On Prince Edward Island you are handled to improbable golf (and way more)

As an island province on the East Coast of Canada, Prince Edward Island provides an unbelievable quantity of golf in a small geographical location. There are greater than 25 golf amenities, and past that the seashore — or a superb restaurant — isn’t too distant.

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

The Keep

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

It’s solely a 15-minute stroll to the Cavendish Seaside Nationwide Park, Oceanview Lookoff, in addition to different points of interest past golf together with the Inexperienced Gables historic website, Avonlea Village and Cavendish Boardwalk, which is residence to varied outlets and eating places.

The Golf

After we settled into the cottage that will be our residence for the following 4 days, our reintroduction to golf in PEI began at Purple 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 Purple Sands stand out is the routing, which begins in the course of the property and shortly works its manner all the way 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 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 huge greens scaled for yardage, the true check 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 subsequent morning we headed for Inexperienced Gables Golf Membership, aptly named as a result of it provides views of the Anne of Inexperienced Gables Home — the precise farmhouse that impressed the well-known books by writer 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 seashore and ready ourselves for a meal at The Desk (extra on that in a bit).

Our most bold day of golf was 36 holes and began early the following 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 street to Andersons Creek, a course with loads of risk-reward choices off the tee and extra elevation modifications via the property.

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

I ought to word, that my solely remorse of the journey came about on the eighth gap of Andersons Creek the place, after getting caught up in dialog with our pleasant enjoying companions, I by no means hit file 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 residence away from residence at Fairways Cottages to wash up earlier than discovering a filling meal and chilly drinks. On the advice of our native enjoying companions, we made the stress-free and trafficless 30-minute drive into downtown Charlottetown to Slaymaker and Nichols Gastro Home, the place we weren’t upset.

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

Relating 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 instances, however I imagine it’s an necessary consider enjoyable and playability, particularly contemplating my spouse and I play a whole lot of golf collectively and he or she needs 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 attractive climate the bizarre June warmth wave dropped at 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. However it did give us time for yet one more 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 Purple Sands, and the meals was simply as pleasurable because the inlet views of the ocean. The informal spot supplied every part from burgers to fish tacos and recent oysters.

Though I hate to name it the principle 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 substances. Completely no ingredient comes from past the borders of Canada, with most coming straight from the island itself.

The creativity of Chef Hunter Guindon shines once you notice even one thing so simple as black pepper is eradicated from the substances checklist and changed with domestically harvested elder pepper as an alternative.

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

Last notes for would-be vacationers

The principle airport out and in of PEI is Charlottetown, and to be blunt — it’s superior. Positive, it’s not full of meals choices or lounges but it surely doesn’t should 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 in depth club-fitting and -building background with greater than 20 years of expertise working with golfers of all ability ranges, together with PGA Tour gamers. Earlier than becoming a member of the workers, he was the lead content material strategist for Tour Expertise Golf, in Toronto, Canada.