Destination: Prince Edward Island

After Scotland, Prince Edward Island (PEI) should be every golfer's dream destination. Golf in PEI goes way back to 1893, when the Charlottetown Golf Club opened its doors.

There is something about the soil on PEI that makes it the perfect environment for growing grass and potatoes, and you will find both of them on the Island in abundance. Someone once said the two main crops are potatoes and golf courses.

When you visit and play a Prince Edward Island golf course, colors seems vibrant especially the green of the grass. Some say it is because the island is surrounded by water and the reflection comes off it to enhances colors, this is why artists like coming to PEI to paint their landscapes. Others say it is something about the composition of the red soil, that that the minerals absorbed into the grass give it an emerald-like appearance. It's probably a combination of all these, plus others that are only conjecture.

Not only did ScoreGolf Magazine rate Prince Edward Island as Canada's top golf destination for the second straight year, but Travel+Leisure magazine rated PEI the top island destination in North America, and one of the Top 10 in the world. And the tourism industry of Canada named the Charlottetown Festival the 2003 Event of the Year.

There are 26 golf courses, all located within minutes of the island's main destinations. Everything from championship courses that have challenged the skills of pros like Mike Weir and Fred Couples to more forgiving courses that offer a great family golf experience.

PEI's golf resorts have accommodations close by there is a wide selection of cottages, bed and breakfasts, inns, campgrounds, summer homes, motels and hotels that fit every pocket book.

The ever-popular Cavendish area has seen a number of new courses open over the past several years, the most recent being Andersons Creek in 2003. There are now seven courses within a 15-minute drive.

In Eastern PEI, 10 golf layouts are within 30 minutes of Brudenell Resort. In the central part of the Island, Charlottetown has five courses within 20 minutes. And three other courses are located in the western part of the province, within easy driving distance for a game of golf and a tour of some of PEI's most scenic areas.

For those who want work on their game as well as play it, the Canadian Golf Academy at Brudenell offers a good facility with top-notch instruction under the guidance of Anne Chouinard. While the same success as is enjoyed by Anne's prize student, PEI's Lorie Kane, cannot be guaranteed, it certainly provides something to shoot for.

Whatever course you choose, you can expect to deal with people who do things the island way. A relaxed style of service that makes you feel more like a welcome friend than a customer.

In addition to offering a premier golf experience featuring a variety of nationally ranked courses, can't-be-beat prices and breathtaking scenery (spring, summer and fall), PEI also offers all the ingredients for a memorable vacation for the whole family.

The beaches of Prince Edward Island have drawn visitors to the province for over a century and are still the center of many family vacations. Like the golf courses, PEI beaches come in a variety: the white sand beaches of the north shore and the red cliff beaches of the south shore. Don't forget to visit the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum in Cavendish. Kids surely will love it.

Theatre people abound in PEI in the summer, both the performers and the audience enthusiasts. The Summer Festival sponsored by the Confederation Center of the Arts provides a number of superb productions, and that's only the start. New community theatre productions appear every year, and when you include the dinner theatre and musical performances, you could spend the entire summer seeing something different every day.

Cyclists consider PEI an untapped treasure. Confederation Trail, the former railway line, offers almost 300 kilometers of groomed trails that take you through rolling farmlands, quaint villages, wetland and hardwood groves, and provide you with some of the most picturesque scenery on the Island.

No visit to PEI is complete without indulging in the delicacies of local cuisine. A PEI lobster dinner is a treat you will remember a lifetime. Add to that other seafood wonders such as Island Blue mussels, Malpeque oysters, soft shell clams and scallops and you may never want to leave. Then there's the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, suffice to say, you will not go home hungry.

For history buffs, Charlottetown's heritage as the Birthplace of Confederation makes the city an intriguing stop. Province House National Historic Site, where the original Fathers of Confederation met in 1864, still stands and greets hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Of course, these are only some of the activities and events of PEI. Scenic tours, festivals, horse racing, windsurfing, kayaking, deep sea fishing, camping -- the list is long. Whatever your interests, Prince Edward Island offers its visitors much to do, see and experience.

That is, if you can tear yourself away from the golf course long enough.

And that is a very difficult challenge, indeed.