 |
UP MARKET, DOWN EAST
A seasoned duffer finds golfing nirvana in Nova Scotia.
Text: PAUL ROGERS
THE DRIVE FROM THE HALIFAX AIRPORT TO FOX Harbour takes nearly two hours. The road carves through hardwood forests and winds past sheep and dairy farms before coming to a "T" at an old fishing village called Wallace. It’s enough to make you wonder where they’ve hidden northern Nova Scotia’s lavish new golf resort.
Then out of the brush rose a tall metal fence that led to a pillared, country club-style entrance. Once inside Fox Harb’r Resort, the scenery changed to ribbons of perfect fairway and boulder-lined ponds. After passing a private airstrip, I reached the ornate circular driveway and sandstone facade of the clubhouse. Perched on a breathtaking knob, it overlooks the steel-blue waters of Northumberland Strait. I was at once both enticed by the luxury and struck by the incongruity of it all.
With only a couple hours of daylight left, I was eager to tee it up. Barry Scott, the head greenskeeper, had just knocked off for the day and was looking for a game. We hit a few practice balls and jumped in his cart, off to the back nine. As we limbered up on the 10th tee, my eyes swept over the seaside expanse. A lone clamming boat plied the water.
Barry was full-necked and ruddy-faced, his cropped hair tucked into a cap. He wore a fleece pullover and looked like a hockey player. We had time for nine holes, and I suggested a match. He said he was a four-handicap, but quickly added, "I haven’t played in five weeks."
We agreed to play from the tips – the "backbinders," as Barry calls them. From the gold tees all the way back, Fox Harb’r stretches to an imposing 7,160 yards. The 10th hole is a bearish par 4 that bends to the right, with bunkers guarding the corner and a green as sloped as a potato chip. On the 11th, I managed a bogey, which, with a stroke from Barry, was good for a halve.
But I would never win a hole. He closed me out on 17. Only later, over a bowl of seafood chowder, did Barry tell me he was a former regional match play champ in Quebec. And though he hadn’t "played" recently, he’d been hitting 300 balls a day, honing his game for the Beagle Cup, a tournament in Fredericton, which, as Barry described it, is equal parts golfing and imbibing.
Fox Harb’r is the creation of Ron Joyce. The co-founder of Tim Hortons, Joyce grew up in nearby Tatamagouche. He made a fortune with the doughnut chain and, in addition to establishing camps for needy children across the country, he’s found something on which to spend his money in Fox Harb’r.
Mister Joyce (as the staff reverently refers to him) has poured $40-million into Fox Harb’r – with plans to spend $20-million more – and it shows. The golf course and the grounds are immaculately groomed. The suites are furnished with dark wood and polished brass. The bathrooms have heated marble floors. Even grander is the clubhouse, with its lofted ceilings, exposed beams and wrought-iron chandeliers. "It’s a piece of heaven," gushed a member of the staff in a near whisper.
And heaven moves slowly. In the dining room, a middle-aged couple ate breakfast in silence, glancing at The Globe and Mail. A foursome of men discussed the weather. The first group of the day didn’t tee off until after 10:30. "You can do things at leisure around here," Mark Dacey, the head golf pro, said.
Leisure, of course, has its appeal, as I played an unhurried 18 holes on foot. (Unlike many new courses, with their steep elevation changes and lengthy distances between holes, Fox Harb’r can be easily walked.) Most of the holes are defined not by trees but by overgrown, reddish-gold fescue. Like the great links of Scotland and Ireland, the windswept fairways unfurl in folds and hollows. As something of a purist, though, I wished they could have been kept firmer to allow for the bump-and-run style of play favoured on the brick-hard fairways of Britain.
In contrast to my trial by fire from the backbinders, the course – designed by Graham Cooke, the great Canadian amateur golfer – is very playable from the middle tees. There are some heroic holes that dare you to go for broke, but by and large there are few forced carries to rule out the shorter hitter (such as Joyce, who wanted the course to be forgiving enough for duffers like himself to enjoy). The fairway tumbles toward the sea, with a marina, a lighthouse and Joyce’s mansion on the left. And on a clear day, you can see the faint outline of Prince Edward Island across the strait.
Of course, there’s more to life than golf. In Malagash, about 20 minutes east, Jost Vineyards offers tastings of its award-winning wines, including a sweet icewine.
To the west is Pugwash, once a lumber and brick town that now houses a salt mine. From the Gaelic road signs to the annual Gathering of the Clans, a festival of Highland culture in early July, Pugwash has held onto its Scottish culture. I had dinner there at sunset at Mahoney’s, a homey spot on the water. Afterward, I popped into a convenience store, looking for granola bars to put in my golf bag, but the guy behind the counter had never heard of them.
The next day, I drove back toward Pugwash to play Northumberland Links, a more rough-hewn course down the road. The clubhouse had the boxy, institutional feel of an elementary school or town hall. Despite a stiff wind, players were out early, bundled up against the morning chill and bounding up and down the hills, pulling their clubs on trolleys. Compared with Fox Harb’r, it felt like a more authentic introduction to Nova Scotia golf.
But, as with each of my forays beyond Fox Harb’r, it felt good to return to the manicured resort. On my last day, I enjoyed a late breakfast that may have been the most sumptuous meal of my trip: smoked haddock poached in milk and maple syrup, with red onions and lemon pepper, and whole-grain flaxseed bread. The salty, smoky flavor of the fish was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the syrup. Incongruous or not, I decided, luxury has its allure.
-----
FOX HARBOUR NOVA SCOTIA
Luxury meets salty rusticity in one of Canada’s new golf destinations.
WHERE TO STAY
Fox Harbour
Fox Harb’r Resort Luxurious suites in modern town homes overlooking the links and the sea beyond. The bathrooms have heated marble floors.
902-257-1801
www.foxharbr.com
WHERE TO EAT
Fox Harbour
Fox Harb’r Resort Superb regional food with sophisticated touches in rustically elegant setting with fireplace and exposed beams. Don’t miss the seafood chowder.
902-257-1801
www.foxharbr.com
Pugwash
Mahoney’s Casual waterfront setting in old Scottish village. Local seafood, salads, homey desserts. Great sunsets.
902-243-3432
www.mahoneys.ca
WHAT TO DO
Fox Harbour
Fox Harb’r A showpiece golf course. Lush, rolling fairways framed by mounds and fescue. Breathtaking finish skirting Northumberland Strait.
902-257-1801
www.foxharbr.com
Pugwash
Northumberland Links Hilly and sporty, with stiff prevailing winds. Worth a side trip to test your mettle at No. 4, a bracing par 3 against the sea.
902-243-2808
www.norlinks.pugwash.ns.ca
Malagash
Jost Vineyards Tour the winery and taste the sweet icewine made after the first frost.
902-257-2636
www.jostwine.com
Wallace
An old fishing village with rambling fields and roadside stores. Take a walk along the harbour, and watch the herons and oystermen rake for their morning catch.
INFORMATION
Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture
1-800-565-0000
http://explore.gov.ns.ca
HOW TO GET THERE
Air Canada* offers daily non-stop service to Halifax from major Canadian cities, including Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and St. John’s, Nfld.
* Also includes Air Canada Jazz™ and Air Canada Tango™ service.
|
|
ENROUTE TV
GUIDELINES
© 2004 enRoute is published monthly by Spafax Canada Inc. All rights reserved.
FRANÇAIS