Cabot Links is a golf course located in Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a full 18-hole true links course, but a 10-hole version of the course was opened in 2011.[1][2] It was designed by Alberta native, Rod Whitman and is located on a former coal mine along the coast of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.[2]

Cabot Cape Breton
Club information
LocationInverness, Nova Scotia, Canada
EstablishedJuly 2011
Owned byBen Cowan-Dewar
Total holes46
36 regular holes
10 par-3 holes
Website[1]
Cabot Links
Designed byRod Whitman
Par70
Length6,854 yards
Course rating72.8
Slope rating132
Cabot Cliffs
Designed byBill Coore, Ben Crenshaw
Par72
Length6,764 yards
Course rating74.3
Slope rating144

Construction and development began in the late 2000s (although the town had been trying to get a golf course well before then). The golf course was the creation of Ben Cowan-Dewar, a Toronto-born 33-year-old, with the financial backing from Mike Keiser.[3] Mike Keiser was the creator of Bandon Dunes.[4]

The golf course has assisted with the rebirth of the Inverness economy,[2] which went into decline after its coal mines closed. Its success led to the opening of a second golf course in July 2015, called Cabot Cliffs.[5][6] Designed by world-renowned architect Bill Coore and two-time Masters Winner Ben Crenshaw, Cabot Cliffs quickly captured the media's attention and is considered by many to be in the running as one of the top courses in the world.[6][7][8][9] The grand opening of the course was in June 2016. Adam Calver was the grow in superintendent of Cabot Cliffs. Mr. Calver moved to Vietnam and works for Faldo Design in 2023.[10]


The Cabot golf resort hosts three onsite restaurants,[11] a 60-room hotel,[12] a pro shop, and a gift shop. Cabot's real-estate program was launched in July 2015, consisting of nineteen Golf Villas and a discovery center.[13] Villas are available for purchase and rent.

Links Golf: While golf in the twenty-first century is played on more than 40,000 courses worldwide, only 246 of them may be classified as links.[14] What differentiates this less-than 1% from the rest is their location and the type of terrain on which they are built.[15] In Scotland, where golf is believed to have originated in the 15th century, the first courses were developed on stretches of land known as links. Farmers deemed these coastal lands useless because of the sandy soil, so golf course designers began to make use of them.[16] Located between the land and the sea and with little to no trees, Links golf is subject to strong coastal wind which is why it is best played closer to the ground. The firm soil and short grass make bump-and-run shots and putting from close off the green popular choices.[17] Both Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs are True Links courses as they are located on the rugged coastline of Cape Breton Nova Scotia, where sandy soil, firm fairways, and coastal views embrace golf's early Scottish roots.[1]

Quick facts edit

Cabot Links Golf
Founded July, 2011
Location 15933 Central Avenue, Inverness, NS
Holes 18
Par 70
Yards 6854
Course Designers Rod Whitman
Owners Ben Cowan Dewar
Ranked - Number 42 in the world by Golf Digest 2014/2015

- Number 82 in the world by Golf Magazine 2013

- Second Best Public course in Canada by Links Magazine 2015 .

Cabot Cliffs Golf
Founded July 1, 2015
Locations 39 Whitman Way, Inverness, Cape Breton, NS
Holes 18
Par 72
Yards 6765
Course Designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw
Owners Ben Cowan-Dewar
Ranked - Number 1 public course in by Links Magazine 2015 .
Cabot Links Golf Resort
Hotel Rooms 60
Villa Rooms 16
Onsite Restaurants - Cabot Bar

- Panorama

- Public House

Shopping - Cabot Links Pro Shop

- Cabot Cliffs Pro Shop

- Cabot Trading Company

Designer Suzan Fitzgerald
Awards - Best Overall Architecture by

2013 Air Canada En Route Hotel Design Awards Archived 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine

- Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015

- Great Golf Resorts of the World

- 2014 VISA Canada Traveller Experience of the Year Award

Scorecards edit

Cabot Links[18]
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Black 72.8 / 132 540 247 330 450 178 465 192 580 360 3342 385 620 450 440 102 413 457 170 475 3512 6854
Green 70.9 / 125 530 230 313 410 172 440 186 550 340 3171 355 580 425 420 95 385 430 142 452 3284 6455
Silver 68.4 / 123 515 222 290 405 168 434 140 515 320 3009 325 490 410 405 92 381 388 128 392 3011 6020
Hybrid 65.5 / 115 515 160 290 405 168 273 140 425 320 2696 325 425 365 357 92 381 334 128 325 2732 5428
Orange 63.3 / 106 444 160 256 270 165 273 122 425 265 2380 306 425 365 357 85 280 334 85 325 2562 4942
SI 7 9 15 3 12 4 16 8 17 13 1 5 11 18 10 6 14 2
Par 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 5 4 35 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 35 70


Cabot Cliffs[19]
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Black 74.3 / 144 581 402 389 221 330 186 589 549 126 3373 557 404 245 398 188 560 176 331 532 3391 6764
Green 72.5 / 142 573 379 374 212 321 171 572 515 116 3233 544 377 223 362 172 538 150 277 509 3152 6385
Silver 71.5 / 136 556 364 355 202 316 158 564 498 114 3127 516 365 200 342 156 524 129 239 492 2963 6090
Hybrid 68.6 / 129 461 283 355 131 304 158 413 498 114 2717 460 365 162 314 156 524 129 215 492 2756 5473
Orange 66.5 / 118 461 283 247 131 304 114 413 437 94 2484 460 330 162 314 131 443 89 215 431 2575 5059
SI 5 3 11 13 7 15 1 9 18 2 16 6 8 17 4 14 12 10
Par 5 4 4 3 4 3 5 5 3 36 5 4 3 4 3 5 3 4 5 36 72

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Peper, George; Malcolm Campbell (November 2010). True Links. Artisan. ISBN 978-1-57965-395-8.
  2. ^ a b c Nicholson, Guy (27 August 2012). "Cabot Links: Catapulting Cape Breton from Celtic kitsch to laid-back luxe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. ^ Stanley, Adam (2 January 2015). "Entrepreneurs breathe new life into small towns across Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  4. ^ "Mike Keiser, the man behind Bandon Dunes, is set to open Sand Valley".
  5. ^ "Cabot Cliffs | Cabot Links". www.cabotlinks.com. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  6. ^ a b Newport, John Paul. "Golf's New Scenic Outpost: Nova Scotia". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  7. ^ "Cabot Cliffs debuts among North America's best". Golf Advisor. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  8. ^ Thompson, Robert. "Course Review: Cabot Cliffs (Inverness, NS)". Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  9. ^ "Cabot Cliffs is a masterpiece". 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  10. ^ "2015 INTERVIEW SERIES: ADAM CALVER".
  11. ^ "Restaurant". Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  12. ^ "Cabot Links". Lodging. Archived from the original on 2015-09-14.
  13. ^ "Golf Villa Real Estate | Cabot Links". www.cabotlinks.com. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  14. ^ "Links Golf | Cabot Links". www.cabotlinks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  15. ^ Olmsted, Larry. "Cabot Links, The Must-Play Golf Course Opening Of 2012". Forbes. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  16. ^ "'Links Golf Course' - meaning - Scottish Golf History". www.scottishgolfhistory.org. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  17. ^ "What Is a Links Style Golf Course?". Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  18. ^ https://www.cabotlinks.com/content/uploads/2018/04/Cabot-Links-Scorecard.pdf [dead link]
  19. ^ https://www.cabotlinks.com/content/uploads/2018/04/Cabot-Cliffs-Scorecard3.pdf [dead link]

External links edit

46°14′13″N 61°18′17″W / 46.236822°N 61.304781°W / 46.236822; -61.304781