The long, anticipated trip to Cabot Cape Breton is over.
If you are interested in golf, then you have probably heard of Cabot Cape Breton. I’ve been following very closely what these guys have been doing for a few years now, and what they have created in the small town of Inverness, NS is remarkable. The Pure Golfer focuses on creating unique golf experiences to Australia, Nova Scotia and Scotland and Cabot Cape Breton is firmly included in our tours.
I’ve been fortunate enough to play many golf courses all over the world, including golf resorts such as Pinehurst, Pebble Beach and Barnbougle. All of them are different and spectacular in their own way. Sometimes it’s hard not to compare in golf, it’s natural, but if I look at Cabot Cape Breton as a standalone venue I’m impressed with a number of things.
The Courses
The three courses they have built are awesome. Cabot Cliffs, Cabot Links and The Nest (par 3 course). I played the Links by myself at 0720, and then The Cliffs at 1535 on the same day. We had perfect weather. Not too hot. Slightly windy and scattered clouds.
I arrived onsite at 0545 and was greeted by a very friendly shuttle bus driver who whisked me over to the range at The Cliffs in 3 minutes. The range is fully decked out with Trackman screens. Playing at a place like Cabot isn’t just about the golf courses, it’s about everything else that makes up the experience. The pro shop, the restaurants, the pubs, the halfway houses, the drinks cart and mostly the people.
Over the time I was onsite, I must have spoken to at least 20 staff members and all of them were a joy to talk to. They were all so happy and loved their jobs. In fact the young man on the range told me he went home for two weeks and missed working. So one of the big defining factors with Cabot Cape Breton is the positive culture they have created.
They employee around 400 FT staff and 300+ caddies, so it’s easily the biggest employer in the area. Many staff go to Cabot for the summer months and enjoy working with other people of a similar age and staying in staff accommodation. They can play the courses for only $10 and get a 30% discount on merch – so it seems like a very attractive deal.
So back to the range at The Cliffs. I was then shuttled back to The Links at around 0700 for my tee time. As I stood on the tee with my brekkie burrito and coffee, I was talking with the starter who briefed me on the course and offered me a famous Cabot cookie. I should have taken 2.
It’s a beautiful opening par 5 and I hit driver, 7-wood, 7-wood onto the green and two putts for par into the wind. The day was off to a great start. The course twists and turns through the dunes and feels as close to a true Scottish links course as you’ll get. After the round at Links, I picked up some Holderness and Bourne and G/FORE merch in the pro shop. The shop is fully stocked and ready to take your money. I then had a beautiful lunch in the Panorama restaurant looking out over the 18th green.
Cabot Cliffs
Now ready to play The Cliffs, I was feeling energised and up for the challenge. The Cliffs is ranked the #1 in Canada by Golf Digest and I can see why. It feels like a step up from The Links with more ‘signature holes’, which makes it feel more dramatic and on the next level. If I had to choose, I’d say Cliffs is the better course, but they are both brilliant. On 16, their most famous par 3 and arguably one of the most photographed holes in golf right now, I hit the pin with a 9-iron and holed the 15 ft putt for birdie. Definitely a highlight of my round.I was greeted by my family as I walked off the 18th green. They have put out sofas behind the green for people to sit, have a drink, lobster roll and take in the views. These are the touches that Cabot has executed perfectly. We enjoyed dinner at The Cabot owned Whit’s Pub for dinner, which is a relaxed atmosphere with live music for everyone to enjoy.
Meeting the team
The following day, I had the pleasure of chatting with the Director of Golf, Ted Stonehouse, where we talked about all things golf, the plans for Cabot Cape Breton and my vision for The Pure Golfer. Ted is a great guy and I look forward to seeing him again as we commence our 2025 NS Tours.
As our time at Cabot ended, my family and I snuck a round in at The Nest, their par 3 course, which we loved. Having played The Hay over at Pebble Beach in 2023, I was looking forward to playing this. It’s great fun, and the vistas over the ocean are jaw dropping. I’d recommend that you play The Nest in a group, or with your family. Of course, I’d grab a few Cabot ales for the round as well which is their local ale from a brewery in Sydney, Cape Breton.
As I stood on the mound, looking out over the course as the sun was going down I felt relaxed, inspired and excited to bring people to this place and share the experience with them.
Cabot is a great example of how vision, money, hard work and the perfect piece of links land come together to create something special. Even with all these ingredients, it’s still a risk, but there’s no doubt Cabot are one of the world leaders in golf right now and I look forward to seeing The Cabot Collection continue to grow.