Score’s latest issue, with its Best New Course feature, is just now hitting courses around the country. This feature used to only occur every two years when the magazine did its Top 100 issue. After some discussion about the fact some courses could be up to three years old by the time they qualified as “Best New,” Score’s editors decided to make a change.
So this year there’s a “Best New Course in Canada” award that is separate from the Top 100, which will appear next year.
And the winner is … envelope please!
Humber Valley (River Course) — Designer: Doug Carrick
This is certainly one of Carrick’s best efforts, and I wrote about the course two weeks ago in my Score golf column. My review of the course is here. Concisely put, this is a special course in a special place and is surely one of the best in the country, even now. Its reputation will only grow.
Humber Valley was followed by two other Carrick courses, Muskoka Bay and Cobble Beach, and the group was rounded out by Tom Fazio’s Coppinwood. All in all, a pretty strong year for golf courses.
Next year will see Tobiano, Tom McBroom’s new one in BC, as well as the likes of Tarandowah and Piper’s Heath.
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in 
Wow, two courses better than Cobble Beach in the same year? I think I’ll just take your word for it rather than spend the money going to Newfoundland or even more expensive, the Muskoka’s to find out for myself.
While the top 3 all have the immediate wow factor that comes from being on or near water, tumbling terrain, etc., it will be interesting to see how they are regarded in five years. Will they slip into the Taboo, Rocky Crest, The Rock, etc. category of courses that immediately impressed, but were soon relegated to another category?
Nevertheless, congratulations to Doug Carrick. Quite a remarkable accomplishment to have designed all three of these. A fine guy who deserves everything that he has achieved.
Look out for Tobiano next year. The course is amazing, and with some more root growth will be one of the best courses in B.C., if not Canada.
In case you’re wondering where it is, it’s located just outside of beautiful Kamloops. If you ever have a chance to spend a week golfing in Kamloops, you can play a different championship course everyday, and almost be guaranteed sunshine.
I truly believe we here in the ‘Loops live in THE golf paradise of Canada. Don’t believe me? Come and check it out for yourself.