A trip to Nova Scotia: CC, CL, and HL (links to photo albums)

[Joe Bausch]

I'm still car-lagged (grin) after making the drive to Nova Scotia in June to play both courses at Cabot and also Highland Links.  It was a long drive (2500 miles total) from suburban Philly but that was offset by some tremendous sites and views.

I played Cabot Cliffs twice, the first time in the afternoon under sunny and windy conditions.  Then two days later in the morning under overcast skies.  This is a wonderful place as you've probably heard and read about a good bit already.  Instead of making a hybrid album of the two plays, I thought it deserved separate albums as the course looked so different each time.

Here is the sunny afternoon album:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/CabotCliffs/

Here is the overcast morning album, which I happen to prefer:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/CabotCliffs2/

On the 2nd day was my round at Cabot Links, right there where the lodging is for Cabot.  I had a fantastic time on this course, beginning with an incredible double rainbow right outside our 2nd floor room next to the 1st tee.  Here is that album:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/CabotLinks/

My last day in Nova Scotia was at the Keltic Lodge and a morning round at Stanley Thompson's Highland Links.  Another really good course with some spectacular views.  Here is how my camera and eyes saw Highland Links:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/HighlandLinks/

My guess is many folks will make the trip up to NS to play all three.  And I'll be surprised to find anyone that doesn't enjoy the trip.

Note:  I format the pics quite large, at 1400 pix wide.  If they are bigger than your monitor/screen, your web browser should have a feature to 'zoom in' to make the pics fit (usually under the View drop-down menu like on Firefox or Safari).

Note2:  all photos taken with a Sony RX-100 in Auto-HDR mode (then some cropping and other touch-ups using iPhoto on an old tower Mac together with the free Galerie photo album generator).

[JMEvensky]

Thanks for taking the time to do this Joe.

[Guy Nicholson]

Super photos, you really captured the character of all three courses. Highlands Links was a bit shaggy here -- June can be hit or miss in Cape Breton and it looks like you got the gamut of weather. Thanks for posting.

[William_G]

thank you Joe...well done!

hope you enjoyed the drive with your lovely wife

[Matt Kardash]

It seems they added a couple bunkers to the drop shot par 3 at CL. I wonder what the reason was?
When I played the hole I found it to be VERY easy. The green is huge for a lob wedge down the hill. I kind of wish the green was narrower, like the postage stamp.

[William_G]

It seems they added a couple bunkers to the drop shot par 3 at CL. I wonder what the reason was?
When I played the hole I found it to be VERY easy. The green is huge for a lob wedge down the hill. I kind of wish the green was narrower, like the postage stamp.

evidently they added the bunker short of the green to make it a forced carry, like 7 at Pebble, yet the green does not hold very well, resulting in many shots either in the bunker or over the green

[Wayne_Kozun]

I have played quite a few rounds at CL and I have never found the green hard to hold as you are generally hitting into the breeze.  I have never played it in a strong wind but that is the main defence - having to hit a knockdown shot onto the green, just like #7 at Pebble.  The new bunkers will make it harder to bail out to the left, but for most decent golfers they shouldn't be much of an issue.

[Brad Tufts]

I think in all three of my CL rounds, #14 was playing straight downwind.  It was about 105-110 from the back tees, making the playing yardage something like 85.

It's a good hole because the slight crowning to the green does not make it look inviting, and you know you have to make good contact to get it to spin when it lands.

[William_G]

I have played quite a few rounds at CL and I have never found the green hard to hold as you are generally hitting into the breeze.  I have never played it in a strong wind but that is the main defence - having to hit a knockdown shot onto the green, just like #7 at Pebble.  The new bunkers will make it harder to bail out to the left, but for most decent golfers they shouldn't be much of an issue.

agree to disagree on whether balls hold well there

the hole is too short for bailing out...more like a miss left, right or short is now no good, as well the short bump and run has been eliminated with the bunker immediately short of the green

thanks

[Joe Bausch]

I have played quite a few rounds at CL and I have never found the green hard to hold as you are generally hitting into the breeze.  I have never played it in a strong wind but that is the main defence - having to hit a knockdown shot onto the green, just like #7 at Pebble.  The new bunkers will make it harder to bail out to the left, but for most decent golfers they shouldn't be much of an issue.

agree to disagree on whether balls hold well there

the hole is too short for bailing out...more like a miss left, right or short is now no good, as well the short bump and run has been eliminated with the bunker immediately short of the green

thanks

In my round the hole was playing downwind (see the photos for the direction of the flag!) with the pin not all the way up, but close.  My group had some decent golfers and my three playing partners all hit pretty good short irons and none could stay pin-high.  My chunk landed short and just to the right of the front bunker and tumbled down the closest of all four.   

[Matt Kardash]

Also, I miss the old first hole at CL. I thought it was a really fun hole to get the round started. It was exciting hitting it over the hill and seeing where you ended up.The new first hole is kind of a bland starting hole. I get why they changed the sequence tough, they wanted both nines to touch the ocean.

[Don Hyslop]

Thanks for posting these excellent photos. The Highland Links ones really to me capture the brilliance of Thompson's design. Have played Cabot Links and Highland Links several times and really looking forward to getting to the Cliffs. These three courses have just been ranked the top three public courses in Canada wIth Cliffs #1, CL #2 and Highland #3.

[Brad Fleischer]

Joe

Great stuff ! Which was your favorite amongst the three and why ?

How long did it take you to get there ? I was debating myself on making the drive from staten island in Sept .

Brad

[Joe Bausch]

Joe

Great stuff ! Which was your favorite amongst the three and why ?

How long did it take you to get there ? I was debating myself on making the drive from staten island in Sept .

Brad

All three courses are excellent, Brad.  It would be hard to pick one over the others, but if I had to it would be Cabot Links.  I loved the fun shots to be played there and the routing is pretty clever.  CC's greens happened to be running a bit slow while I was there, and HL was really good but so green and lush.  A wee bit too much for my tastes.

It is a very long drive, but lots to see along the way.  My bride and I took 3+ days with the drive up, first stopping in Newport, RI and doing some mansion tours.  Very cool (and upon hindsight we probably should left this for the end of the trip). 

From there we spent the next day and night in Bar Harbor, ME.  It was the shoulder season there and it was enjoyable.  But plenty of people for my tastes. 

Then it was another 10 hours of driving the next day to get to the Dundee Golf Resort just onto Cape Breton island in Nova Scotia (no need to play that course, IMHO).  Then it was another 2h the next morning to Cabot.

HL is another 2.5 hours farther north from Cabot!

We made the trip back from HL in 2 days.  It was 10h to get to Bangor, ME.  Then another 10h to get back to the western Phila 'burbs.

[MCirba]

Joe,

What...no pics of the masterpiece Dundee??!!   

[Joe Bausch]

Joe,

What...no pics of the masterpiece Dundee??!!   

You asked for it, you got it.  Toyota!   


http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Dundee/index.html

[MCirba]

Thanks,  Joe.

Wouldn't want to forget either the absolutely gorgeous views or the absolutely non-functional golf holes. 

[Brad Tufts]

Dundee reminds me a bit of Bell Bay.  BB was fine, if somewhat boring until a few forested holes at the end.

We really liked The Lakes over in Ben Eoin...reminded me of some of the big-boned mountain courses we have in the Rockies.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Then it was another 10 hours of driving the next day to get to the Dundee Golf Resort just onto Cape Breton island in Nova Scotia (no need to play that course, IMHO).  Then it was another 2h the next morning to Cabot.

HL is another 2.5 hours farther north from Cabot!

Why did you go to Dundee?  Why not just head straight to Cabot once you got onto Cape Breton island?  No room at the inn?

[Wayne_Kozun]

Also, I miss the old first hole at CL. I thought it was a really fun hole to get the round started. It was exciting hitting it over the hill and seeing where you ended up.The new first hole is kind of a bland starting hole. I get why they changed the sequence tough, they wanted both nines to touch the ocean.

The new routing also brings you back to the clubhouse after 9.  Although it no longer makes sense to have the halfway house where it is as you hit it after four holes.

[Joe Bausch]

Then it was another 10 hours of driving the next day to get to the Dundee Golf Resort just onto Cape Breton island in Nova Scotia (no need to play that course, IMHO).  Then it was another 2h the next morning to Cabot.

HL is another 2.5 hours farther north from Cabot!

Why did you go to Dundee?  Why not just head straight to Cabot once you got onto Cape Breton island?  No room at the inn?

Dundee seemed like a good idea at the time.   

[Charlie_Bell]

Having played Cabot Links in 2012 and 2013, I was dismayed to hear about the change in the routing.  As I followed Joe's slide show hole by hole, on the front nine I kept muttering to myself, "Man, they took all the best holes and put them in the front nine."  Then as I worked my way through the rest, I was saying, "Wow, that's an AWESOME back nine!" 


The point?  It's a wonderful course.  Not only are there no weak holes, but every one of the 18 is distinctive, visually interesting, and fun to play.  The fescue feel, the playing options, and most of all the appeal of playing the ground game all the way 'round, make the whole thing a delight.


Oh, and I doubt there's a more spectacular setting for golf anywhere on the continent east of Pebble Beach -- unless it's Cabot Cliffs.