No other game combines the wonder of nature with the discipline of sport in such carefully planned ways,” so said famed American golfer and former world No. 1, Tom Watson. And he should know. From Pebble Beach to the Scottish Lowlands, the hallowed linksman has travelled the world playing his chosen game — and taken swings against some of the most picturesque backdrops on Earth.
But, despite all the tour-topping and jet-setting, Watson remains fiercely loyal to his native Kansas courses. “There’s nothing better than playing on familiar turf,” he once admitted. In that spirit, we’ve sought out two of the finest golf retreats in the world: one here in Canada, one farther afield. Yet, while more than 13,000 kilometres apart, they share the same strategic, scenic spirit that makes golf unique.
HOME: Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
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First up, home. From Jasper to Etobicoke, an impressive 10 of the world’s best-rated courses can be found in Canada — according to Golf Digest. And the only resort that boasts two of these worldbeating courses? Cabot Cape Breton. Perched on colossal Nova Scotian cliffs — the small community of Inverness behind it, and the cool coastal winds of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to its front — Cabot Links Lodge is the ideal escape for lovers of both golf and the great outdoors.
With 72 rooms and 19 upscale villas, the resort marries luxury with practicality, as the lodgings are a mere golf ball’s throw from three incredible courses. In Inverness, you’ll find whisky tastings and cèilidhs to attend, and there are plenty of whales to be watched in the gulf. For food, the resort has four unique restaurants (a Maritime lobster shack and a smokehouse among them). There are water activities on offer, hiking and biking trails, and even two clay tennis courts — should golf not be your sport of choice.
But, with such courses to play, how could it not be? Cabot Links, ranked 25th in the world, was created by Canadian golf course architect Rod Whitman, and constructed on an old coastal coal mine staging area. Think gentle dunes, generous greens, and salt-sprayed ocean views. Cabot Cliffs, ranked 13th in the world, is even more majestic, and its magnificent rolling fairways could tempt even the most golf-averse travellers to pick up their drivers. The clifftop 16th, for good reason, is one of the world’s most photographed holes. Even The Nest, a shorter, 11-hole course at the property’s highest point, is a treat — and offers “night golf,” a floodlit affair playable from late August until the season’s end, making it an ideal choice for families, or those new to the wonderful world of golf.
AWAY: Amanoi, Vietnam
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And it’s a world that’s vast and varied. Canada may top the tables when it comes to first-class courses, but there are plenty more to be found around the globe. And, to discover them, there are few better guides than the good people at Aman.
The luxury resort collection has taken some big swings with its global golf experience packages, whether in Morocco on the fairways of the Amelkis Golf Course near Marrakech, or in Japan, teeing off over Ago Bay while staying at Amanemu. But Vietnam is home to one of the group’s most serene sporting excursions, where travellers can check both themselves and their clubs into Amanoi.
The Anara Binh Tien Golf Club is just a 35-minute drive from the resort, situated on the beautiful Binh Tien beach and equipped with a luxury clubhouse. But book the Amanoi Golf Escape experience and you’ll go a little farther to play on Vietnam’s finest fairways, at Diamond Bay. In Nha Trang, Diamond Bay is around two hours from Amanoi and sits between the mountains and the sea — a little like Cabot Cape Breton, but considerably more tropical. The 76-hectare course is the work of American designer Andy Dye, who balanced the natural marshland, towering pines, and sand dunes with lush, pristine fairways (grown using a highly sustainable and salt-tolerant turfgrass).
The Amanoi Golf Escape is a three-night package, which includes 18 holes at Diamond Bay, inclusive of green fees, caddy fees, and private transfers. Back at Amanoi, which sits pretty on a stretch of coastline in the Núi Chúa National Park, you’ll enjoy daily breakfasts, two traditional Vietnamese meals, and a private barbecue dinner in a special venue. And, should you need to relax any further — or if you’ve over-rotated on a particularly self-assured swing — an hour-long, complimentary Amanoi massage awaits you. Bliss.
