As an island province on the East Coast of Canada, Prince Edward Island offers an incredible amount of golf in a small geographical location. There are more than 25 golf facilities, and beyond that the beach — or a good restaurant — is never too far away.
My most recent trip to PEI comes on the heels of a 48-hour visit I made with my wife in the fall of 2023. After that experience, we knew we had to get back during the summer months. This is how we spent just over four days in Prince Edward Island.
The Stay
Rather than make our way from location to location as we did in the fall, we decided to find a central spot close to all of our scheduled golf, and we found that at Fairways Cottages. It offered the perfect location for all of the golf courses on our itinerary in the Cavendish area and gave us the opportunity to unwind after each round without having to worry about packing up in the morning before golf.
The cozy cottages offer full amenities including kitchens, a heated pool, sauna, fire pits, children’s play areas and other outdoor activities (select cottages also offer private hot tubs).
It’s only a 15-minute walk to the Cavendish Beach National Park, Oceanview Lookoff, as well as other attractions beyond golf including the Green Gables historic site, Avonlea Village and Cavendish Boardwalk, which is home to various shops and restaurants.
The Golf
After we settled into the cottage that would be our home for the next four days, our reintroduction to golf in PEI started at Red Sands. The course is a lovely 9-holer that is as challenging for low handicaps as it is fun and accessible for junior and senior golfers.
What makes Red Sands stand out is the routing, which starts in the middle of the property and quickly works its way down to the lowest corner with an opening short par-4. From there it’s a short par-3, and then a mix of par-3s and 4s that work their way up to the highest part of the property. You close out the round with an exciting downhill tee shot on the 8th and then a partially blind approach to the final hole back to the clubhouse. At under 2,500 yards from the back tees, it’s a course that will still make you use most of the clubs in your bag.
With limited bunkers and large greens scaled for yardage, the true test lies in the ever-changing wind that blows over the hilly property and the undulating greens. Once we finished our round we headed for an early dinner at Sou’West, just a couple of minutes from the course.
The next morning we headed for Green Gables Golf Club, aptly named because it offers views of the Anne of Green Gables House — the actual farmhouse that inspired the famous books by author L.M. Montgomery. The course is an original 1939 Stanley Thompson that was renovated in 2008 by Thomas McBroom and features rolling hills and views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
After golf, we enjoyed a quick walk on the beach and prepared ourselves for a meal at The Table (more on that in a bit).
Our most ambitious day of golf was 36 holes and started early the next day at Glasgow Hills, a sprawling design that winds up and down the rolling hills of Cavendish. With elevation changes on most holes, the course creates a variety of shot options off the tee and into greens.
The course’s conditioning was great, but so was the service and the oysters.
Next up after our quick turnaround was a seven-minute drive up the road to Andersons Creek, a course with plenty of risk-reward options off the tee and more elevation changes through the property.
With properly spread-out tee options, Andersons Creek is playable for any skill level and a blast for all. The combination of shorter par-5s and interesting par-3s make it well-suited for match play.
I should note, that my only regret of the trip took place on the 8th hole of Andersons Creek where, after getting caught up in conversation with our friendly playing partners, I never hit record on my wife’s tee shot on the par-3. A solidly struck iron had the whole group eagerly anticipating a round of drinks, but the ball stopped no less than two inches from the cup for an easy birdie (let that be a lesson for all you golfers out there).
After a fun 36-hole day, we retreated to our home away from home at Fairways Cottages to clean up before finding a filling meal and cold drinks. At the recommendation of our local playing partners, we made the relaxing and trafficless 30-minute drive into downtown Charlottetown to Slaymaker and Nichols Gastro House, where we were not disappointed.
Thanks to a later morning tee time on our final full day, we started our morning at Avonlea Village where we grabbed a light breakfast at Samuel’s Coffee House. We then made the long trek — Narrator: “It was in fact another five-minute drive” — to Eagles Glenn, which sits just past Avonlea Village and right next to Green Gables.
When it comes to Eagles Glenn, the golf course and facilities are top-notch and once again provide ample teeing options for golfers of all abilities and driving distances. And yes, I realize I have pointed out course teeing options multiple times, but I believe it’s an important factor in fun and playability, especially considering my wife and I play a lot of golf together and she wants to be given just as much opportunity to enjoy the course from the forward tees.
Unfortunately for our golf, Eagles Glenn is where our luck ran out. After enjoying the beautiful weather the unusual June heat wave brought to the East Coast, the heavens opened up as we started the back nine and it was then that our golfing adventure came to an end. But it did give us time for one more stop to get ice cream after we grabbed an absolute A+ hotdog at the Eagles Glenn clubhouse.
The food
As mentioned, our first meal on the island was at Sou’West after our round at Red Sands, and the food was just as enjoyable as the inlet views of the ocean. The casual spot provided everything from burgers to fish tacos and fresh oysters.
Although I hate to call it the main event, it’s difficult not to highlight the dining experience at The Table. Situated in a renovated historic church, The Table goes beyond being a restaurant and feels more like a show-and-tell showcasing local culinary talent and ingredients. Absolutely no ingredient comes from beyond the borders of Canada, with most coming directly from the island itself.
The creativity of Chef Hunter Guindon shines when you realize even something as simple as black pepper is eliminated from the ingredients list and replaced with locally harvested elder pepper instead.
Although afternoon rain washed out our golf at Eagles Glenn, it gave way to a beautiful evening that provided us an opportunity to grab dinner at the popular Blue Mussel Cafe. This seasonal restaurant in North Rustico Harbour offers a large patio and airy indoor dining. Of course, it wouldn’t have been an appropriate meal in PEI if it didn’t include a tray of oysters to satisfy our hungry bellies.
Final notes for would-be travelers
The main airport in and out of PEI is Charlottetown, and to be blunt — it’s awesome. Sure, it’s not packed with food options or lounges but it doesn’t have to be. It’s 15 minutes from the downtown core and the small size makes check-in and security a breeze. It flies directly to Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, making it an easy place to get to with only a single connection from most American cities.
