Fox Harb'r Resort and Spa
Five of North America's best golf resorts are located in Canada, according to a new Golf Digest ranking.
Fox Harb'r Golf Resort and Spa in Wallace, N.S., tops the quintet at No. 16. The retreat, built by Tim Hortons co-founder and multimillionaire Ron Joyce, opened in 2000. This is the first time it's been recognized in the Golf Digest ranking of 75 top resorts.
"The championship course's entire back nine has water views, with Nos. 14-18 set along the Northhumberland Strait," the magazine notes.
Fox Harb'r is followed in the Canadian group by the Fairmont Banff Springs (No. 24) in Banff, Alta., Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Resort (No. 27) in Jasper, Alta., Four Seasons Resort Whistler (tied for No. 35) in Whistler, B.C., and Fairmont Chateau Whistler (No. 52) in Whistler.
Fairmont Banff Springs had been No. 5 in the magazine's previous resort ranking.
The latest list was assembled based on the opinions of more than 1,000 avid players on Golf Digest's ranking panel. They rated each resort they've visited in the past three years on a scale of one ("terrible") to 10 ("absolutely perfect").
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bend, Ore., was the overall winner, up from No.3 in the previous ranking released in 2009.
The four-course minimalist marvel on the Pacific Ocean beat out perrenial No. 1 Pebble Beach Resort/Inn at Spanish Bay in California.
While the majority of the 75 are located in the United States, the Caribbean islands and Mexico are represented, too.
The top resort outside the United States is the One & Only Ocean Club/Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. It ranked No. 8, up from No. 27 in the 2009 ranking.