Shanks, Whiffs and One-Irons, Laura Aiken – 10 Reasons to Get to Quebec.

I could give you a hundred reasons to golf in Quebec after traveling to the Charlevoix region and Quebec City this September, where I had the pleasure of playing the St. Laurent and Tadoussac courses at Fairmont Le Manor Richelieu, Le Grand Vallon at Mont-Saint-Anne and La Tempête outside Quebec City. Essentially this meant playing on the edge of a cliff alongside the St. Lawrence, then at the base of the Appalachians, and finally in an Ontario park-like setting. While the golf experiences are uniquely Quebecois, the dramatically changing scenery sometimes feels like the Caribbean and British Columbia wrapped in one wonderfully eclectic gift.

Here are 10 top reasons to brush up on your French:

1. You don’t have to wait until 11:00 am to drink alcohol on the golf course.
2. Crème Brulée Fois Gras
3. No one was rude to me because my French sounded suspiciously like English
4. One must experience how the stimp of a green can double in speed when heading towards water on the edge of a cliff
5. Tartare galore: beef, venison, tuna, duck…
6. Boutique shopping in old Quebec City. Priceless.
7. When you’re in Charlevoix, you’re also standing in a really big meteor crater, one of the only inhabited ones on Earth.
8. See Free Willy and all his friends on whale-watching cruises
9. The multitude of art galleries in Baie-Saint-Paul will inspire even the most rudimentary talent
10. Casino de Charlevoix a pristine, modern gambling experience that’s adjacent to Fairmont Le Manor Richelieu

Laura Aiken is the editor of Bay Area Golfing magazine and communications director for the BAGS Junior Golf Tour. She has been a golf writer for six years, and a mediocre player and fashion activist for 10. Laura can be reached at laura@bags.on.ca.