Golf in Canada

In Quebec, the Charlevoix region stretches along the north shore of the St Lawrence, an hour and forty minutes' drive from Quebec City airport to Baie-Saint-Paul and two and a half hours to La Malbaie. A UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1988, it brings its mountains and forests down to the river, so wide here that it already feels like the sea. The courses make the most of it: the 27 holes of Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, opened in 1925, play high above the river at La Malbaie; Murray Bay Golf Club, founded in 1876 a few minutes away, is among the oldest in North America; and Golf Baie-Saint-Paul plays between forest and river on the edge of a town of art galleries.

The season is short: the courses open in May and close around mid-October, and the best period is June to September, with long summer days and the autumn colours of the maples late in the season. Winter belongs to skiing. We arrange tailor-made trips there: reserved tee times, private transfers from Quebec City, carefully chosen hotels and tables that make the most of the region's produce.