Full Breakdown of Rankings: 100-91 | 90 – 81 | 80 – 71 | 70 – 61 | 60 – 51 | 50 – 41 | 40 – 31 | 30 – 21 | 20 – 11 | 10 – 1 |
10. The Paintbrush
PRIVATE
Caledon, Ont.
Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry, 1992
SG Rating: 8.4084
2022 Rank: 9
Plenty of inland golf courses claim to be “links-like.” Many aren’t even close. The Paintbrush in Caledon, Ont., is a definite exception. A dramatic property largely without trees, the layout is marked by pot bunkers, blind shots, tall fescue, stone walls and massive, extreme green complexes. The Paintbrush is a rollicking adventure.
9. Fairmont Banff Springs
PUBLIC
Banff, Alta.
Stanley Thompson, 1928
SG Rating: 8.4305
2018 Rank: 7
Of his many amazing golf courses, Fairmont Banff Springs is where Stanley Thompson left his biggest mark when it comes to bunkering. Start to finish, the hazards are beautifully shaped and give definition to relatively flat land. The bunkers are best exemplified on the 14th hole — the original closer — though the wonderful Devil’s Cauldron par-3 fourth is the course’s calling card.
8. Beacon Hall
PRIVATE
Aurora, Ont.
Bob Cupp/Thomas McBroom, 1988
SG Rating: 8.4463
2022 Rank: 11
Beacon Hall, north of Toronto, is one of those tale-of-two-nines courses, with its front side winding through a wooded area and the back nine laid out over a piece of open, rolling property. The collection of par 3s are very strong at Beacon Hall, with tricky shorties at eight and 11 contrasted by an absolute beast in the heroic 16th, the course’s signature hole.
7. Hamilton G&CC – West, South
PRIVATE
Ancaster, Ont.
Harry Colt, 1914 (Martin Ebert)
SG Rating: 8.5624
2022 Rank: 4
Hamilton Golf and Country Club showed beautifully during this year’s RBC Canadian Open with the Martin Ebert-led restoration of Harry Colt’s masterpiece having opened up wonderful long vistas previously marred by tree growth. The course’s much-needed bunker renovation is a visual homerun and the collection areas around greens give players plenty of short-game options.
6. Toronto GC
PRIVATE
Mississauga, Ont.
Harry Colt, 1912 (Martin Hawtree)
SG Rating: 8.6100
2022 Rank: 10
Toronto Golf Club has improved dramatically over the last decade thanks to a Martin Hawtree restoration of Harry Colt’s design and the continued tree removal done by the club since. Firm, fast turf, excellent bunkering, wonderful green sites, and contrasting colours thanks to wispy, golden fescue make it one of the most enjoyable experiences in Canada.
5. Capilano
PRIVATE
West Vancouver, B.C.
Stanley Thompson, 1937 (Doug Carrick)
SG Rating: 8.6258
2022 Rank: 6
Located high above Vancouver, Capilano is laid out over a dramatic property that never feels extreme thanks to Stanley Thompson’s ingenious routing. With holes winding through stately fir trees and some offering glimpses of the city’s skyline, Capilano is a visual treat that requires smart play off tees. The plunging first hole and ascending 18th could be the best opener-closer combo in Canada.
4. Fairmont Jasper Park
PUBLIC
Jasper, Alta.
Stanley Thompson, 1925
SG Rating: 8.6987
2022 Rank: 3
In a word, Fairmont Jasper Park is magical. With greens and tee decks framed by Rocky Mountain peaks, Stanley Thompsons artistry and imagination is on full display at Jasper, perhaps more so than at any of his other top-ranked courses. Jasper’s par 3s are sensational while its three-hole stretch around Lac Beauvert can lay claim to being the best trio in Canadian golf. The golf course is super fun with plenty of scoring opportunities, but it has bite to it as well.
3. Cabot Links
PUBLIC
Inverness, N.S.
Rod Whitman, 2012
SG Rating: 8.7663
2022 Rank: 5
Cabot Links is pure golf personified. A true links situated between Nova Scotia’s town of Inverness and the Northumberland Strait, the Rod Whitman creation is full of quirks, dips, humps and bumps. Ocean views are available on every hole and many of its green sites welcome approaches shots high in the air or bumped along the ground. The back-to-back par-4 15th and 16th holes are astonishing.
2. St. George’s
PRIVATE
Toronto, Ont.
Stanley Thompson, 1928 (Robbie Robinson, Ian Andrew/Tom Doak)
SG Rating: 8.7926
2022 Rank: 2
Stanley Thompson’s best Canadian golf course is an oft-debated topic, but as was the case two years ago, his masterpiece in the west end of Toronto ranks best on this list. St. George’s dazzles golfers with its gorgeous rolling fairways and its excellent — and sometimes deceptive — bunkering. The putting surfaces were softened in recent years to better cope with modern-day green speeds.
1. Cabot Cliffs
PUBLIC
Inverness, N.S.
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2015
SG Rating: 8.8791
2022 Rank: 1
Cabot Cliffs continues its stranglehold on the No. 1 position on the SCOREGolf Top 100. Visually, the golf course is spectacular thanks to its setting high above the Northumberland Strait, and its routing of six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s is both unique and ultra-fun. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s design offers plenty of variety and the dramatic finishing stretch along the water leaves a lasting impression on all golfers who spend a day there.