Cabot Cape Breton

When the coal mine closed, Inverness was a fishing town at the end of the road—until Cabot Links opened on the old mine site in 2012 as Canada's first true links course. Four years later Coore & Crenshaw's Cabot Cliffs arrived next door and went straight to No. 1 in the country, and this remote stretch of Cape Breton became one of golf's great pilgrimages.

It plays like the Scottish trip without the jet lag: everything walks, caddies are part of the culture, and the sea is in view on almost every hole. Give it three nights—both big courses, a Nest evening, and a Cabot Trail drive—and book golf and lodging together; resort guests get the tee-time priority. The season runs May to October, peaking late June through mid-September.

Cabot Cliffs

Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw · par 72 · Coore & Crenshaw's clifftop stunner—the country's No. 1 course.

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Cabot Links

Rod Whitman · par 70 · Canada's first true links—harbourside golf by Rod Whitman.

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The Nest

Rod Whitman · par 33 · 11 par 3s on the high ground—views worth the green fee alone.

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On-property lodging sells out well in advance—these nearby stays keep the trip alive.

Glenora Inn & Distillery

North America's first single-malt distillery, 25 min south · from $160/nt

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