Prince Edward Island named Undiscovered Golf Destination of 2011

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, Canada – Prince Edward Island (PEI) is known for a lot of things; the home of Anne of Green Gables, the best mussels on the continent, world famous Malpeque oysters, the 2nd largest potato producer in North America, the recent highly acclaimed host of a remote “Regis and Kelly”, 2010 host of the Golf Channel’s Big Break reality series, and a multitude of other amazing Island offerings. But now it looks like the secret is out, with PEI just being named “The Undiscovered Destination of the World – 2011” as chosen over 26 other nominated destinations by the International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), presented in Spain last month.

The ‘Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year’ Award is announced as part of the International Golf Travel Market, the golf travel industry’s annual trade show. It is administered by IAGTO and voted on by 150 members of the International Golf Travel Writers Association.

The top six finalists for the 2011 award were Prince Edward Island, Bulgaria, Colombia, Iceland, Mississippi, and Sweden. Other nominations included Abu Dhabi, Alberta, the Azores, Cambodia, Denmark, South West England, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, India, Sardinia Italy, Venetia-Tarvisiano, Italy, Japan, Nepal, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands. Brazil captured the 2010 Undiscovered Award.

Canada’s influential Globe and Mail has designated Prince Edward Island as home to 10 of the top 100 courses in all of Canada. According to Golf Digest, Island courses account for nearly 5 per cent of the top 350 courses in North America. The Island features dozens of top-rated courses designed by renowned architects including Graham Cooke, Robbie Robinson, Les Furber, Thomas McBroom, Jeff Fuller, Stanley Thompson, William G. Robinson, Rob Heaslip, and the team of Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. In fact, there are 32 courses, each with distinct character, layout, design, all within thirty minutes from Charlottetown, PEI’s capital city. Whether looking for links golf, river golf, or woodland or parkland courses, PEI offers it all.

So what else sets Prince Edward Island apart from the competition? As Canada’s smallest province, PEI is just a two hour flight east of Toronto. Set in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is an undiscovered golf haven where a trip to the beach takes less than fifteen minutes in any direction; where dining on fresh lobsters, oysters, scallops and mussels is commonplace; where first-rate music and unique hand-crafted treasures are found around every bend; and where golfers can hone their game on some of the world’s most beautiful golf courses. From the air, PEI even looks like one giant golf course with expanses of green speckled with sand and water traps, interspersed with wood lots.