From his first glimpse of the rugged, cliff-lined coast at Inverness, on the western shore of Cape Breton Island, Ben Cowan-Dewar was inspired. It was December 2004, and the 25-year-old travel entrepreneur had flown out from Toronto to see for himself what local golf enthusiasts had been talking about for years. As he walked a rolling trail high above the dune-lined beaches, looking across the vast Gulf of St. Lawrence, what had begun as a promising idea coalesced into a vision: this was the perfect place to create a course in the spirit of the original links – the narrow stretches of land along the Scottish seacoast where the game was first played some 500 years ago.
“Air accessibility is a driving force for our business – and the whole region.”
Like most visions, it didn’t turn into reality overnight. Partnering with investor Mike Keiser, a fellow links aficionado who had created the renowned Bandon Dunes courses in Oregon, Ben spent the next eight years piecing together parcels of land, enlisting world-class designers, developing the property – including a house for his wife and young family – and personally overseeing construction of the course and facilities.
What came next is now part of golf lore. When Cabot Links opened in 2012, it gained immediate acclaim, joining the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses ranked by Golf Digest. Four years later, the growing enterprise added a second 18-hole course: Cabot Cliffs, which quickly took the #9 spot on the authoritative Golf Digest list. Today the property includes a 72-room lodge, three restaurants and a pro shop. The development also has a collection of architect-designed villas available for purchase and short-term rentals.
Fast, easy connections
While the Cabot resort offers a one-of-a-kind golf experience, it was clear from the outset that creating a true destination would mean reaching outside Atlantic Canada – and beyond the worldwide community of diehard players who will travel anywhere – to attract the kind of guests who appreciate great golf but also value a smooth, convenient journey.
“We understand that we’re what some would describe as ‘a long way from anywhere,’” Ben says. “Ontario is our biggest market. We also attract many visitors from across Canada and, of course, the U.S. And we regularly welcome guests from other parts of the world. With the steady growth in air travel globally, we see more and more people venturing further afield to enjoy unique experiences. And in our case, we know many of them take advantage of fast, easy connections through Toronto Pearson.”
An economic driver
The success of the Cabot resort has also brought benefits to the surrounding community. Inverness, a thriving coal-mining town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, had seen prosperity steadily decline through the 1960s, after most of the remaining mines closed. In the decades since, faced with chronic high unemployment, many residents had left to find work elsewhere in Canada. So for Cape Bretoners, who’d long enjoyed sharing the beauty of their island with visitors, a new wave of golf vacationers meant welcome jobs close to home. “Today we employ about 600 people, including part-time staff and caddies,” Ben explains. “And in a town of 1,200, that obviously has a big impact.”
The influx of tourist spending has also sparked growth across the regional economy, from support services, restaurants and other amenities to additional visitor attractions. And as the Cabot resort continues to expand – adding a clubhouse, a wellness centre and a 10-hole, par-three course – Ben and his team see evidence daily of the close links between local enterprise and global connectivity: “In the past, when Nova Scotia tourism was mainly focused on road travel, a lot of Cape Breton’s magic went undiscovered. Today, air accessibility is a driving force for our business – and the whole region.”
