[Michael Whitaker]

On to 13... we are now back to playing parallel with the coastline. 13 is a par 5 that ends with the double green we played on 4





The tee shot is one of the most beautiful and welcoming on the course... downwind to a wide fairway



The second shot is blind... up and over a ridge



The fairway then slowly climbs to the green which is fronted by a "Valley of Sin" that determines how every approach shot will be played



From the right side do you go in high or low?



Take your approach a bit too far left (or get a nasty kick from the valley) and you wind up here



Another look across the double green from behind 4... the 13th pin is on the right.

[Michael Whitaker]

Now we climb a large dune only to turn around and play a 100 yard par 3 back toward the ocean!



From the lower tee... shades of Pebble Beach



Even though this hole very short and has only one bunker it presents quite a challenge. Missing left is a tough up and down...



... so is missing right!



But, this green offers a fabulous view of the remaining coastline holes

[Michael Whitaker]

15 is a medium length par 4 that plays up onto a ridge.



The tee shot



The hole is dominated by a large fronting bunker with a prominent hump directly behind that influences virtually every approach shot to the skyline type green.



One nasty hump... especially since it is blind to the golfer's approach



This hump can either help your approach by directing the shot toward the pin or play Hakeem Olajuwon and reject your attempt at glory!

[Michael Whitaker]

When we leave 15 we walk along a beachside gravel path to the 16th tee. This walk invokes memories of a similar green to tee walk at Barnbougle Dunes (see below).







Here is a photo of the similar scene from my visit to Barnbougle Dunes. The two courses are 11,000 miles apart!

[Michael Whitaker]

16 is one GREAT par 4 with one GREAT greensite.



Here is a YouTube video of the view from the 16th tee and a walk up the first half of the fairway (sorry... poor iPhone video quality).
Lot's of room on the fairway!

Click on the thumbnail:


The tee shot... a wide fairway that plays up and over a hill



The route up the left is protected by this fairway bunker



The right side is protected by these bunkers



A fantastic green complex




Looking back you get a feel for the sweep of this great hole

[Michael Whitaker]

17 is a mid-length par 3 that plays longer than its length due to the prevailing wind directly in your face



The tee shot



The large fronting bunker is actually 20 yards or so short of the green



A complicated green with lots of movement... notice the deep swale between the fronting bunker and the green!

[Michael Whitaker]

18 offers a blind tee shot with Castle Stuart type width! The proper line off the tee is directly related to the day's pin position.



The left route offers the easiest way to get home if the pin is located anywhere from the middle to the back.



From the right side of the fairway you have a excellent target to front or middle pins... but it's almost impossible to get at a pin located toward the back of the green



The way in from the left



The way in from the right



This is an epic finishing hole... however, the hotel rooms located behind the green are not very complimentary. I wish Cabot Links had not gone with such a modern style of construction as the units tend to look like stacked mobile homes.

[Michael Whitaker]

I have not sorted its place in the world for me yet, but Cabot links is a fantastic course and could very well be worthy of its #82 in the world rankings by Golf Magazine.

We were definitely three happy campers and loved the Cabot Links experience. Cape Breton Island is a beautiful place to visit and the locals are gracious hosts.



I'm looking forward to a return trip when Cabot Cliffs opens.



After several days of tough links golf my mates were plumb tuckered out and crashed on me during the drive back to Halifax

[Bill_McBride]

LOL, we were just faking so we wouldn't have to drive.   

[David_Tepper]

Mike & Bill -

Did you guys play any where else on your visit, such as Highland Links?

DT 

[Charlie_Bell]

I've visited Cabot twice, the second time as an overnight guest, and for what it's worth, I like the seaside simplicity of the architecture.  It's clean, modern, and unpretentious.  I also love just how close the bar/grill (ground floor) and restaurant (second floor) are to the 18th green.  My wife and 12-year-old daughter, neither a golfer, actually got excited -- like EXCITED! -- being only a few steps away from the action while we ate our supper. (Fabulous food, by the way.)  Two coed foursomes came through, and both walked off the green, left their bags outside, and walked right into the grill room and started chatting with us about how they played (and misplayed) the 18th.  Lots of joking, bragging, and joke-bragging -- all in all, it was a very friendly feeling, which I think was fostered by the proximity of the buildings to the green.  The green was so close it felt more like a patio/putting green than even a backyard.

And while I'm on the subject, the view from our first-floor room was spectacular, too.  

[Bill_McBride]

Yes, after golf Monday morning we drove the 2-1/2 hours on the Cabot Trail to the Keltic Lodge where we spent the night and played Highlands Links the next morning.   We played in a light rain.  Frankly I found the soggy tree-lined course a bit of a slog, but there are fantastic holes.   I'm just a links lover and couldn't wait to return to Cabot Links.   Highlands "Links" is not a links.  

[Bill_McBride]

I've visited Cabot twice, the second time as an overnight guest, and for what it's worth, I like the seaside simplicity of the architecture.  It's clean, modern, and unpretentious.  I also love just how close the bar/grill (ground floor) and restaurant (second floor) are to the 18th green.  My wife and 12-year-old daughter, neither a golfer, actually got excited -- like EXCITED! -- being only a few steps away from the action while we ate our supper. (Fabulous food, by the way.)  Two coed foursomes came through, and both walked off the green, left their bags outside, and walked right into the grill room and started chatting with us about how they played (and misplayed) the 18th.  Lots of joking, bragging, and joke-bragging -- all in all, it was a very friendly feeling, which I think was fostered by the proximity of the buildings to the green.  The green was so close it felt more like a patio/putting green than even a backyard.

And while I'm on the subject, the view from our first-floor room was spectacular, too.  

Charlie, opinions on the lodging and other buildings were divided to say the least!   .  I'm with you, I loved the low key buildings and their proximity to the 18th green.   It gave the whole thing a real village atmosphere.  

[Michael Whitaker]

Charlie and Bill - I too loved the proximity of the restaurant to the 18th green and the patio area adjacent to the green was wonderful... but, the architecture is pitiful. The rooms are nice and comfy, but it is obvious that this style was chosen because of its low cost construction. It may seem like modern chic in the very blue collar Inverness, but the architecture is just a step above a Motel 6.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Looking forward to my first visit in 2 weeks!!!  I cant wait.

[Charlie_Bell]

When I google "modern architecture Hamptons images," most of what I see looks a lot like the lodging at Cabot.  When I google "Cabot Links Lodging" and follow the link, I see what I saw when I was there: http://cabotlinks.com/lodging 

Which, like this view, suited me just fine.

[Shane Wright]

I had the pleasure of playing 4+ rounds at Cabot Links about three weeks ago.  I know that Cabot has been discussed at length but I think there are some important points to mention.  

From an architecture standpoint, Cabot Links plays as a links golf course should.  It doesn't play "like" a links course, it is one.  It is more of a links golf course than anywhere in North America.  There are more running shots required/demanded at Cabot than any of the Bandon courses, Ballyneal (one of my all time favorites), Wild Horse, West Texas, Sand Hills, etc.  This is not to say that it is better or worse, simply a comparison. There are endless shots of hitting it to point A to hopefully end up at point B.  If you want to experience similar golf to Scotland, Cabot Links is most definitely the spot.  We never fixed a ball mark in 2 1/2 days of solid golf.  The turf is very firm and the fescue greens roll much better than I expected them to.  The golf course was a lot better than I was expecting (and I had high expectations).  There were many key decisions with the routing and I think most all were hit with flying colors. The short par 3 (#14) had to be one of these difficult decisions.  The hole is stunningly beautiful.  I'm mixed on whether it should have been included or not, but regardless, it is a stunning spot, and gives fantastic views of the new Cliffs course coming.  

 I do think that Cabot's new ranking in the top 100 in the world is justified.   It is really good.  It is such an easy trip for anyone from the middle to eastern half of the U.S.  Business owners will certainly appreciate the efforts that Ben Cowan-Dewar (and Mike Keiser) endured to make this project happen and leave a legacy to Canada and the golfing world.  

Bill, I disagree with you on Highland Links.  It is most definitely not a links course and could be firmed up.  If it was privately owned, details would be enhanced.  But in the golfing world, it is a must see and very special.  The measures taken to build Highland Links make it one of the "7 wonders of the world" in golf architecture.    As Tom Dunne has said previously, "it is a journey through nature."  I'm not sure I've seen a better journey thru nature on a golf course.

[Philip Gawith]

Thanks Mike and bill for posting such a great and enthusiastic tour. sigh! Another distant destination - but also something to dream about!!

[Charlie Gallagher]

Shane Wright,
    I strongly agree with your articulations regarding Highland Links. It is most certainly not a links, I would categorize it as mountain golf, but it is an amazing course. As I played it and looked at the land it sits upon I kept wondering how Thompson ever conceived of the routing. I think he did a brilliant job of threading it along the "bench" of the higher mountains and hills that rise above it. It's holes jump right to mind, several in particular. I thought the 5th hole a very well sited par three and 7, the double dogleg par 5, is just outstandingly routed. Those sentiments would also be true for the holes starting at 13 and continuing to the end of the round. I admired Thompson before I played it, as I had played St Georges a few days before, but after touring  Highland Links I think Thompson is among the elite of the classic golden era course architects.
   I also think your comments about Cabot are right on. It sure is an authentic links course, not "like" a links. I also found the routing immaginative and thought it had an array of strong and beautiful holes in all pars. Only one hole didn't thrill, as I thought 12 was just a little plain given its surrounds. Not a bad hole at all, just not as inspiring as so many others there. I would certainly place Cabot in an elite category in international ranking, I have played 17 links in Ireland, and I believe it holds its head up quite well with some of the best courses in the Republic, and in Northern Ireland.
   Can't wait to get back to Inverness.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I really love Cabot Links - I have been there three times since the course's preview opening.  But IMHO the 11th is not as good a hole as it could be as there really is no risk/reward since there isn't a feasible carry unless you hit the ball over 300 yards.  And being on the left side gives you a poorer angle into the green compared to being on the right side of the fairway.  Look at the diagram below - if you are around the area on the map marked 207 then you have to carry a bunker and have a narrow angle.  You have a better angle if you are on the right side of the fairway.

[Bill_McBride]

Wayne, the problem on the right side is the hairy knob Rod Whitman left front right of the green at the top, which affects lots of shots, short and long, that you try to play to negotiate the steep right to left slope.   Mr. Whitman is clearly not a nice person, to put that impediment in your way on such a long hole.  

[Adam Lawrence]

I agree the eleventh isn't really a bite off as much as you can chew tee shot. But I do think there is benefit in going close to the water - it shortens the approach significantly, and the slopes mean the theoretically bad angle is not so much of an issue. It is a very hard hole for sure. Would it have been better with the tees further forward, to tempt players into trying to carry the corner? Not sure; it would be a very short approach then, unless the green could go back as well.

[Greg McMullin]

Some additional information regarding the addition of "Links" to the name of the course.

- Course officially opened on July 1, 1941 and was known as Cape Breton Highlands Golf Course and/or Cape Breton Highlands National Park Golf Course.
- The use of "Mountains and Ocean" to describe the course layout is attributed to Stanley Thompson. It would seem that Thompson would agree with the assertion that the course is not a "links" course.
- circa 1991/92 Parks Canada changed the name to Highlands Links.

........................
Bill, I disagree with you on Highland Links.  It is most definitely not a links course and could be firmed up.  If it was privately owned, details would be enhanced.  But in the golfing world, it is a must see and very special.  The measures taken to build Highland Links make it one of the "7 wonders of the world" in golf architecture.    As Tom Dunne has said previously, "it is a journey through nature."  I'm not sure I've seen a better journey thru nature on a golf course.

[Steve Lang]

   Bill, Mike,

WOW...  thanks for this report.. was thinking of heading over to Cabot from Mich, but couldn't swing it.. maybe next year.

Now, which tees did you play and how many rounds did you get in?  With all that adrenaline walking, final pics are great fini..

p.s., now, where in the world next?

Regards,
steve

[Don Hyslop]

There was an interesting article in our provincial newspaper yesterday about how traffic at the Port Hawkesbury Airport has increased almost 2000% since Cabot Links opened. Port Hawkesbury is about 50 miles from the course in Inverness. The article states that before the course opened in 2011, there were 20 large jets that landed there in August. In August of 2012, there were 106 large jets that arrived in Port Hawkesbury including Warren Buffet and friends who where headed to Cabot Links.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1150412-cb-airport-sees-stars

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