Unique Courses With Unforgettable Experiences Proves to be Successful Combination for Cabot

Michael LoRé | mlore@bigswingmedia.news

Four Cabot courses were honored by Golf Digest in the World’s 100 Greatest Courses (2026-27). Like many golf obsessed, Ben Cowan-Dewar has travelled the world to play the globe’s greatest courses.

Getting into the game through his grandfather and father, Cowan-Dewar’s passion didn’t peak at playing. He wanted to explore, to create, to evoke.

Influenced from reading “The World Atlas of Golf” and watching “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” growing up, a young Cowan-Dewar became fascinated with the myriad components that come together to create an unforgettable golf course and experience.

He began testing his abilities by designing a hole on his family farm east of Toronto when he was 12 years old. He was then able to visit iconic courses around the globe through GolfTI (Golf Travel Impresarios), a high-end golf travel business he founded as a 19-year-old in 1999 after graduating from the University of Toronto. Combining his passions, Cowan-Dewar launched luxury golf, hospitality and real estate developer Cabot in 2004 when he was 25.   

“All of it was just a real deep passion for the sport, and for how people played the sport and what stirred their souls when they did,” Cowan-Dewar told Big Swing Media. “Then there’s a bunch of acts of serendipity that broke and one thing led to another and then to another.” 

Cabot Cape Breton put Cabot on the map, while also serving as a proof of concept for Cowan-Dewar’s burgeoning company. 

Home to Cabot Links, opened in 2012, Cabot Cliffs (2016) and an 11-hole par-3 course called The Nest, much like the dramatic and breathtaking topography and geographical features that define the resort’s 47 holes, the journey to Inverness, Cape Breton is equally as challenging and rewarding, requiring a three-plus hour drive from Halifax to the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia.

But after arriving on the property partly built on a mine abandoned in the 1950s, the journey quickly proves worthwhile based on vistas alone. To complement the courses, the resort features luxury cottages, villas and homes with views of the course and Atlantic Ocean as well as a number of dining options from its Panorama restaurant to Whit’s Public House pub and Coore’s Lobster Shack.

That combination of unique golf courses coupled with unforgettable experiences and luxury amenities is what Cowan-Dewar has built his business around—with many feeling even more rewarding because of the conscious effort it takes to get there.

Phrases like “Create magical places” and “Where remarkable memories are made” written in big letters on Cabot’s website aren’t catchy marketing slogans, they’re Cowan-Dewar’s impetus for inspiring exploration through golf.

“I think where they stand apart is a singular focus on creating outstanding golf and curating an experience for the traveler surrounding that,” said Evan Roosevelt, Old Tom Capital Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “I think they have a lot of differentiation in the marketplace and I think they’re a pretty unique player. What they’re doing is pretty admirable.”

Mike Keiser’s Dream Golf is Cabot’s closest competitor with the former boasting properties and experiences including Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley and Rodeo Dunes. Marine & Lawn Golf Hotels from AJ Capital Partners operates high-end hotels purposefully positioned alongside historic golf courses in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland, including St. Andrews, Royal Troon and Royal Portrush.

Since opening Cabot Links, Cowan-Dewar and his team have grown Cabot beyond the Canadian border, currently boasting eight properties once Cabot Wilds opens in late 2027 along with four courses it manages across Canada, the U.S., Saint Lucia, Scotland, France and Norway.

Cowan-Dewar said there isn’t a set goal to hit in terms of number of properties, frequency of projects or even targeted locations. North America is an immediate focus with Cabot Citrus Farms (Florida) recently opening in 2025 while Cabot Revelstoke (British Columbia) and Cabot Wilds (Nova Scotia) are set to open in 2027. Cabot has gone years without a new property, while it’s also announced two deals in a four-month span twice.

Seeking new projects like Revelstoke and Wilds while being pitched potential project after project, Cowan-Dewar surveys all opportunities with a keen eye, prioritizing quality over quantity. His biggest challenge is finding a potential project that checks all of the boxes for long-term investment.

The first step is assessing the task at hand which ranges from acquiring land and developing from scratch (Cape Breton), a complete course refurbishment (Citrus Farms) or purchasing and expanding an existing property (Highlands).

While acquired amenities, unique topography and nearby infrastructure may ease the demands of a promising project, Cowan-Dewar’s litmus test is threefold: is it a place he wants to return to for the foreseeable future, what positive and calming feelings does the property evoke, and how are the people and community?

“I remember Bill Coore saying Cabot Cliffs was a celebration of Cape Breton,” Cowan-Dewar said. “I love that line and I think it’s true of what we’re trying to do with all of the places: let the destinations and places we work be the stars.”

The strategy is certainly paying dividends.

Four Cabot courses were honored by Golf Digest in the World’s 100 Greatest Courses (2026-27): Cabot Cliffs at Cabot Cape Breton (14), Point Hardy at Cabot Saint Lucia (23), Cabot Links at Cabot Cape Breton (25) and Castle Stuart at Cabot Highlands (65).

Cabot invested $105 million into Cabot Saint Lucia, a private members community located on a 375-acre peninsula on the northern tip of the Caribbean island. Citrus Farms was a $100-million revitalization project located an hour north of Tampa, Fla. Revelstoke is Cabot’s first mountain course, while Wilds spans 2,500 acres of rolling hills, forests and wild blueberry fields.

Cowan-Dewar isn’t only proud of what he and his team have accomplished, but also values the impact Cabot’s collection of courses and properties have on the communities they anchor.

Citrus Farms created 700 jobs, while Cape Breton added 600. Nearby businesses also benefit from an influx of visitors being enticed by untapped locations and experiences. Golf tourism is a $30 billion industry. More than 12 million Americans have traveled to play golf each year since 2022, according to the National Golf Foundation.

More than 50,000 visitors each year golf as part of their visit to Nova Scotia while recreation and entertainment have contributed to increased visitor spending so far in 2026, according to Tourism Nova Scotia.

“Cabot Cape Breton has played a significant role in positioning Cape Breton as a world-class golf destination,” said Amelia Jarvis, Tourism Nova Scotia’s Acting Director of Outreach and Engagement. “Its impact extends well beyond the courses, creating employment opportunities, encouraging business development, and generating additional spending at accommodations, restaurants and other tourism businesses throughout the island.

“Tourism is an important part of Nova Scotia's economy, and it’s growing.”