Cape Breton Highlands Links golf course is a public
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
located near the village of
Ingonish Beach in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Highlands Links is located in
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a Canadian National Parks of Canada, national park on northern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.
The park was the first national park in the The Maritimes, Atlantic provinces of Canada and covers an ar ...
, and is owned by
Parks Canada
Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...
and operated by Golf North.
History
Highlands Links was designed by
Stanley Thompson
Stanley Thompson (September 18, 1893 – January 4, 1953) was a Canadian golf course architect, and a high-standard amateur golfer. He was a co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
Early life, family, education, and mili ...
, who was contracted by the National Park Service to facilitate a
make-work project during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.
The course initially comprised nine holes but was extended to 18. Construction began in 1939, and the course opened in 1941.
Over the years, Highland Links has subtly changed due to course layout adjustments, the addition of golf cart paths, and vegetation growth. In 2008, restoration specialist Ian Andrew was hired to produce a master plan for recreating Thompson's original design spirit, using archive materials and aerial photos. Restoration of the 57 sand bunkers began in spring 2011 following major storm damage.
Design
Cape Breton Highlands Links is an 18-hole, par 72 course with
slope rating
The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its relative difficulty for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer. It is used by handicapping systems to equalize the field by accounting for the likelihood that, when playing on more diffi ...
s around 120-140.
Ranking
* In 2002,
Scoregolf rated Highlands Links the best golf course in all of Canada.
* In 2003,
Golf Digest
''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...
rated the Highlands Links the 64th best golf course in the world.
* In 2007,
Golf Magazine
''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. One of the first "special interest" magazines of its kind, it was started in April 1959 by Arnold Abramson and Robert Abramson, the owners of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation, who sol ...
rated the Highlands Links the 38th best golf course in the world.
* In 2013,
Links Magazine rated Highlands Links 66th best golf course in the world.
* In 2013, Golf Digest rated the Highlands Links 7th best golf course in Canada.
See also
*
List of golf courses in Nova Scotia
References
External links
Highlands Links Golf CourseGolf Cape Breton
Buildings and structures in Victoria County, Nova Scotia
Golf clubs and courses in Nova Scotia
1941 establishments in Nova Scotia
Tourist attractions in Victoria County, Nova Scotia
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