A photo from Highlands Links earlier this year with significantly fewer trees.
I’m heading to Nova Scotia this afternoon, with visits scheduled to the infamously named “The Lakes” (a new Graham Cooke design near Sydney), Bell Bay and Highlands Links, as well as a walking tour of Cabot Links with Bandon Dunes owner Mike Keiser.
Anyone have anything specific they want me to ask Keiser, the major investor in the Cabot Links project? I’ll be having breakfast with him and then walking Cabot with designer Rod Whitman.
I’ll report back in coming days (though the weather looks dodgy at best), as well as finish writing about the last two days of my Western Canadian swing, including Banff, Greywolf and Priddis Greens.
Here’s a story I wrote on Cabot in 2007. There’s another piece, this one included in ScoreGolf, that I wrote that can be found on Cabot Link’s website.
I was fortunate enough to play all 3 (Lakes, BB and HL) earlier last month. I look forward to reading your thoughts on the Lakes. I walked Highlands Links for the first time since i was a junior… i’d forgotten how incredible it can be to walk there. Spectacular. It probably didn’t hurt that I shot a career round that day 🙂
Absolutely can’t wait for Cabot Links to open. I’d be interested to know if Keiser plans to develop accomodations/cabins etc around the course (as in Bandon) somewhere down the road.
Have a great trip Robert. I played Highlands four times this summer, could you please ask them to speed up the greens,you can”t hit the ball hard enough to get it to the hole, my only complaint.The tree cutting is doing wonders for the course and the vistas.Why bother with Bell Bay, I don”t get it.Try Le Portage in Chedicamp instead, nice course and a great drive.I am interested in How Cabout Links is coming along,I can’t wait to see it in person and give it a go.Also interested in your impressions of the Lakes.You lucky dog.
Very very jealous right now!
Questions for Keiser:
1. what are the limitations for Inverness (and Cape Breton) as a true golf destination? Can Inverness ever be considered a ‘great’ destination considering the limited golf season?
2. Any chance for other Inverness couses a la Bandon?
3. How closely linked (no pun intended) will the course be with the local community – is it possible this can be a Canadian version of Dornoch (save the thousand years of history)???
4. When is he accepting job applications?
Like houlie, I am also wondering about the plans for accommodations/food/resort services at or near the site of Cabot Links. There isn’t much of anything there now to my knowledge. Also, since the project has been sort of underway for a long time, a reasonable estimate of when it will be open for play would be of interest.
Any plans to visit the Faldo design in Louisbourg? That seems to be a bit of a mystery course.
Enjoy your stay here, RT!