For golfers, there’s nothing better than a pilgrimage to a legendary destination, a getaway to a sacred spot where the golf is sublime. In Canada, Cape Breton Island, NS is that spot. Its four courses are dotted across a stunningly rugged landscape of mountains and ocean. You can almost hear the bagpipes on the breeze.

When it comes to golf, Manitoba kicks it old school. While some places specialize in fancy bells and whistles, this prairie giant is all about bang for the buck. With 100-plus courses to choose from, Manitoba is home to stunning layouts and retro prices. At most, course green fees range from a bargain $25 to $45.

Everybody’s heard of Niagara Falls. But what about golf in Niagara? The Niagara region is home to 40‑plus courses. Now, one welcomes golfers of all kinds, including mobility impaired.

You might be fooled into thinking you’re in the Swiss Alps for a few minutes as you thumb through a glossy magazine in your luxurious timber-framed chalet. And we wouldn’t blame you. It’s certainly hushed and heavenly.

The view from the tasting room is sublime. Lush, green pastures and rolling, cedar-capped hills give way to a wide expanse of blue, foam-flecked sea. The vintner and I swirl a glass of aromatic white wine — a sweet, German varietal, Siegerrebe, which does exceptionally well here — in the quaint, countrified setting.

“Out here, you have to battle the elements like you do in Scotland or Ireland,” says McLaren Taylor, Dakota Dunes general manager. Except that you’re in Saskatchewan.

Women may be latecomers to the sport of Scots, but we have high standards. Not for us the no-frills condo, a fridge full of beer and a Big Mac for dinner. Along with remarkable golf, we want stylish digs, gourmet meals, massages and martinis. Pampering is a prerequisite. No, golf carts aren’t pink (yet) and pro shops need to stock their shelves with women (the big spenders) in mind.

Cottage Country. Sounds quaint, doesn’t it? And it is. Located just two hours north of Toronto, ON, this land is dotted with lakes and forests, rocks and rivers, lilacs and green rolling hills. This is the spot where Torontonians go to escape the city’s summer heat, kick back, relax and play genteel country squire for a weekend.

For golfers who complain there aren’t enough hours in the day to play their favourite game, we suggest they head north–very, very far north. In early summer, the Arctic sun blazes permanently above the horizon, so you can tee it up morning, noon and night, alongside the occasional muskox, golf-ball-stealing raven and ice floe.