Bell Bay Golf Club
Bell Bay is the public Tom McBroom course that put Cape Breton golf on the map, a par 72 of about 7,037 yards tumbling down toward the Bras d'Or Lake at Baddeck. Named Canada's best new course when it opened in 1998, it pairs big water views with a fair, walkable test, and it sits within easy reach of the Cabot Trail and the great links at Inverness.
Photo: Ryan Sull via Google.
The verdict
Bell Bay was the course that announced Cape Breton as a real golf destination, years before Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs turned the island into a bucket list pilgrimage. Tom McBroom routed it across rolling, wooded high ground above the Bras d'Or Lake at Baddeck, and when it opened in 1998 it was voted the best new course in Canada by Golf Digest. It remains one of the most enjoyable public rounds in Atlantic Canada.
What makes it work is the balance. The water is always part of the picture, the elevation gives you a string of memorable downhill tee shots, and yet the course is generous enough off the tee that a holiday golfer can score and a strong player can still be tested from the back at about 7,037 yards. It is a genuinely friendly, beautifully kept course in a spectacular setting, and the obvious warm up or wind down round for a Cape Breton golf trip built around the famous links an hour up the coast.
Bell Bay Golf Club at a glance
- Opened
- 1998
- Designer
- Tom McBroom
- Type
- Public parkland
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,037 yds
- Green fee
- Mid range (2026)
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the club and leading course databases. Bell Bay is a Tom McBroom design opened in 1998, a par 72 of about 7,037 yards above the Bras d'Or Lake at Baddeck, Cape Breton. It is a public daily fee course; indicative 2026 green fees sit in the mid range for an Atlantic Canada resort course, highest in peak summer and lower at shoulder season, with twilight and multi round rates available. Rates change by season, so always confirm current pricing and availability directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
McBroom used the elevation above the lake to deliver one big downhill moment after another, with several tee shots that drop toward fairways framed by the blue of the Bras d'Or. The opening stretch eases you in, then the round opens up to the water views that sell the place, and the par 3s are a highlight, played across changes in level with the lake behind the green.
The greens are large, well contoured and consistently kept, and from the back tees at about 7,037 yards the course has enough length and bunkering to keep a good player honest while staying playable for the holiday golfer from the forward decks. It is a walkable layout, the kind you can play twice in a day, and the conditioning has long been a point of pride for a course that does big visitor numbers each summer.
Bell Bay is the natural pairing for the modern Cape Breton golf trip. Play it on the way to or from the celebrated links at Inverness, and combine it with the wider Atlantic Canada circuit that takes in the Prince Edward Island flagship Crowbush Cove and the luxury Nova Scotia resort course at Fox Harbr.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public daily fee course, open to visitors with advance tee times all season |
| Green fee | Mid range for an Atlantic Canada course, indicative for 2026; highest in peak summer, lower at shoulder season, twilight rates available |
| Cart and caddie | Carts available; the course is walkable, no general caddie program |
| Booking | Online or by phone; book ahead for summer weekends and Cabot Trail touring season |
| Season | Roughly mid May to October on Cape Breton, weather dependent |
| Getting there | Baddeck, about an hour from the Cabot Links resort at Inverness and on the Cabot Trail loop |
Access and fees verified June 2026 from the club and public sources. Green fees vary by season, so always confirm current pricing and availability directly before booking.
Where to stay nearby
Baddeck is the friendly hub of the Bras d'Or Lake and the eastern gateway to the Cabot Trail, with inns, lakeside resorts and the Alexander Graham Bell sites in the village itself. It makes a relaxed base for the course and for touring the trail, and it sits roughly midway between the Halifax approach and the links at Inverness on the island's western shore.
For a fuller Cape Breton and Atlantic Canada golf trip, pair Bell Bay with the Nova Scotia luxury resort course at Fox Harbr and the Prince Edward Island links at Crowbush Cove and Brudenell River. See our Golf in Canada hub and our best courses in Canada ranking to shape the route.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels near Baddeck and the Bras d'Or Lake.
Play Bell Bay on a Cape Breton golf trip
We book Bell Bay tee times and route a Cape Breton week around the great links at Inverness, the Cabot Trail and the wider Atlantic Canada circuit. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Bell Bay Golf Club questions
Who designed Bell Bay Golf Club?
Bell Bay was designed by Canadian architect Tom McBroom and opened in 1998 above the Bras d'Or Lake at Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, where it was named Canada's best new course that year.
What is the par and length of Bell Bay?
Bell Bay plays to par 72 and measures about 7,037 yards from the back tees, with five sets of tees to suit every standard of golfer.
Where is Bell Bay Golf Club?
Bell Bay sits at Baddeck in the heart of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, above the Bras d'Or Lake and on the doorstep of the Cabot Trail, about an hour from the Cabot Links resort at Inverness.
Can visitors play Bell Bay?
Yes. Bell Bay is a public daily fee course open to visitors with advance tee times. Green fees vary by season, so always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.