[Mark Saltzman]

I'm sure this will be one of many Cabot Links photo tours posted on GCA.  The golf course is great, the accommodations are comfortable and relaxing and the staff friendly and helpful.  Ben was nice enough to come over and introduce himself to me on the 1st tee and it was great to meet him (finally)!  The 1-2 punch of Cabot Links and Highlands Links makes a trip to Cape Breton one that all golf fanatics MUST make.

There has already been some discussion of Cabot and a photo tour by B Izatt here: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,52705.html


With about 400 pictures taken over 2 days I hope to cover a few angles Bryan may not have covered.  Hopefully there is sufficient interest.  Anyways, here we go...








All Yardages and pictures will be from the second from back green tees (par 70, 6,405 Yards, 70.6/125 which seems crazy low!).

Hole 1: Par 4, 355 Yards -- Playing gently downbreeze this was certainly a gentle handshake.  Like many of the fairways at CL, the fairway is massively wide, though the tee shot is more about finding the correct side of the fairway than just finding the fairway.  A duo of deep bunkers and one of the largest dunes on the course intimidate the nervous golfer and protect the ideal line, though a golfer playing the correct tee (absent a strong headwind) should have no problem carrying the trouble.  






The view from the 3rd from the backs, Silver tees.  From here the bunkers are less in play and one can get a view of the flag (and just the flag) over the crest of the hill.






The fairway bunkers right.  Out-of-play except when they're in play.




Anticipation builds as the golfer ascends the hill.  Cresting the hill no golfer will be disappointed.  A great view of the massive fairway, wildly undulating green and the Gulf of St Lawrence awaits!  As expected, mowing lines are excellent and kickers and speed-slots effectively reward aggressively played tee shots.




The first fairway is separated left and right by a ridge running down its centre (the right side is the high side).




Approaching the green from the extreme right side of the fairway requires an approach that carries a cross bunker and provides easiest access to a back pin.




Interestingly, approaching the front portion of the green is easiest from the left-hand side of the fairway.  Here's the view from what we thought was a hooked drive.




A cross-bunker 30 yards short of the green will be a factor for the bombers, but more than anything it adds some thought to those playing a running approach on this downwind short par-4.  Good golfers who oppose open green fronts often say the option of the ground-game means that mis-struck approaches are not properly penalized. Perhaps this is the solution.






My unlucky playing partner found the bunker after (what we thought was) an excellent drive.  Fortunately for us he helps to give a sense of the bunker's scale.




Plenty of room to run the ball onto the 1st green over the cross-bunker.




As is always the greatest limitation of playing a course only once or twice, I have trouble describing the green contours.  The 1st green humps and bumps, especially in the front half, and generally tilts from front-to-back.








A run-off and a bunker guard the left side of the green.  Those unfamiliar with links golf and decide to land the ball pin high will finish here.




A look back down the fairway.

[Ted Sturges]

Mark,

How recently were you there?

Do they now have the green speeds "fast"?

TS

[Mark Saltzman]

Ted, I played this past Saturday and Sunday.

No, the green speeds aren't fast, though I suspect they are faster than when you played there.  They're comparable to the speed at Highlands Links.  Not fast, but not slow.

I managed to putt one from the right side of 15 green all the way the across the green, down the fairway cut on the other side, and into the rough! It was downwind though 

[RJ_Daley]

Can Jeff Mingay or someone near the action identify for us who all worked on the construction crew of this project for whatever period of time, under Rod?

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 2: Par 5, 580 Yards -- Along with the 10th at Rock Creek Cattle Company (Doak; MT, USA) this is the best modern par-5 I have played.  With the prevailing wind playing into and from the left and with the hole playing significantly uphill, this is one beast of a golf hole!  The 2nd plays over wildly rolling terrain, the most extreme on the course, and the view of the flag perched over a cliff seemingly miles away is an intimidating sight.

The ideal line on this tee shot will be up the left side of the this rightward tilting fairway.  Playing from the 620 yards back tees, the angle changes slightly making it more difficult to find the left side of the fairway.




From the green tees it is easier to play a tee shot into the slope of the fairway and thus have the ball remain on the left side.






The path to greatness...




A top shot bunker guards the front-edge of the fairway.




As the golfer reaches the fairway he sees that the though the tee shot was intimidating, there is extreme width to play to.  Again, the correct side of the fairway is the key.




The second shot is played over (or into) a massive hill.  Ideally, the golfer will play to the fairway plateau out to the right, from which he will have a clear view of the green.  From the left side of the fairway this plateau can be accessed without a forced a carry...




But from the right, the lay-up to the plateau requires a long forced carry.




And the farther right you get, the worse the view of the plateau area...




A series of saving bunkers will stop a drive from finding the gunch on the right.




A look at the hill that must be carried on the second shot to reach the plateau in the fairway.  Again my playing partner helps to give a sense of scale.  Awesome!

While reaching the plateau is ideal, playing into the wind my partner and I could not crest the hill with out second shots.  Playing your third from the side of this hill is no easy task -- completely blind, uphill/sidehill lie, into the wind, and requiring a lot of carry to reach the green.




Cresting the hill but not finding the plateau to the right will leave a view like this...




And the view of an approach from the plateau.  Certainly more appealing.




And from over the single fairway bunker.  This green is designed to accept running approaches from the left, allowing the golfer to avoid all of the forced carry to the right.






A back stop can be used to help funnel a ball to back pin positions.

[Guy Nicholson]

Nice photos, Mark. It's worth noting that there's a full 90 yards between the green and silver tees. I played one day into the wind from the greens and felt I could barely get it over that top-shot bunker. Then the next day with no wind from silver, I was laying up with a fairway wood to stay short of the saving bunkers.

[RJ_Daley]

Wow, that hole does give the golfer plenty to think about tee to green.

[Tom Ferrell]

Mark - thanks, as always, for your photos.

I am working out final details for my trip to Cabot and Highland Links right now.  Looks like I'm headed up on Tuesday, Sept 25 for about a week.  The launch of this photo tour could not be more well timed!

Looking forward to the rest of it.

[Ronald Montesano]

A top-shot bunker guards the fairway? I thought that a top-shot no-man's land guarded the fairway. I'd have to top the ball (like I did on #8 at Lookout) up the Pathway To Greatness in order to reach that bunker.

[Ronald Montesano]

and good thing that RW warms you up with that first hole, before cracking you across the jawbone with this hammer.

[Mark Saltzman]

Ron, yes, #2 is a stern kick in the...

Interestingly, my group played #1 more over par than #2. Amazing how easily downwind shots on sandy soil can get away from you.

[Charlie_Bell]

Thank you, Mark, for taking the time to document this in such detail.  Having played the course in mid-July, I'll point out a few things that impressed me about the opening holes:

1)  The first hole is indeed "a gentle handshake" of a hole -- after the fact!  From the tee, the uncertainties of distance, line, and wind amplify the usual first-tee jitters, making the drive an exercise in faith.  Luckily I was given good guidance by the marshall and hit the ball well, which meant that cresting the hill made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. 

2)  The second hole is daunting indeed, particularly as it's played into the prevailing wind.  I happened to play at midday in bright sunshine, into a two- to three-club breeze, but my game plan was just to hit straight and hope for the best.  What I liked about the hole, hard as it was (though my plan was to escape with a bogey), is that it provided a wonderful lesson -- early in the round -- of the value of playing the ground game.  Clearly punching low and letting 'er run was going to be the smart play for the day. 

3)   Your pictures of the Second reveal the beauty of the setting to the inland side of things. Even though the mountains are a little too distant to offer helpful perspective, they form a lovely backdrop to the seaside landscape.  When I think of classic links courses, I seldom envision such topographical drama on the horizon.  And, I should add, the same mountains, seen from the other side, make the approach to Inverness from the south a particularly memorable drive.

My only regret is that I played the course only once.  I would love to go back tomorrow, and tomorrow... 

[Adam Clayman]

More deserved praise for Cape Breton Golf.

http://scoregolf.com/blog/jason-logan/2012/august/my-take-on-cabot

Thanks Mark.

[RJ_Daley]

A very enjoyable read and video link, Adam.

[Matt Kardash]

I haven't played Cabout but the way the 2nd green opens up with the mound long left kind of reminds me of the 6th green complex at Whistling Straits.

[RJ_Daley]

Matt, I don't know that I see the 2nd Cabot complex so much like the 6th WS (Gremlin's ear) so much as the 16th WS, if you look at it in reverse, with not as dramatic of a third shot carry if you are far left on the safer flat before the steep rough downslope at WS 16.  There is all carry on that line but it is more in peril for the gambler for trying to get to the green in 2 at WS. 

[Don Hyslop]

Thanks Mark, looking forward to the rest of your descriptions. Have tee times for Highland Links on Sept 25 and Cabot Links the next day. Hope to find your photo tour a helpful guide!

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 3: Par 4, 425 Yards -- A mid-length par-4 on the scorecard, but the 3rd plays in the same direction as the 2nd and will often be played into a headwind.  The tee shot is downhill played into a valley to a fairway tilted to the right.  Approaches from the left side are preferred, but the tilt of the fairway (and the gunch left of the fairway) make finding the ideal line a difficult task.

Back Tee View -- Back tees are farther to the right creating an entirely different teeing angle than all other sets.




Green Tee View







Though the fairway looks somewhat narrow from the tee, once the golfer gets a clear look at its width he sees there is plenty of room to miss.




This bunker on the right side of the fairway will likely save more shots than it penalizes.




Approaching from the right is certainly more difficult with the green at an angle from here.




Approaching from the left allows the golfer to use the ground contours to run the ball onto the green.




Contouring and a gentle upslope make judging a running shot a little more difficult.






The 3rd green is long and narrow and gently rippling.  It does not have the broad contours that are found on many of the other greens at Cabot.

[Ronald Montesano]

Is this hole more inland than the first two? I realize that "inland" is relative...

EDIT: never mind...found this-> http://www.cabotlinks.com/golf/yardage-and-ratings

[David Stewart]

Every time I see pictures of this place I start visualizing the many fun shots to play. I can't wait to get there...

[Charlie_Bell]

David, You won't be disappointed.  Even though it was my first round, there were many times I found myself opting to play it like a super-sized miniature golf course, punching the ball under the wind and riding the contours all the way to the pin.  Well, more or less to the pin.  The good shots were far more fun and satisfying than the ones, at Cabot and elsewhere, where I figured the distance right and flew it in to a soft-bounce landing.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 4: Par 4, 420 Yards -- The 4th hole plays alongside the 3rd hole and should be downwind (though curiously the wind died down both times I played the hole).  The tee shot is completely blind (the only blind tee shot on the golf course) and a short forced carry over a trio of menacing bunkers.  With the white rock aiming marker and the railroad tie bunkers, the tee shot feels like a mix of Lahinch, Pete Dye and Prestwick.  Though the ideal line is not clear from the tee (aside from the aiming marker), once the golfers sees the fairway he knows the right side is preferred.

Tee View:




A closer look at the bunkers:






First view of another wide fairway at Cabot Links:




Tee shots played left of centre will find this hollow in the fairway and will face a semi-blind second from a difficult angle:




Approaching from the right allows the golfer to run the ball onto this massive green.  Shots played to the right will not kick left onto the green.




Pretty cool shot of the massive double green (hole 4/13) and the flag on the short 14th in the background, all set against the water.




From short-right.  Note the counterslope in the green that will repel shots played along the right edge.




And many looks at the green with so many humps, bumps, kickers and backstops that one could not possibly take it all in in two plays, nor could they possibly describe it with any clarity.

[Alex Miller]

WOW! That double green is fantastic!

I've never been to TOC or Cabot, but this is the closest and coolest thing I've seen in pictures when it comes to double greens.

As always your photo tours are greatly appreciated, Mark!

[Ronald Montesano]

I'd call this Whitman channeling Travis, although I think that Travis liked to do a bit more with his surface edges.

Is the lie flat in the left-fairway swale? Reason I ask is, I'd love to hit a draw in from down there, versus a hold shot from the right side of the fairway.

[Mark Saltzman]

Ron, that would have to be a snipe hook from down there.  Why not play a draw from the right?

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