Approaching the green on the blind par-3 eighth hole, there is only one golf ball where there should be two.
“Where is the other ball?” my playing partner Linda asks.
“It’s in the hole,” I answer.
It’s very unusual to say that with certainty before looking into the cup, but this was our 68th hole of the day and our eighth time playing this particular 90-yard gem at The Nest course at Cabot Cape Breton.
So I knew.
Once we arrived at the hole and saw Linda’s ball, a celebration ensued on the green as word of the ace quickly spread through our small group across the gorgeous seaside short course.
In truth, the entire early October trip felt like a celebration. We were gathered in Nova Scotia at Canada’s top golf resort to take part in the Youth on Course 100 Hole Hike.
Yes, that’s 100 holes. In one day. Walking.
Working with Golf Canada, Youth on Course offers $5 rounds at more than 100 golf courses across Canada and 2,000 courses worldwide. Golf Canada members aged 6-18 automatically receive a Youth on Course membership.
Since the 100 Hole Hike began in 2015, Youth on Course has subsidized over 1.2 million rounds of $5 golf, in an effort to ensure young people have affordable access to the game.
“We started the 100 Hole Hike not just to raise funds for the next generation, but to bring awareness to the need to give young people access to golf and all it provides,” says Adam Heieck, CEO of Youth on Course. “Those who embarked on this rewarding challenge at an incredible venue like Cabot Cape Breton, leave knowing they’ve contributed to something far greater than the game itself and potentially changed a child’s life for the better. And that’s a legacy that lasts.”
Cabot Cape Breton was one of three 2024 Premier Sites for the hike, joining The Cradle at Pinehurst Resort, which held its event in August, and The Hay at Pebble Beach, which will hold its hike on Nov. 11.
There also are eight U.S. National Hikes, numerous regional hikes and the option through the Youth on Course website to reach out to a course and organize your own hike.
To qualify for a premier hike, which in our case included a stay-and-play with meals at the incredible Cabot Cape Breton and a round the following day at the jaw-dropping Cabot Cliffs, a golfer must raise $10,000.
Back to The Nest and Linda’s ace, and — unfortunately — my incredibly long day of missing putts.
Every avid golfer knows the feeling of having a good day with your full swing, but a cold day with the putter. That can be hard on a golfer’s patience for 18 holes, but toward the end of 100 holes of missing putts, I was beginning to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day as I burned the edges at The Nest’s wildly undulating and wickedly fun greens.
Over 10 rounds at Cabot’s fabulous 10-hole short course, I shot a best round of two-over 32 and a worst round of five-over 35, making 61 pars, 32 bogeys, three doubles and just four birdies along the way.
My new friend Linda Rindt, a long-retired golf nut from California, made four birdies plus a hole-in-one … on the eighth hole alone!
The 27 km hike and nearly 10 hours of golf was a joy from beginning to end and never felt like a chore. Perhaps it was the charitable cause, perhaps it was the beautiful weather and jaw-dropping scenery of Cabot Cape Breton, but most likely — like most great days of golf — it was the camaraderie of a wonderful group of golfers with a shared passion for everything the game of golf offers.
Our group included a foursome of pals in their early 60s that had been friends since high school. Their joy was infectious and it was clear these guys were intent on soaking in everything a great buddies golf trip has to offer — from barbs to beer to birdies to bogeys.
In the midst of the post-hike fog at dinner, one member of the foursome asked to hear some stats. But he wasn’t asking about scores or the results of bets on the golf course, he wanted our hosts to update the group on the latest numbers of young golfers that have been helped through 100 Hole Hikes.
Youth on Course national events manager Rachel Miller explained that our small group’s 100 Hole Hike at Cabot Cape Breton raised enough funds to supplement 7,100 rounds of golf for youngsters.
And that’s what made the trip and the experience so special.
Golf has always had a way of bringing together like-minded individuals. Any lifetime golfer knows that a day at the course will introduce them to people with a shared interest in a rather silly, centuries-old game.
But taking part in a 100 Hole Hike, you are certain to find the best subset of golfers: people with a passion for the future of the game and a firm belief in the life lessons that golf can teach kids if they are provided opportunity and access to the sport.
“I’ve been on plenty of these hikes and have never met a single jerk,” Miller summed it up wonderfully. “Jerks don’t usually go out of their way to raise money for children.”
Golf without jerks. Now that’s a charity worth getting behind.
For further information on Youth on Course:
https://youthoncourse.org/
https://www.golfcanada.ca/youthoncourse/
For further information on the 100 Hole Hike:
https://www.100holehike.org/