On Prince Edward Island you are handled to unbelievable golf (and a lot extra)

As an island province on the East Coast of Canada, Prince Edward Island presents an unimaginable quantity of golf in a small geographical location. There are greater than 25 golf amenities, and past that the seaside — or restaurant — is rarely too far-off.

My most up-to-date journey to PEI comes on the heels of a 48-hour visit I made with my wife in the fall of 2023. After that have, we knew we needed to get again throughout the summer season months. That is how we spent simply over 4 days in Prince Edward Island.

The Keep

Quite than make our manner from location to location as we did within the fall, we determined to discover a central spot near all of our scheduled golf, and we discovered that at Fairways Cottages. It provided the right location for the entire golf programs on our itinerary within the Cavendish space and gave us the chance to unwind after every spherical with out having to fret about packing up within the morning earlier than golf.

The comfortable cottages provide full facilities together with kitchens, a heated pool, sauna, fireplace pits, youngsters’s play areas and different out of doors actions (choose cottages additionally provide personal sizzling tubs).

It’s solely a 15-minute stroll to the Cavendish Seaside Nationwide Park, Oceanview Lookoff, in addition to different sights past golf together with the Inexperienced Gables historic web site, Avonlea Village and Cavendish Boardwalk, which is dwelling to varied retailers and eating places.

The Golf

After we settled into the cottage that will be our dwelling for the subsequent 4 days, our reintroduction to golf in PEI began at Red Sands. The course is a stunning 9-holer that’s as difficult for low handicaps as it’s enjoyable and accessible for junior and senior golfers.

What makes Crimson Sands stand out is the routing, which begins in the midst of the property and shortly works its manner right down to the bottom nook with a gap brief par-4. From there it’s a brief par-3, after which a mixture of par-3s and 4s that work their manner as much as the very best a part of the property. You shut out the spherical with an thrilling downhill tee shot on the eighth after which {a partially} blind method to the ultimate gap again to the clubhouse. At below 2,500 yards from the again tees, it’s a course that may nonetheless make you utilize many of the golf equipment in your bag.

With restricted bunkers and enormous greens scaled for yardage, the true take a look at lies within the ever-changing wind that blows over the hilly property and the undulating greens. As soon as we completed our spherical we headed for an early dinner at Sou’West, simply a few minutes from the course.

The following morning we headed for Green Gables Golf Club, aptly named as a result of it presents views of the Anne of Inexperienced Gables Home — the precise farmhouse that impressed the well-known books by creator L.M. Montgomery. The course is an unique 1939 Stanley Thompson that was renovated in 2008 by Thomas McBroom and options rolling hills and views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

After golf, we loved a fast stroll on the seaside and ready ourselves for a meal at The Table (extra on that in a bit).

Our most formidable day of golf was 36 holes and began early the subsequent day at Glasgow Hills, a sprawling design that winds up and down the rolling hills of Cavendish. With elevation modifications on most holes, the course creates quite a lot of shot choices off the tee and into greens.

The course’s conditioning was nice, however so was the service and the oysters.

Subsequent up after our fast turnaround was a seven-minute drive up the highway to Andersons Creek, a course with loads of risk-reward choices off the tee and extra elevation modifications by the property.

With correctly spread-out tee choices, Andersons Creek is playable for any talent stage and a blast for all. The mixture of shorter par-5s and attention-grabbing par-3s make it well-suited for match play.

I ought to observe, that my solely remorse of the journey befell on the eighth gap of Andersons Creek the place, after getting caught up in dialog with our pleasant taking part in companions, I by no means hit report on my spouse’s tee shot on the par-3. A solidly struck iron had the entire group eagerly anticipating a spherical of drinks, however the ball stopped a minimum of two inches from the cup for a straightforward birdie (let that be a lesson for all you golfers on the market).

After a enjoyable 36-hole day, we retreated to our dwelling away from dwelling at Fairways Cottages to scrub up earlier than discovering a filling meal and chilly drinks. On the advice of our native taking part in companions, we made the enjoyable and trafficless 30-minute drive into downtown Charlottetown to Slaymaker and Nichols Gastro House, the place we weren’t dissatisfied.

Due to a later morning tee time on our ultimate full day, we began our morning at Avonlea Village the place we grabbed a lightweight breakfast at Samuel’s Coffee House. We then made the lengthy trek — Narrator: “It was in truth one other five-minute drive” — to Eagles Glenn, which sits simply previous Avonlea Village and proper subsequent to Inexperienced Gables.

In relation to Eagles Glenn, the golf course and amenities are top-notch and as soon as once more present ample teeing choices for golfers of all talents and driving distances. And sure, I notice I’ve identified course teeing choices a number of occasions, however I imagine it’s an essential think about enjoyable and playability, particularly contemplating my spouse and I play numerous golf collectively and she or he desires to be given simply as a lot alternative to benefit from the course from the ahead tees.

Sadly for our golf, Eagles Glenn is the place our luck ran out. After having fun with the gorgeous climate the weird June warmth wave delivered to the East Coast, the heavens opened up as we began the again 9 and it was then that our {golfing} journey got here to an finish. Nevertheless it did give us time for another cease to get ice cream after we grabbed an absolute A+ hotdog on the Eagles Glenn clubhouse.

The meals

As talked about, our first meal on the island was at Sou’West after our spherical at Crimson Sands, and the meals was simply as pleasing because the inlet views of the ocean. The informal spot supplied every little thing from burgers to fish tacos and recent oysters.

Though I hate to name it the primary occasion, it’s tough to not spotlight the eating expertise at The Desk. Located in a renovated historic church, The Desk goes past being a restaurant and feels extra like a show-and-tell showcasing native culinary expertise and elements. Completely no ingredient comes from past the borders of Canada, with most coming immediately from the island itself.

The creativity of Chef Hunter Guindon shines while you notice even one thing so simple as black pepper is eradicated from the elements listing and changed with regionally harvested elder pepper as an alternative.

Though afternoon rain washed out our golf at Eagles Glenn, it gave method to a ravishing night that supplied us a possibility to seize dinner on the fashionable Blue Mussel Cafe. This seasonal restaurant in North Rustico Harbour presents a big patio and ethereal indoor eating. In fact, it wouldn’t have been an acceptable meal in PEI if it didn’t embrace a tray of oysters to fulfill our hungry bellies.

Closing notes for would-be vacationers

The primary airport out and in of PEI is Charlottetown, and to be blunt — it’s superior. Certain, it’s not full of meals choices or lounges however it doesn’t must be. It’s quarter-hour from the downtown core and the small dimension makes check-in and safety a breeze. It flies on to Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, making it a straightforward place to get to with solely a single connection from most American cities.

Golf.com Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Journal and GOLF.com’s senior editor for tools. He has an intensive club-fitting and -building background with greater than 20 years of expertise working with golfers of all talent ranges, together with PGA Tour gamers. Earlier than becoming a member of the employees, he was the lead content material strategist for Tour Expertise Golf, in Toronto, Canada.