Canada offers two of the great golf experiences on the continent: the modern links of Cabot on the Cape Breton coast, and the Golden Age masterpieces of Stanley Thompson in the Rockies and beyond. From clifftop drama in Nova Scotia to mountain grandeur in Alberta, here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each.
Photograph: Cabot Cape Breton, Cabot Cape Breton, via Google
Canadian golf has two clear poles, and a complete top ten honours both. Cape Breton in Nova Scotia is the modern engine room, where Cabot has built a links destination, Cliffs and Links, that now sits inside the world top 100. The other pole is history: Stanley Thompson, who in the 1920s and 1930s created what many call the finest body of work by any architect in one country, the so called Thompson Five of Banff, Jasper, Capilano, St George's and Highlands Links. Around them sit the great private clubs of Ontario.
Every fact here, from designers and opening years to host events, was checked at the time of writing. The verdicts are ours, and the order reflects our editors' view rather than any single published list, so reasonable people will reorder the top five, particularly between the two Cabot courses and the best of the Thompson mountain work. Several of these are private clubs where access depends on a member introduction. If you want any of them built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
Canada's number one and one of the most spectacular courses in the world. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw routed the Cliffs along the Cape Breton coast, with dune holes reminiscent of Lahinch, clifftop holes that recall Pebble Beach and a famous par 3 sixteenth perched above the Gulf of St Lawrence. It ranks comfortably inside the global top fifteen on most lists. A genuine bucket list round and the reason Cape Breton has become a links pilgrimage.
The course that started it all, Canada's first true links, built by Rod Whitman with Dave Axland and Keith Cutten on a former coal staging ground beside the town of Inverness. Several holes play along the beach and the harbour, the wind is constant and the walk into the village makes it one of the most natural and likeable links anywhere. World top 100 in its own right and the perfect companion to its more dramatic neighbour.
For many the finest parkland course in the country and a frequent host of the Canadian Open. Stanley Thompson laid it out over rolling, ravine cut land northwest of Toronto, with bold bunkering, severe greens and a routing that uses every fold of the ground. It is regularly ranked the best in Canada by panels who favour classic design over coastal spectacle. A private club, so plan access carefully, but a Golden Age masterpiece.
Stanley Thompson's mountains and ocean epic in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, routed from beach to deep forest to riverbank and back. Thompson shaped greenside mounds to echo the distant ridges, and the par 5 seventh, Killiecrankie, is one of the great holes in Canada. A restoration directed by Ian Andrew after a 2010 flood revived its turf. A public, national park course of rare ambition, often paired with the Cabot courses an hour away.
Stanley Thompson's first great mountain course, opened in 1925 in Jasper National Park among the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Wide, walkable and routed to frame the mountains and Lac Beauvert from almost every tee, it set the North American standard for golf in the mountains. The Fairmont resort, the elk on the fairways and the alpine air make it as much an experience as a round. Public and unforgettable.
The most photographed mountain course in Canada, laid out by Stanley Thompson beneath the near vertical cliffs of Mount Rundle in Banff National Park. The famous par 3 fourth, Devil's Cauldron, plays across a glacial lake to a green ringed by mountains, and the whole course sits in the narrow valley of the Bow and Spray rivers. Public, beside the Fairmont castle hotel and an essential half of any Alberta golf trip with Jasper.
The toughest of the great Canadian courses, a George and Tom Fazio design from the 1970s northwest of Toronto that ranks among the world's top 50 in some surveys. Carved through a wooded river valley, it is long, narrow and uncompromising, a championship test with little respite. A private club for the serious player who wants to measure their game against one of the hardest layouts in the country.
A Harry Colt classic in Ancaster, near Hamilton, and a regular host of the Canadian Open. The great English architect routed twenty seven holes over rolling, wooded countryside, with the elegant bunkering and natural green sites that mark his finest work. Beautifully mature and impeccably kept, it is one of the purest examples of Golden Age parkland golf in the country. A private club with genuine championship pedigree.
Stanley Thompson's mountainside masterpiece above West Vancouver, falling gently down the forested slopes of Hollyburn Mountain with the city, the harbour and the ocean spread out below. The downhill routing, the towering firs and the conditioning make it a serene and beautiful walk, consistently ranked among the very best in Canada. A private club, but the standout reason to combine golf with Vancouver and Whistler.
One of the oldest clubs in North America and another Harry Colt gem, laid out in 1912 on the banks of the Etobicoke Creek west of the city. Understated and strategic rather than long, it is a masterclass in Golden Age design that rewards angles and thought, beautifully restored and quietly revered by those who know it. A private club and a connoisseur's pick to pair with St George's and Hamilton on an Ontario tour.
Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Several of these are private clubs where visitor access depends on a member introduction or a stay and play arrangement, while the Cabot, Cape Breton and Rockies resorts welcome public play. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us which of these are on your list, the Cabot links of Cape Breton, the Rockies of Alberta or the great clubs of Ontario, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the access, tee times and base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Cabot Cliffs, the Coore and Crenshaw clifftop links on Cape Breton that opened in 2015, is our pick and is ranked number one in Canada and inside the world top fifteen by most panels. The classic parkland of St George's in Toronto, a Stanley Thompson design, is its main rival among those who favour Golden Age work. Reasonable people reorder the top five.
The Canadian season is short, broadly May to October. Cape Breton and Atlantic Canada are at their best from June to early October, with the autumn colours a highlight. The Rockies courses at Banff and Jasper open late and play through summer into September. July and August are the warmest and busiest months across the country.
It depends on the course. The Cabot courses on Cape Breton, Highlands Links and the Rockies resorts at Banff and Jasper all welcome public and resort play. Several of the top ranked parkland clubs, including St George's, Hamilton, Capilano, Toronto Golf Club and The National, are private and generally require a member introduction. Always confirm access before booking.
Three regions stand out: Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, home of Cabot Cliffs, Cabot Links and Highlands Links, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, with Stanley Thompson's Banff Springs and Jasper Park, and the Toronto area of Ontario, home to St George's, Hamilton and Toronto Golf Club. A links trip favours Cape Breton, a scenery trip the Rockies.
Cabot, the Rockies season and the booking windows that matter for Canadian golf. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.