Seaside Sanctuary

LINKS September 2003

© Dale Leatherman 2003

 It’s the par three twelfth hole on the Algonquin Golf Course in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. Instead of lining up my birdie putt, I’m staring out to sea where a pair of endangered Northern Right Whales are cavorting in the Passamaquoddy Bay. The sight of the 50-foot long behemoths is a common occurrence for the locals, but causes visiting golfers more than a few bungled putts.

 St. Andrews-by-the-Sea is a picture-perfect village just up the Atlantic coast from Maine, and was Canada's first seaside resort town.  For more than 100 years visitors have been coming here to whale-watch, feast on fresh seafood, stroll the historic streets and gardens, and stay at the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel, a stately white and red-roofed edifice holding court on the highest hill in town. 

 The hotel, which now belongs to New Brunswick, was built in 1889 by wealthy American businessmen with a passion for golf.  Since 1894, golf has been a fixture at the Algonquin, though the architect of the first layout is unknown.  In the 1920s, the original course was redesigned according to plans drawn up by Donald Ross.  In the 1980s, it was again modified to accommodate increased traffic.

 As the end of the twentieth century neared, it became apparent that a more modern design was needed to satisfy savvy golfers. Like the similarly named golf institution across the Pond, St. Andrews is proud of its golf heritage. Finding a worthy architect to bulldoze a century-old fixture was not taken lightly.

 The man of choice was Thomas McBroom, who has more golf courses (10) in Canada's top 100 than any other living architect.  McBroom has made a name for himself with courses like the Links at Crowbush Cove (1994) in neighboring Prince Edward Island, one of Golf Digest's "Ten Best Public Courses in North America" in 1998.

 Contact me to read the entire story or to discuss second rights or a rewrite. daleatherman@cs.com