My recent romp through the Maritimes took me to some of the best golf courses in New Brunswick, revealing that the province has some outstanding golf courses with bargain green fees, plus plenty of 19th-hole diversions.
Guide to the Best Golf Courses in New Brunswick
Trophy Fish and Golf at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club
Before tackling the Covered Bridge course, I arose at the crack of dawn to meet fishing guide, Marlon Prince and his affable first mate, Coach, an Irish Doodle. Prince was grinning from ear to ear as he pulled up to the dock revealing a whopper musky that he had just reeled in using a small mouth bass lure. “It’s like a fish of a thousand casts,” he exclaimed, “rarer than a hole-in-one!”
Fishing on the Saint John River offers the chance to angle for several species, including large and small mouth bass, salmon, striped bass, muskies and even sturgeon. My catch of the day was a three-pound small mouth bass that we photographed and released.
Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club was originally scheduled to be a provincial park until Johnny Harris bought the property and hired John F. Robinson to design it. I played with Harris’s grandson, Matt Harris, who is the course superintendenent and proud third generation owner of this family business.
Located in Hartland, New Brunswick, the course takes its name from the nearby longest covered bridge in the world (1282 feet). Covered bridges, also called kissing bridges are part of New Brunswick’s cultural fabric. Back in the day, young couples would stop the horse and buggy in the middle of a covered bridge and smooth in privacy.
Hartland is also the French fry capital of the world, producing one third of the world’s frozen fries thanks to the McCain family.
The 18-hole, 6,609-yard tract, opened in 1993 and plays around the bucolic Saint John River Valley. The covered bridge connection is evident throughout with mini covered bridge tee block markers and a usable covered bridge for golf carts framing the signature 16th green.
Green fees, $55, are a bargain; stay-and-play packages, starting at $290, include two nights’ accommodation, three days of unlimited golf, and cart rental.
A rainbow frames the signature hole at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Fishing with guide Maron Prince. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Fishing guide Marlon Prince hauls in a musky. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Moonshine and Cross Border Hooks at Aroostook Valley Country Club
If you hook your drive on the first fairway of the Aroostook Valley Country Club in Four Falls, New Brunswick, your Titleist could land not just out of bounds, but out of the country and in a different time zone in Maine.
Opened in 1929, Aroostook Valley straddles the U.S./Canadian border. Indeed, the Stars and Stripes and Maple Leaf flags fly side by side on the double 9th and 18th green, and the club’s logo is a crossed Canadian and American flag.
Back in prohibition days, both Americans and Canadians played and partied heartily at Aroostook Valley, thanks to bootlegging activities. But when Covid struck in 2020, new Customs Offices created lengthy detours, and both Canadian and American membership dwindled.
Thanks to the perseverance of club pro Stephen Leitch and faithful members, Aroostook Valley maintains a loyal following and a thriving spirit. The 6,304-yard course meanders through beautiful undulating terrain.
The last five fairways at Aroostook are most memorable, starting with the 14th Punch Bowl, where a covered bridge over the pond leads to the green. Number 15, The Devil’s Hole, is an aptly named uphill battle. Number 16 Eternity goes on seemingly forever. You might score a birdie on Reprive, a thankfully easy par-three. On the 18th, called Lookout, you aim for Mars Hill in Maine and putt to the U.S. flagstick.
Aroonstook Valley Country Club. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Moonshine Creek Distillery
In keeping with the prohibition theme, we stopped at Moonshine Creek Distillery in Waterville after our round where owner Jeremiah Clark invited us to sample some of his tipples. First, we tried A.J. Violette’s Rhum, named after the area’s notorious rum runner, A.J. Violette, also known as Joe Walnut. He and his famous mob inspired Clark to make his own (legal) hootch. His Downriver Whiskey received a gold medal in 2023 and 2024 at the Canadian Whisky Awards, beating out Crown Royal. Moonshine’s viral top seller was Chicken Bones Liqueur, which was inspired by Ganong chocolates of the same name. Ganong, established in 1873, is Canada’s oldest chocolate and candymaker located in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.
Jeremiah Clark shows off his tipples at Moonshine Creek distillery. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Golf and Games Galore at Kingswood Resort
On the outskirts of Fredericton, Kingswood was Golf Digest’s pick for Canada’s Best New Course in 2003. Designed by Graham Cooke, this is a fabulous tract of land, the first nine playing along a ridge, the back nine in a wetland setting. Unforgettable is the number 14 signature hole, blasted out of the landscape, leaving a jagged rock wall with a 30-foot waterfall.
In addition to a nine-hole executive course, an enormous practice facility and a baronial new clubhouse, Kingswood Resort boasts Atlantic Canada’s largest entertainment complex offering bowling, gymnastics, food court and cosmic games.
Kingswood golf course was designed by Graham Cook. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Sam Snead’s Oak Grill & Tavern
The clubhouse also houses the only Sam Snead’s Oak Grill & Tavern in Canada. Snead was one of the greatest American golfers of all time, who won more than 80 PGA Tour events. The restaurant is filled with photos and memorabilia honouring his career. Another ace up Kingswood’s sleeve, is Bari Gourley, director of golf instruction and the first female golf pro in Atlantic Canada. She’s a marvellous teacher should your game need some tweaks.
Beside the golf course, the recently opened Radisson Kingswood Hotel & Suites offers stay and play packages.
Take a Hike or Flight at Mactaquac Golf Course
In 2024, the PGA Tour Americas added two new stops: Mactaquac Golf Course in New Brunswick and a course in Brazil. And even more exciting for the province is that the PGA has signed a five-year agreement to hold the Explore NB Open at Mactaquac.
Located in Mactaquac Provincial Park, the 18-hole, 7,030-yard layout carves its way around mature forests and two water hazards on holes 13 and 14. Arguably, the toughest hole is the dogleg right number three. A line of trees jutting out on the right snag plenty of balls, as does the hefty bunker to the left of the green
After 18 holes, you might want to take another hike on one of the park’s walking trails, visit a pristine beaver pond, or zipline to new heights on the TreeGo Aerial Adventure.
PGA Tour Americas newest stop at Mactaquac Golf Course. Photo: Anita Draycott©
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Anita Draycott was a guest of Tourism New Brunswick which did not preview this story.
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