Cabot Cliffs Golf Review
- Kim Martinez
- Aug 10
- 5 min read
Course Information
Location: Inverness, Nova Scotia
Two Championship Courses: The Links Course and The Cliffs Course
The Cliffs Course: Par 72, 6,764 yards, Slope Rating 144
Special Feature: Walking or push cart only (handicapped cart option with approva
Bonus: Eagles Nest Par 3 Course – 11 holes
Booking: Online reservations required, no cancellations allowed
The Six-Year Journey to Justification
Every now and then you need to find any excuse to justify playing certain "higher priced" golf courses. They're just worth it – or so we told ourselves.
Manny has had his eye on Cabot Cliffs since our first Nova Scotia visit in 2019. Back then, I didn't play golf, it was 20 degrees colder, and the wind was a steady 25+ mph – making it an easy "no go." But apparently, Manny wasn't going to forget it.
Our 2023 visit? I had just started playing golf the year before and couldn't imagine paying upwards of $250 each. We passed again, choosing Cape Breton Highlands instead.
Flash forward to August 2025: Manny has talked about Cabot Cliffs for six years, and we finally had our excuses lined up:
1. It's our 40th anniversary year (we've justified several "big choices" with that line)
2. My golf game has improved (sometimes)
So we "pulled the trigger" and spent upwards of $560 for twilight golf at Cabot Cliffs! Was it worth it?
Pre-Game: The Pro Shop Experience
The Cabot Golf pro shop offered nice walking carts, and we decided against hiring a caddie. We did smile when we noticed that "B" caddies, unlike "A" caddies, don't give course information or golfing tips – they just carry your bag and "offer moral support."
Instead, I spent way too much on Cabot logo golf shirts. (Did I mention it's our 40th anniversary year? And we didn't opt for a caddie?)
Strategic Booking
With no cancellations allowed on Cabot Cliffs tee times, we studied the weather forecast like meteorologists. We found the perfect day – lowest wind, no rain, warm enough – and booked the first available twilight time at 4:36 PM. We packed our "glow in the dark" balls,determined to play all 18 holes regardless.
Game Day: Warming Up for the Big Show
We arrived early for the driving range – good thing, because I needed to mentally organize all those golf videos I'd been watching into useful information. The range features TrackMan screens for each golfer to track distance and speed. I didn't turn mine on – I had enough going through my head already.
The chipping green reality check:
Two discoveries hit me fast:
1. These greens were going to be "super fast"
2. If I had to chip as close as the practice area required, I'd be better off putting
Note: The chipping greens weren't impressive for real practice, especially since half the area was dangerously in line with driving range balls if you sliced right.
Putting green lesson:
After 15 minutes, I confirmed the greens were indeed super-fast. The slopes, angles, and breaks were often hard to detect, changed several times during long putts, and were going to be a serious challenge.
Tee Time Intimidation
Approaching Hole 1 was honestly intimidating. Two groups clustered at the tee – 10-12 people total with caddies – and they actually clapped after tee shots! Thankfully, they cleared out before our turn, and no one was behind us yet. I got to move up far enough to be out of view of most onlookers. We joined two guys from Toronto, which was enough pressure for me.
Our Performance Report
My Play: I ended up playing some of my most consistent golf, which I interpreted as "these are the kind of courses I need to play." That could seriously spell trouble for our golf budget.
Manny's Play: Struggled at first – maybe trying to do too much – but settled into being the best golfer in our group by hole 18.
The Course Experience
The Walk: About 4.5 miles with approximately 350 feet of elevation gain spread over 4-5 hours. Since the course was designed for walking, it was very doable.
Scenery: Amazing ocean and cliff views for about 90% of the course. The remaining portions featured beautiful mountains and trees. We even saw a little fox walk across the fairway.
Fairways: Mostly wide, but a few narrow ones. The main challenge was the required "carry" to clear obstacles off the tee – like literally hitting over the ocean cove on Hole 17. The severe drop-offs meant if you didn't stay close to the fairway, there was often no point searching for balls.
Greens: Let's say "unfair" – sometimes felt like miniature golf. We'd chip onto the green, close to the flag, looking good for 2-3 seconds before the ball rolled backward to the edge. The breaks were so deceptive they'd go one way, then the other. Very fast greens meant good-looking chips often rolled off into cavernous bunkers with walls so high you couldn't see the flag.
The Bachelor Party Pace Problem
The two groups ahead of us were there for a bachelor party – getting slower by the back nine and not as intent as we were on finishing before dark. With sunset at 8:40 PM, we were finishing Hole 15 at 8:30 PM and struggling to see.
The bachelor parties were chatting it up at Hole 16 before finally moving along. We had trouble following our shots, but it was a par 3, so we had a better chance of finding them.
Hole 17: The Signature Drama
The famous over-the-ocean hole. We decided to try drives to see where they "might" land – a totally blind shot over the wide-open ocean cove up to an area on the cliffs that "looked" right.
Our Toronto playing partners lost their balls. Manny's drive went so perfectly it hit the right seam and, like a miniature golf hole, spit out on the green 6-8 feet from the flag for an eagle putt. (Spoiler: missed the eagle but got a birdie!)
I got a better position from the forward tees and had what felt like a clean drive, but we couldn't find the ball – the sun had set and we were playing in the dark.
Glow Ball Salvation
Our group was ready to quit, so I pulled out the "glow balls." We'd picked up another player hoping to finish the last two holes. I had just enough glow balls for everyone.
Hole 18 – The Grand Finale:
Another very difficult hole. Manny, either overconfident from his last drive or frustrated with the eagle miss, drove his ball over the cliff onto the beach 175+ feet below – clearly visible as a bright red glow. He thought he might hit it back up, but there was no way down and certainly no way back up. With a "W i l s o n!" goodbye cry, he waved, realizing he had to leave the red glow behind.
My white glow ball danced beautifully through the air, rolling on what seemed like the fairway before disappearing into a bunker. I managed to hit the next one over a cliff too. Another player hit one that, despite all our encouragement to slow down, bounced into an abyss and disappeared.
Then there were two. Both remaining players finished the hole, and I walked away with two glow balls. The group loved them – it really made up for not playing all 18 normally. By 9:30 PM, we were completely past dark.
The Ride Home
The remaining golf staff – probably wanting to go home – came and picked us up in their cart for rides back to our cars.
The Verdict
We loved the Cliffs – beautiful course. Unless we win the lottery, we're unlikely to play again. We probably wouldn't tackle another course like this unless we knew we could start early enough to finish properly.But we loved this experience and have no regrets about playing.
Note: We might try the 11-hole, par 3 Eagles Nest course next time.
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