest Golf Club (Vaughan, Ontario)
It is hard to believe that this lush links-style course was once a gravel quarry. Located in Vaughan, just north of Toronto, Eagles Nest Golf Club is an adventrous and challenging 18-hole course created by award-winning Canadian designer Doug Carrick.
The course has some challenging holes that will test your skills, as well as some shorter ones that allow you to breathe for a moment before tackling another tough shot ahead. From some of the higher vantage points on the property it is possible to catch a glimpse of the distant Toronto skyline.
If you’re visiting Toronto or live nearby, this course is a must-do in the GTA.
Algonquin Golf Course. Photo by New Brunswick Tourism
The Algonquin (St. Andrews-By-The-Sea, New Brunswick)
So much of life in the Maritimes revolves around the sea, so it is no wonder that the area’s most spectacular golf courses sit on the water’s edge. A classic course is the Algonquin Golf Course in St. Andrews-By-The-Sea. Set overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay (an inlet of the Bay of Fundy), the Algonquin has sweeping views of the water and is a fun course to play. A great stop on a trip to New Brunswick.
It has been recently redesigned by legendary designer Rod Whitman to include seven new green complexes, two entirely new holes created to take advantage of their proximity to the ocean and new bunkers to add drama to the course. The rythym of the ocean sets the stage for a spectacular round.
Tobiano Golf Course. Photo by Destination BC/Andrew Penner
Tobiano Golf Course (Kamloops, British Columbia)
It is impossible not to be mesmerized by the stunning mountain setting of Tobiano Golf Course in Kamloops, BC. You can see the sparkling waters of Kamloops Lake and the surrounding canyons from every hole. Canadian designer Thomas McBroom used the drama and beauty of the landscape to his advantage when designing this challenging 18-hole course that’s exciting to play.
Tobiano fans rave about the incredible holes: the dramatic opening tee shot with a sweeping view of the lake, the spectacular seventh hole with its cliffhanger tee shot and the daunting 13th hole that features a tee shot over a vast canyon.
And with the sunny city of Kamloops just 20 minutes away, Tobiano is a great course to add to your BC summer vacation must-do list.
Kananaskis Country Golf Club. Photo by Travel Alberta/Karl Lee
Kananaskis Country Golf Course (Kananaskis, Alberta)
Located about an hour west of Calgary, the Kananaskis Country Golf Course is a popular golf course set against the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior in the 1980s, this golf course was rebuilt by architect Gary Browning after damaging flooding devasted it in June of 2013. The revamped courses reopened in 2018.
Players can choose from two 18-hole layouts, Mt. Kidd and Mt. Lorette, that skirt around the Kananaskis River and several glacial creeks. While the courses both offer rugged terrain, plenty of bunkers and spectacular mountain views, there are some notable differences between them. The Mt. Kidd course has some incredible elevation changes and weaves through pine forests, while Mt. Lorette offers a flatter course through a gently sloping valley. You can combine the two for a solid 36-hole round in one day if you’re up to the challenge.
Fairmont Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix, Quebec. Photo by Cecile Benoit/Tourism Quebec
Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu (Le Malbaie, Quebec)
Sitting high above the St. Lawrence River in Quebec’s beautiful Charlevoix region is the Club de Golf Le Manoir Richelieu. The experience begins with a 1.5 km journey in a golf cart up a panoramic trail from the Fairmont Manoir Richelieu hotel to the clubhouse. At the top, the views over the river and the Charlevoix coastline are breathtaking.
The course itself is a set of three 9-hole courses recently redesigned by renowned architect Darrell Huxham who improved upon the orginial 1925 design by England’s Herbert Strong. All golfers will have a chance to play the 9 holes at the St. Laurent course, with its scenic elevated tee shot, and can be placed either on the 9-hole Richelieu course or the 9-hole Tadoussac course for a full 18 rounds of play. Either way, golfers will enjoy the spectacular scenery throughout.
