Aah cottage country. Just thinking about it lowers my blood pressure. It conjures up memories of lazy weekends. Dangling my feet off the end of a dock. Skinny dips at midnight. A morning paddle on a lake of glass. The call of the loon. Throw in some championship golf, an indulgent spa treatment and a gastronomic adventure and I’m packing my bags.
If you’re thinking of tossing the clubs into the trunk and setting out for a swinging weekend, I highly recommend these three destinations. The courses are top-notch, the scenery is divine and the resort facilities will garner raves from even a non-golfer in your group.


Taboo, Gravenhurst
In 2003, the Muskoka Sands Inn in Gravenhurst, boldly changed its name to Taboo Resort Golf & Spa. A year before, when the management signed up Mike Weir to name Taboo as his home course, little did they know that the affable Canadian lefty would win the Masters at Augusta.
Even before Weir’s big win, golfers were already raving about architect Ron Garl’s deft design that seems to empathize with the natural environment. The 7, 300-yard track takes you through wetlands, Canadian Shield outcroppings and a forest of birch, pine and balsam. You won’t forget number seven, a long par 3 chiselled out of two walls of striated pink and grey granite, or the rocky road that runs across number four where a sign reads, “Taboo rocks – use at own risk.”
After your round, what could be more Canadian than a Cranberry/Maple Body Polish at the resort’s Indulgence spa? Or, how about a romantic sunset couple’s massage overlooking Lake Muskoka?
Gourmands have been known to drive the 90 minutes north from Toronto to sample Taboo’s ultra-sophisticated cuisine, described as “contemporary Asian with traditional Chinese, Japanese and Thai ingredients.” Taking the spotlight in the centre of the dining area is the Elements Culinary Theatre where chef Don Potter customizes a six-course tasting menu based on patrons’ preferences. My recent splurge included lobster tail with a foie gras and shitake mushroom terrine, elk tenderloin with a chestnut mushroom and sweet corn emulsion, and a trio of pineapple desserts.
It seems that the best things in life are Taboo.
1-800-461-0236; www.tabooresort.com

The Ridge at Manitou, Parry Sound
The Inn at Manitou, run by the Wise family since 1974, is a one-of-a-kind ménage of country inn, tennis and golf facility, spa and gourmet restaurant. A mere par-five down the road, guests receive exclusive playing privileges at the (otherwise private) Ridge at Manitou Golf Course. The Inn is a member of Relais & Châteaux, the elite, Paris-based fellowship of small hotels, and Golf Digest magazine named The Ridge “best new golf course in Canada for 2006.”
Yet another jewel in the crown of golf architect Thomas McBroom, the verdant par-72, 6,800-yard layout ebbs and flows through 300 unspoiled acres. The routing takes golfers into dense forest and leads them on an intriguing trek framed by Canadian Shield outcroppings, meadowland and streams, culminating with a dramatic, picture-perfect par-five that doglegs left and downward toward the shores of Lake Manitouwabing. The likes of actor/director Ron Howard and hockey great Bobby Orr have tackled this northern gem.
After my round, I’m usually tempted by a dip in the pristine lake followed by an authentic Thai massage back at the inn’s spa. The grand finale to a blissful day culminates with dinner orchestrated by Paris-trained maestro Bernard Ibanez, who combines fine Canadian ingredients with delicious French accents. Also from France, Manitou’s ever-enthusiastic sommelier, Eric Denis, leads guests though appropriate wine pairings.
I’m told the Algonquin aboriginals believed that Manitou was a spirit that dominated the forces of nature. At The Ridge and The Inn, you’ll experience the very best of Mother Nature – along with first-class nurturing.
1-800-571-8818; www.manitou-online.com
1-705-389-3978; www.ridgeatmanitou.com

Cobble Beach, Owen Sound
Toronto-based golf course architect Doug Carrick has created a rugged masterpiece that stretches from 5,200 to 7,100 yards, meandering around the shoreline and bluffs of Georgian Bay, with views of the water from every hole. Small pot bunkers, closely mown chipping areas and hollows surrounding the greens provide the fast-running, bump-and-run characteristics typical of the great links courses of the British Isles.
The first six fairways create a benign warm-up for the strong par-five seventh running downhill to the shore-clinging eighth and ninth. Then it’s over the stone Swilcan-style bridge to a brilliant back nine. Beyond the green at the par-three signature 17th, Cobble Beach’s iconic lighthouse (actually a water pumping station) pays tribute to the spot that was used as a survey point back in the early 1800s by the British admiralty. The 18th par-five follows the shore, strewn with cobble stones, back to the welcoming Cape Cod-style clubhouse that serves as a 10-room inn, restaurant, bar, pro shop and spa.
At Sweetwater Restaurant, the eclectic menu features regional products, such as crispy fish and chips using local whitefish and a hearty bison burger. I can only pray that chef never takes the warm pecan tart off the menu. On Friday nights, guests enjoy tapas and a cool jazz trio.
Downstairs, the spa offers detoxifying and hydrating wraps and facials to counteract the effects of sun and wind on the links, and a series of massages, including hot stone and a couple’s experience to ease aching muscles.
In 2007 both Ontario Golf and Fairways magazines named Cobble Beach “best new course” and SCORE Golf magazine rated it “third best new course in Canada.”
When you visit, try to get down to Owen Sound’s lively Farmer’s Market, open every Saturday morning. Just 10 minutes from the resort, it’s brimming with local produce, crafts and characters. Visit the neighbouring Tom Thompson Art Gallery and you’ll see why playing Cobble Beach feels like stepping into a Group of Seven painting.
1-888-278-8112; www.cobblebeach.com

Anita Draycott is a Toronto-based freelance journalist and managing editor of GolfStyle magazine.