Setting a Course for Excellence.
Philosophy of continual improvements.
An organization philosophy of “continual improvements” has served Northumberland Links well. Each year the Northumberland Links’ Leadership Team prides itself on ensuring that the course offers a better and richer golf experience than the previous year. The approach has proven successful. In 2023 Northumberland Links was named 42nd on SCOREGolf’s list of best public courses in Canada and last year Northumberland Links made SCOREGolf’s Top 100 courses, debuting at 91 on the coveted list combining both the best private and public courses in Canada.
Redefining Spectacular.
Golf Course Architect Christine Fraser
The club recently secured the services of Golf Course Architect Christine Fraser for a long-term golf course master plan. Northumberland Links tasked Fraser to lead a re-design and has embarked on a deliberate process of updating and reshaping the course.
Fraser, raised in Ontario, came to golf early learning to play on a modest course that her grandparents built. Fraser earned a partial golf scholarship to Stetson University, in Florida, where she competed on a traveling team that took her to top courses coast to coast. What followed was a master’s degree in landscape architecture, and a Stanley Thompson fellowship (named for Canada’s most storied architect) that funded a research trip to Scotland. There she made the acquaintance of the prominent British architect Martin Hawtree. She wound up working for Hawtree for five years during which time she laid her hands on marquee courses ranging from Lahinch and Tralee to Royal Aberdeen. In 2018, Fraser returned to Ontario to hang out her own shingle. Her philosophy is rooted in eco-consciousness and accessibility, with less emphasis, she says, on the technical than on the experiential. “My focus is really on how golfers feel when they’re playing a course,” Fraser says. “Northumberland Links has all the key elements that make a golf course great that you can’t buy”.
“We are very excited to be working with someone of Christine Fraser’s calibre,” says Northumberland Links Golf Course Superintendent John Mills. “She is the perfect fit for Northumberland Links. She understands the strength of what we have and brings a remarkable talent and design vision on how we can make this course an even better golfing experience,” Mills said.
Redefining Northumberland Links.
Bringing the vision to life.
Northumberland Links is special. The course is fortunate to be founded on a location where the topography, climate and coastal environment combine to offer all the foundational elements for a rich golf course setting. The course leadership has always been dedicated to creating a golfing experience as exceptional as the Northumberland Links’ setting. Today is no exception. We continue to hone the existing layout, introducing targeted new elements that offer an evolving and exciting round of golf. We can’t wait for you to experience the changes we have already made to the course including, to our kick-off hole # 1, and to our signature hole # 13. And we have even more updates planned for the future.
Hole #1 WATERLOO PAR 4
Architect Christine Fraser. “The relocated tees and widened fairway create a slight dogleg to the wonderful first hole. The revised tee angle has the player playing out and around the substantial pond on the right. A well hit drive into the natural pitch of the fairway (left-to-right) allows for more playability and creates more strategy options on the hole. Fescue was added around the tees and around the green to better integrate the hole with the natural surrounds and introduce the links feel at the start of your round”.
Hole #13 LOBSTER POT PAR 3
Architect Christine Fraser. “I would have done a disservice if I didn’t throw everything I could at this wonderful golf hole. The new elements in the design are intended to enhance the Links feel for the golfer. Even the sound of waves rolling onto the shoreline take full advantage of the ocean setting. The redesign also provides significantly more teeing space allowing the golfer to adjust to changing and challenging winds. The redesigned green has been reshaped to allow for a front-left pin position enticing players to take a daring shot directly over the Strait for a memorable risk-reward experience. You’ll also find new chipping areas, roll off surrounds, a treacherous pot bunker, and fescue mounds. Don’t forget to take a moment and take it all in on this spectacular golf hole.”
“We’ve made some amazing changes, but we’re not stopping there.”
John Mills, Golf Superintendent Northumberland Links
A Look Back.
Northumberland Links began when four local golfing buddies gathered around a kitchen table on August 16th, 1963, with the idea of crafting a stunning oceanside piece of land along Nova Scotia’s North Shore into a golf course. With tenacity, community support, and the help of Robbie Robinson, one of the fathers of golf course architecture, Jerry Gayton, Millard Charman, Ralph Fullerton and Harlow Hollis saw their dream come to fruition when the nine hole Northumberland Golf and Country Club opened for play in the spring of 1965. Over the years, the group continued to explore ways to upgrade the course and create an even richer golf experience. In 1988, another Robinson, renowned golf course architect William “Bill” Robinson refurbished and expanded the course layout into a full 18-hole golf course. With a design philosophy of moving as little dirt as possible and letting the land dictate the layout, Robinson’s additional 9-holes elevated Northumberland Links to a competitive 18-hole course overlooking the beautiful Northumberland Strait. Northumberland Links owes its success to the dedication of the men and women whose vision of ongoing course enhancements have been instrumental in helping Northumberland Links become the signature golf experience it is today.
Environmental Stewardship is job 1 at Northumberland Links.
At Northumberland Links, we utilize organic fertility programs that help increase the amount of carbon that gets sequestered from the atmosphere and deposited back into the soil. It is part of our ongoing effort to include environmentally responsible practices in our day-to-day course management.