One of three maritime provinces in Canada, Nova Scotia lies to the east of the country where it’s surrounded by three major bodies of water; the Gulf of St Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Funday to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east. Although named “New Scotland,” the province was actually first colonised by the French in 1605 when they formed one of the first European settlements in North America at Port Royal.

Competitive amateur golf events have been played at provincial level in Nova Scotia since the late 1920s (early 1930s for women) and the modern day Nova Scotia Golf Association organises more than a dozen annual competitions for members who play at sixty-four golf clubs, from Highlands Links in the north east to River Hills in the south west.

Architect Graham Cooke is responsible for a couple of top class contemporary layouts in Nova Scotia; the first of these can be found at Glen Arbour, near Halifax and the second lies within the Fox Harb’r golf resort and spa on the Northumberland coast.

“Best in Province” billing was once reserved for the classic old Highlands Links layout at Ingonish Beach, a Stanley Thompson track which Ian Andrew restored in 2012. However, the new golfing kids on the Nova Scotia block, Cabot Links, (opened in 2012) and Cabot Cliffs (unveiled in 2015) have now pushed the Old Lady into third spot.