Cape Breton Highlands Links golf course is a public
golf course located near the village of
Ingonish Beach in
Nova Scotia,
Canada. Highlands Links is located in
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a Canadian national park on northern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.
The park was the first national park in the Atlantic provinces of Canada and covers an area of . It is one of 42 in Canada's system ...
, and is owned by
Parks Canada
Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs 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 48 National Parks, th ...
and operated by Golf North.
History
Highlands Links was designed by
Stanley Thompson, who was contracted by the National Park Service to facilitate a
make-work project during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
.
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 difficu ...
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 sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...
rated the Highlands Links the 64th best golf course in the world.
* In 2007,
Golf Magazine 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
The following are incomplete lists of golf courses in Canada by province and territory.
Alberta
All golf courses listed and their related information are from Alberta Golf's member club directory unless referenced otherwise.
The fol ...
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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