[Ben Voelker]

Hole 10
521 Yards
Par 5


The 10th is the first of three very good par 5's on the back nine and takes the golfer back to the clubhouse.


The drive is fairly straight forward, the closer one can hug the coastline the better chance of getting home in two.  The hole played straight downwind for my two plays, making it well within reach to go for the green in two.  However, a large valley cuts directly in front of the green, making stopping a shot with a long iron difficult.  In fact, some may prefer a layup and pitch as the best chance for birdie.





View from tee





and zoomed in





From the landing zone, one can see there is lots of room out right of the green to bail out, but it leaves a tricky chip played right back toward the Gulf.








From just short on the right fairway bunker, one can see the view is partially blocked, which seems to lead to a more difficult second.





From the right side of the green, just below the first tee box.





Looking back down the fairway.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 11
376 Yards
Par 4


Another excellent par 4.  The tee shot is slightly down hill, but lands in fairway that is gradually heading uphill all the way to the green.  I may be wrong, but I think either this green or 14 green are the highest points on the course and the views are wonderful looking back down the hole.





This is one of the more defined tee shots on the course, and there is lots of room left.  However, one really needs to hug the right bunker complex to avoid needing to carry to the two greenside bunkers on one's approach.





zoomed in from the tee





From the landing area


Looking back down the fairway

[Brad Tufts]

I'm behind!

#4...I like the upper green, as it's versatile with a narrow front pin location, and a wide rear location.  The lower green was not open as of yet, but it appeared to be a bigger target.  Having two greens will obviously create variety, but I thought the high point-to-high point green was a good compliment to the bowl 6th.

#5 is my favorite hole on the front 9...it seems meant to be drivable, but the prevailing wind pushes tee balls to the right.  I think it's still a great hole hitting something less off the tee (we hit some good long hybrids one round), and hitting a mid-to-short iron to the undulating green.  A downhill shot into the wind is always interesting too, and the front contours tend to bounce approach shots forward.  Aesthetically, just a great spot, reminiscent of #5 on the Links.  The caddies pointed out a flat spot or two behind the lower/longer green on #4 that would make this hole closer to 300, and more tempting for a blow at the green.

#6 I really liked, but this may be due to the duney setting more than anything.  The tee shot is deceptive (we couldn't decide which tier the pin was set on when it was up front 2 of 3 rounds), and playing downwind, it's tough to stop a ball on the front half.  The bowl pin is much easier, as the front pin is a tough two-putt from 4 feet below at the back.  A great par three?  Probably not, but this would be a fun green to stand off to the side and watch how tee shots bounced and rolled.

[Brad Tufts]

#7...Ben is right, the tee shot is easily the most intimidating shot at CC (moreso than the tee ball at #16 or #17).  I had one tee ball to the left that ended up one foot in the junk, so the player really needs to hang the tee ball over the abyss and let the wind bring it back to the fairway.  I think the next two shots are way less exciting, but the green does look smaller than it plays. 

#8 is much more reachable than #7 in two shots, playing downhill with a prevailing cross wind from the left.  We played the back tees at something like 540, and I was on the green all three rounds in two (and I'm no bomber either).  The tough part was gauging the 50+ yards of roll, avoiding the left bunker, then getting it to stop before heading over the steep back slope and onto the 2nd tee.  There isn't too much strategy if one playing the hole as a three-shotter, although the back pin is a bit dicey over the swale.  One of the coolest moments of our visit occurred while playing the 8th hole the first afternoon...a 4-engine RCAF Aurora buzzed the Cliffs course along the shore at about 75 feet and 200mph while on patrol before banking out to sea!

#9....I loved this hole...so many options, from the chip and putt up the left, to banking your wedge off the left slope toward the right part of the green, to the full carry and backspin using the wind in the face.  We had one round where the pin was front just left of the bunker, and the yardage was about 92 from the back tee playing at least 120.  And the setting is just to die for.

#10....Tough to use the straight-edged cliff strategically, so the second/third shot is where the fun happens.  We found the second shot difficult to stop before the cliff edge because of the prevailing downwind conditions.  After a good drive, the carry to the front edge of the green was about 230-240 yards, the perfect distance to be tempting.  We tried going right to avoid the chasm, and this leaves a very awkward and semi-blind pitch.  Just a neat greensite.

#11...Pretty cool strategy where the fairway looks incredibly wide and safe, but good drives will run left until reaching the fairway bunker.  We finally figured out you had to go down the right edge over the large bunker on that side to hold the fairway easily.  The second shot is short and semi-blind with a false front to the right, plateau back left, and a big backstop behind the green.  The green seems forgiving for a short iron, but a small miss might lead to a big number.  Enjoy the view from the green as we have climbed the hill!

[Wayne_Kozun]

I really liked the 7th and think it is one of the best par 5s at the Cliffs. The tee shot is intimidating but the carry isn't that excessive - and the bigger risk may be bailing out too far left as has been mentioned above. The green on #8 is very much Biarritz-like.  Personally I found the tee shot visually awkward and I never hit a good tee shot on the hole in my three rounds.


Is the proper tee on #5 open yet or are they still using the one right behind the 4th green? 

[Ben Voelker]

I really liked the 7th and think it is one of the best par 5s at the Cliffs. The tee shot is intimidating but the carry isn't that excessive - and the bigger risk may be bailing out too far left as has been mentioned above. The green on #8 is very much Biarritz-like.  Personally I found the tee shot visually awkward and I never hit a good tee shot on the hole in my three rounds.


Is the proper tee on #5 open yet or are they still using the one right behind the 4th green?

Wayne,


End of September they still did not have the back tee open on #5.  I think it will be an exceptionally good hole from that angle.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 12
225 Yards
Par 3


The longest par 3 on the course plays downhill which makes it play significantly shorter than the yardage on the card.  If I remember correctly, I think I was playing 2 clubs less than one would expect based on the yardage.  It is a tricky hole figure out as the bunker fronting the right half of the green plus the right to left pitch of the land make it difficult to run one on while the length of the hole makes it difficult to hold the green.





View from tee





zoomed in view.  My first play I even tried to play out to the right in hopes of using the slopes to bring the ball back down onto the green, but unfortunately I did not hit a good enough shot to test my theory!





View of the green from the right does show that the area between the bunkers is much greater than it looks from the tee.





The ridge through the green is prominent from the right, and so is the sneak peak of what is to come!

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 13
362 Yards
Par 4


I thought this hole was the biggest letdown on the course.  I have not been to Prestwick, but have played Yale and I guess this is Core and Crenshaw's version of the Alps.  However, no bunker sits at the base of the mounds fronting the green and there seems to be little strategic advantage of favoring one side of the fairway or the other.  Finally, I did not think the green itself was particularly inspiring, and considering the relatively short length of the hole, it will likely play with as little as a SW (I had PW on both plays) so the mounds do little more than provide some uncertainty in ones approach.  The hole isn't necessarily bad, but I thought was one of the 2 weakest holes on the course (along with #1) and I think some minor change could have made the hole much more interesting.





view from the tee.  There is more room out left than one would expect from the tee





and zoomed in.





View from just in front of the right fairway bunker.





Approaching the green.





Looking back down the fairway.





The fronting mounds.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 14
168 Yards
Par 3


A short par 3 with a shallow, wide green, at least compared to the others on the course.  The bunker complex in front is significantly below the surface of the green and shots short and left will likely come back down the slope, leaving a difficult pitch.  As I understand the story, the rocky outcrops incorporated into the front bunker complex were found during construction and unable to be removed, and so they were left in place.





From the tee





and zoomed in.





and from 75 yards short of the green, one can start to see how far below the green the approach is.








and from right in front, it is readily apparent how severe the slope is in front of the green.





From up close, the internal contours of the green are readily apparent.

[Brad Tufts]

#12...I think the toughest par at CCliffs.  The green is enormous but firm, and the hole plays downhill and downwind making it even tougher to hold.  A miss short or left will be shouldered off to the left some 20 yards away from the green.  The only real way to hold the green (unless the wind is opposite or calm) is to use the runway between the bunkers at the right, which is a bit of a crapshoot.  It's a beautiful hole, but is it playable?

#13...here's where Ben and I disagree (en guard!).  The tee shot contains minor strategy, with those challenging the right bunker finding the flattest lies, but I thought this was one of the most interesting green complexes on the Cliffs.  The huge mound in front makes you think.  Carrying the mound and holding the green without hitting the downslope over the crest may require 3 or 4 clubs more than the yardage dictates and some luck to hold the green.  Interesting is an Alps-type hole where the play may be to bang a low shot into the hill to slow it down.  I ended up on top twice, and there was ample room (maybe due to the slower green speeds in the early going) to run/pitch it close.  Misses to the sides will not be greeted with forgiving short game options.

#14...A really neat plateau par three that is not short from 175-180 at the back tees.  With a longer-iron, those hitting the middle of the green will often find firm ground and end up in the tiny back bunker.  I'm happy to report from experience that the rock is more forgiving than expected, as the gypsum is soft, and your ball will not bound 50 yards away...but the front bunker is easily 10 feet below the front edge of the green!  The right side seems to gather tee shots, but the left side will repel them off the green.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 15
529 Yards
Par 5


The last hole that does not play directly along the coastline, the 15th presents another interesting choice off the tee.  The fairway looks enormous from the tee and is actually even wider as it opens up right of the first set of pines down the right side.  However, right is not particularly good off the tee as the second is completely blind from the lower fairway.  The left fairway is narrower and much better defended but for good reason.  One's drive either ends up on the upper shelf or gets an extra boost down a hill on the other side and has a good view for the second shot.





View from the tee





and zoomed in.





The bunker that splits the fairway





From the right side of the landing zone





and just over the crest of the hill from the right, with the green coming into view.  As the second plays back downhill the green is reachable in 2.








from behind the green.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 16
148 Yards
Par 3


The most talked about hole in advance of the opening of Cabot Cliffs and certain to be one of the most photographed holes on the course.  The setting is the most breathtaking of any hole I have played and I thought the hole is very well done.  The green is much wider than one would expect and pins on the left side of the green look like they are miles from the cliff's edge.  Those on the peninsula are actually on the far right portion of the green.  There's a large ridge that runs through the green front to back and the left half of the green is 4-5 higher than the right side.  Having played both a left and right pin on my two plays, I thought the left pin was actually harder as it was more difficult to hold the upper level while a smart play out left can use the slopes to feed down to the right portion of the green with pins tucked on that side.





Tee view





and zoomed in.  Note that the left pin is over the leftmost pine halfway down the cliff.





Note how close 16 tee is to 15 green.








From the left side of the green, note the large ridge that helps feed shots to the right portion of the green.





One can see how narrow the upper left portion of green is, although playing even further left should get a kick toward the green.





From the green looking back toward the tee!





From the lower portion of the green, looking back up the ridge.





Greenside bunkers that are probably preferred to the alternative.

[Brad Tufts]

#15...I am a huge fan of #15, maybe my favorite hole on the course.  It reminded me of a couple of the holes at Sagebrush, where the length really didn't matter so much as placement, and even though 350+ yard drives are possible, that may not be a great idea.  The choice off the tee seems to be left or right, but downwind I found that going left with a 260-270y drive equivalent (from the back tees) will likely find a bunker down the hill about 300 out.  If one can sneak past this bunker, a full view down at the green will be the reward.  Going right, you will likely get 50 more yards of roll, but be left with a blind 250y shot played probably with a long iron.  Fun stuff, as the ball can really run forever.  Skirting the center bunker about 75 yards short is the main challenge for the second shot, and as the green runs away, it can be mighty tough to hold, from 250y or from 100!


#16 is stunning to be sure, and very difficult at 175 into a wind that also pushes toward the cliff.  It's a do or die shot, but seems playable to a point.  We played three rounds on three straight days at the Cliffs, and the pin was always back left on the upper tier.  Most of the photos I have seen also have the pin at left, although the recent GDigest slideshow had it to the right.  I asked a few caddies around the resort how often it is pinned to the right, and I heard "not often."  The more forgiving left pin placement is almost completely hidden from the back tee, and there is some fescue left that I'm sure sees many bailed tee shots.  I like the left placement, and the slope that allows you to kick a ball onto the green.  It sounds like the resort is unsure of the right pin location for everyday public play, either challenge-wise, or foot-traffic-wise.  Perhaps this will evolve as the course moves to full-opening and the grass gets healthier, but the slower greens at present make the right pin as forgiving as it will ever be, and the difficult wind promotes stopping the ball on this shallow area.  I enjoyed playing #16, but if the pin is located on the near-blind left side 90+% of the time, and I never got to see the right pin, I would leave my trip thinking I missed out!

[Wayne_Kozun]

#12 is definitely the hardest par 3 on the course.  I kept finding the front right bunker on that hole and had trouble getting out of the bunker.

Like Brad I also really like the 13th hole - it is quirky abut a little bit of quirk leads to lots of fun.  Apparently the mound was there and C&C decided to leave it there.

Similarly on 14 - I heard that C&C like the looks of the gypsum rocks and they could have removed them but decided to keep them as they gave the hole more character and, as Brad mentioned, the rocks are soft so they don't send balls ricocheting off into the distance.

The 15th is my favourite par 5 on the course but it was also the slowest and hairiest green when I was there in early July.  In one of my rounds I did find the ideal landing spot on the left side of the fairway and had a go at the green with a 3 wood although I was a bit short.

On 16 I played it from the tees where it was about 145 yds so it was only an 8 iron as there wasn't much wind.  I imagine this is the tee that most golfers will use so although it is an intimidating shot, it is not impossible.

[Brad Tufts]

Yeah from the back tees on #16, it was 175, plus 15mph of wind so it was a 4-iron for me (my 190 club).


In three plays to the left pin, I hit it short left and ran it to about 15 feet the first time (not knowing the challenge yet), found the left fescue well above the hole the second time, and hit what I thought was a good shot and ended up in the back left bunker.


I thought that the fescue was a bit close for the left being the bailout area (although this grass is the only protection for the back tees on #17), but the back bunker was very playable and a fair outcome for the overly bold.


It's tough from the back tee without much to look at to the left flag, knowing you have to land it short/left and still avoid the chasm.

[Ben Voelker]

#16 is stunning to be sure, and very difficult at 175 into a wind that also pushes toward the cliff.  It's a do or die shot, but seems playable to a point.  We played three rounds on three straight days at the Cliffs, and the pin was always back left on the upper tier.  Most of the photos I have seen also have the pin at left, although the recent GDigest slideshow had it to the right.  I asked a few caddies around the resort how often it is pinned to the right, and I heard "not often."  The more forgiving left pin placement is almost completely hidden from the back tee, and there is some fescue left that I'm sure sees many bailed tee shots.  I like the left placement, and the slope that allows you to kick a ball onto the green.  It sounds like the resort is unsure of the right pin location for everyday public play, either challenge-wise, or foot-traffic-wise.  Perhaps this will evolve as the course moves to full-opening and the grass gets healthier, but the slower greens at present make the right pin as forgiving as it will ever be, and the difficult wind promotes stopping the ball on this shallow area.  I enjoyed playing #16, but if the pin is located on the near-blind left side 90+% of the time, and I never got to see the right pin, I would leave my trip thinking I missed out!

Brad,


In my two plays, we had one left pin position and one right pin position in the visible part of the green over the cliff.  Granted I was playing the greens and only had an 8 iron, but get the distance right and the ball naturally fed down to slope to the hole.  We had two pars in our group when the pin was on the right portion (and one of those was a missed birdie putt from 3 feet!).  It is more visually intimidating, but I am not sure a right pin is more difficult, unless you actually try to play right at it, which is fool's gold without a doubt.

[Brad Tufts]

Good to hear they put it over there more than I potentially thought...now I just curse my luck having not seen it on the right!


It's certainly tougher for a long-iron, but I wouldn't guess it would be unfair...the wind in the face would help the ball stop.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Depending on how fast the green is running at 16 a flag on the right could lead to very difficult two putts if you are on the upper left tier.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 17
277 Yards
Par 4


The second of what will be the vaunted three hole finish at Cabot Cliffs.  With the possible exception of 7, the tee shot is the most intimidating on the course.  It is the most unique look I have ever seen on a tee box as there is no indication of even the presence of a golf hole other than a small sliver of green grass at the highest point on the cliff.  The result is a tee shot that feels like extreme golf.  Playing into the wind, it is an adrenaline inducing shot.  From the peak of the cliff, the fairway tumbles down the hill severely, which made the wedge approach difficult to judge.  On my first play, I actually putted my second shot from ~65 yards to the left side of the green and used the slopes to bring the ball around.





View from the tips





and zoomed in.  The line is just right of the end of the line of pines on the horizon





View from green tee boxes.





zoomed in.  One can see that the first set of tees up already provide a better visual than the tips, but not by much.





From the crest of the fairway looking down at the green.





and part way down the hill, the severe slope fronting the green is easily seen.





The slopes right of the green can be used to feed balls onto the green.





Looking back from the back of the green, the tee is roughly in the area of the mound in the distance





From 18 tee, one can see how severe the back bunkers are.  The almost look like an afterthought, but given how downhill the approach is, I suspect more than a few balls trickle off the back into one of these bunkers.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I like 17 but a have a friend who detests the hole and thinks it is unfair as it is too easy to hit the ball through the fairway and lose the ball.


Like Ben I putted from way back in the fairway on the hill and my ball trickled onto the fringe. One day I also drove into the bunkers and then thinned my ball into the Gulf.  In hindsight the play out of the bunker might be backwards to the right half of the fairway and hope you roll back down the hill.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 18
509 Yards
Par 5


Unfortunately I don't have as many photos of 18 as I would like as I was late for a tee time at Cabot Links and had to hurry to get the round finished and make my way across.  An excellent finishing hole, the yardage seems gettable but the hole played dead into the wind for my two plays.  The valley which intersects the fairway does so roughly 100 yards from the green.  While the fairway is very wide once again, with the significant headwind wind, a good drive hugging the cliff would be the only chance to be positioned to comfortably carry the valley for one's second shot.  The alternatives are to lay up short, or play out left as there is lots of space, but the angle into the green from there is not very good.  Ultimately, there are at least two knee knocking shots coming home and one will not be comfortable until reaching greenside.





Tee view





and zoomed in.





Just short of the valley looking at the green.








And looking back down the fairway.

[Ben Voelker]

I like 17 but a have a friend who detests the hole and thinks it is unfair as it is too easy to hit the ball through the fairway and lose the ball.


Like Ben I putted from way back in the fairway on the hill and my ball trickled onto the fringe. One day I also drove into the bunkers and then thinned my ball into the Gulf.  In hindsight the play out of the bunker might be backwards to the right half of the fairway and hope you roll back down the hill.

Wayne,


It hadn't even occurred to me that it is possible to hit a drive through the fairway.  I would have loved to hit a number of tee balls from 17 tee, as I think there is a line further right if you hit a long ball.  Perhaps your friend was too scared to play the line he needed to over the cliffs!

[Ben Voelker]

In summary, I thought Cabot Cliffs provides an amazing amount of variety amongst its 18 holes, both in terms of the character of the different types of holes, and the variety of different shots required.  There are a number of holes where an aerial approach is certainly preferred (2, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16) while there are a number of others where a running shot is preferred (5, 6, 8, 15, 17, 18), and finally others where there is not necessarily an obvious preference.  I thought the variety of looks from the tee were spectacular, with good chances to take a bold line, but with lots of risk incurred.  The greens have great variety of movement, with some greens featuring distinct ridges while others were more undulating.


If I had any criticism of CC, there are, in my view, a couple of holes that are not particularly inspiring (1 and 13) and the scale is consistently large.  With perhaps the exception of 16, there are no smallish greens on the course.


Ultimately, I think Cabot Cliffs is far superior to Cabot Links (not mean to be a knock of the Links).  Of the courses I have personally experienced, I do not think it is as good as Sand Hills or TOC, but I think it is better than Pacific Dunes, Carnoustie, Cal Club, Yale, etc.


I would be interested to see where others who have played it think it compares, but it is one of the best courses I have yet to play.  In my view, with Cabot Links and Highlands Links as well, Cape Breton is absolute heaven for a pure golf trip.

[Bill Brightly]

I have to admit the sixth is a hole I just didn't get.  You play straight down a chute into a giant bowl, with a giant tier to a lower level in the green.  We played when there was no wind, and this hole was as straightforward as could be.  The back hole locations might require more creativity if you want to get close, but balls want to get down there on their own.

 I actually wish they had done more in front of the green. Some more movement in front, to me at least, would have made this quite a bit more interesting. Maybe a missed opportunity for a cool take on a reverse redan here?

I played it dead into a really strong headwind, used a low running 4 iron from the middle tees and hoped for the best. The caddies said you get two very different winds at Cliffs, one from the west and a strong one in the opposite direction off the water. I think you have to ackowledge the design problems that presents.

[Brad Tufts]

#17...It's taken me quite a while to decide what I think, and I go tentatively positive.  Like 16, stunning scenery x100.  All three of my rounds were played from the tips, into a 20-25mph left to right wind.  I would describe an aerial image of the cliff edge like a few stairs in profile.  At the crest of the hill/cliff, the carry is only 200, and slightly to the right it's 220...about 25-30 feet uphill and into the wind.  The caddies wanted us to aim right and take on the big carry, but I was always more cognizant of not losing the ball to the right with the wind.  In three plays, I lost a ball barely left, and found the fairway twice with 70-80 yards left.  I too wish there was a bit more room left, but its an exacting shot with a good deal of room.  I think after many plays, we would have been more confident to go slightly right, but only in benign conditions.  The line off the tee necessary to reach the downslope to the green required a 225 upwind/uphill carry on our three rounds (playing 250+), which was not really workable at that moment.  I found it very playable from the fairway, with options to hit a full wedge to chipping, to putting.  You have to get creative to get it close.  I would liked to have seen a bunch of tee balls around the green to see how awkward those results may/may not have been, but I didn't get that opportunity.

#18...An underrated cool hole.  Playing into the wind and L->R, most well-hit tee shots will fuss with the left bunker, which is situated perfectly.  Observing tee shots down the right side too, they do not bounce toward the cliff per se, so it's really more forgiving that it appears.  The second shot is neat too, because it gives the player who hits a good drive a chance to be around the HUGE green in two with some room over the chasm, similar but different than #10.  The green will also give people fits, as there are many good pin locations, some very close to the edge of the cliff.  LOVE the couches behind the green...we saw many people in the area, and nobody could resist sitting and enjoying a beverage.

Cabot Cliffs as a course is tough to separate from Cabot as a resort...I think the two courses compliment each other very well, and the resort is bar none as a destination in the East.  Cliffs gets the nod (again, no slight to the Links, which grew on me each play) due to the incredible scenery, and how the routing visits the cliff over and over during the round.  Personally, my favorite stretches are 5-9, and 13-15.  16 and 17 are stunningly natural holes that just had to be the way they are, love it or leave it.  Are they great, separated from the all-world setting?  Not sure.  I would say  for me, 16 is trending odd, and 17 is trending great.  Both are controversial, on slightly opposite sides of the median for me."  I don't think this is necessarily bad, as many great courses have these types of holes, and most without the "whoa" setting found at Cabot Cliffs.  It's tough for me to place it on the world list, as I have played about 30 of them, split between parkland and links.  My first guess is probably somewhere in the #40-75 range, maybe a touch higher as it matures.  If the two courses were in the US, I would say Cliffs would be Top 25, and Links would be in the 75-100 range.  Regardless of all the analysis...they are just must plays!!

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