Bell Bay Golf Club, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

One of the best times of year to play golf - at least in North America - is in the Fall. And with only a couple of weeks left of summer in the northern hemisphere, golfers in North America can expect some perfect golf weather.

Of course, we need to avoid what has suddenly become a very active hurricane season in the past 4 weeks but if you focus on the U.S Midwest and southwest, you should be okay.

You should also be okay if you decide to play golf in Canada.



Right now, Cape Breton Golf (Cape Breton is part of Nova Scotia on Canada's east coast) is offering some outstanding golf deals.

There are several resorts and three of the finest courses in Canada (Highlands Links, Bell Bay and Dundee) from which to choose.

The Canadian dollar is below par again versus the U.S. buck and that means some savings for American golfers. And, hallelujah, gasoline prices have dropped along with oil. But, best of all, these world-class courses are seeing very little traffic now that Labor Day has come and gone. So have the tourists.

So prices are down, courses are virtually wide open and the weather is still great.

Cape Breton is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, so the views are spectacular. As are the many glimpses of Bras d'Or Lake from Bell Bay. Bras d'Or Lake is a large inland lake that is partly salt water as it connects to the open sea.

And if you should decided to boat up the east coast to Cape Breton, marina facilities are modern and plentiful. In fact, there's a beautiful marina in Baddeck (home of Bell Bay) on protected Bras d'Or Lake.

I have been to Cape Breton and played there (Bell Bay two years ago). It is a wonderful golf venue and, like much of the golf on Canada's east coast, it's bargain priced without sacrificing quality.

Check it out. The food's great, too.