Passion Play in PEI

Why Canada’s Tiniest Province is a Top Golf Destination

Chris Duthie

All photographs Copyright © Chris Duthie

With the PGA Tour headed northeast for the next few weeks—no doubt to remind U.S. Open-fatigued competitors that there are more puttable greens in their futures—so should your golf travel plans. More specifically, consider Canada’s stunning maritime region and the golf-smorgasbord confines of pastoral Prince Edward Island.PEI is the smallest of Canada’s 10 provinces—it’s slightly larger than Delaware—yet it boasts 27 easily accessed golf courses, many of which were crafted by some of the best names in the business including Stanley Thompson, Tom McBroom, Graham Cooke and Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry. Here are fives inarguable reasons to go now:

1. The Links at Crowbush Cove: If you’re craving a tough-as-nails challenge, this is it. Golf Digest’s Best New Course in Canada in 1994, this Tom McBroom signature is set among shifting sand dunes, freshwater marshes and forested glades, electrifying golfers with a traditional risk-reward track reminiscent of classic linksland courses. The 6,902-yard layout further compels with massive grassy dunes on holes 7, 8, 15 and 16, set hard on the windblown shores of panoramic Gulf of St. Lawrence. Stay and play packages available at resplendent Rod Crowbush Golf & Beach Resort.

2. Glasgow Hills Golf Course: Brilliantly crafted by former Robert Trent Jones Sr. associate Les Furber, Glasgow Hills reveals a golfer’s precarious mettle with a formidable 7,000-yard routing detailed with breath-stealing inclines, cliff-hanging greens, cavernous bunkering, pine- and birch-defined fairways and plunging backdrops of the River Clyde and ever-present St. Lawrence. Post-round, get your fill of delicious and complimentary steamed mussels at Piper’s Restaurant.

3. Eagles Glenn Golf Course: Canadian golf architect Graham Cooke is celebrated for his minimalistic, imaginative and highly playable designs, and he hits on all cylinders at eye-candy Eagles Glenn. The 6,785-yard routing earns top marks for its spacious fairways, pure-rolling greens, discriminating shotlines, constrained pot bunkering and par-thwarting collection mounding. Walkers especially find the parkland-style setting worth a second round.

4. Tour historic Charlottetown: The harbor-side provincial capital is Canada’s confederate birthplace as well as a festive community of restaurants, museums, attractions, events and meticulously preserved Victorian-era architecture. Purchase tickets for Anne of Green Gables—The Musical (now through Aug. 29), visit St. Dunstan’s Basilica, indulge at the original Cows Creamery ice cream shop, and pick up some high-octane, island distilled souvenirs from Myriad View (moonshine) or Prince Edward Vodka.

5. Dine at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers: This third-generation eatery offers mouth-watering feasts that include fresh-baked bread, hot seafood chowder, tomato basil soup, fresh-steamed PEI Blue Mussels, dessert (don’t miss the Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie) and on-site harvested lobsters ranging from one to four pounds. $33-$46 Canadian, depending on the crustacean’s weight.

Direct flights from Denver to Charlottetown (YYG) are available via Air Canada. Another memorable option is to drive to Prince Edward Island from the New Brunswick mainland via the eight-mile-long Confederation Bridge. For more information about PEI, click here.

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Chris Duthie is a contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.