HIGHLANDS LINKS GOLF CLUB

When Canadian architect Stanley Thompson arrived in Ingonish Beach, Novia Scotia back in the late 1930s, he likely thought he’d instead stumbled into paradise. A gorgeous setting bordered by water and mountains tucked against the northeastern shores of Cape Breton Island, in his mind, it resembled Scotland. The Highlands Links, which sits beneath Mount Franey and against the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Clyburn River, has garnered accolades a-plenty, including once being named Canada’s No. 1 golf course by SCOREGolf Magazine. In 2012, the most recent ranking, it was listed sixth – a testament to its continued strength.