Cabot has placed three courses inside the top 10 of Golf World’s new Top 100 X Factor Courses – World ranking, with five properties from its international portfolio included in total.
Lofoten Links in Norway earned the highest position at No. 3. Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia followed at No. 4, while Cabot Cliffs at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia took ninth place.
Castle Stuart at Cabot Highlands in Scotland was ranked No. 38, with Cabot Links at Cabot Cape Breton completing the group at No. 46.
Cabot’s five ranked courses
The courses span four countries and several forms of coastal golf:
- No. 3: Lofoten Links, Norway
- No. 4: Point Hardy Golf Club, Cabot Saint Lucia
- No. 9: Cabot Cliffs, Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
- No. 38: Castle Stuart, Cabot Highlands, Scotland
- No. 46: Cabot Links, Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Three of those entries sit beside the Norwegian Sea, the Caribbean coastline and the coast of Nova Scotia respectively. Castle Stuart occupies a setting beside Scotland’s Moray Firth, while Cabot Links gives Cape Breton a second course within the global top 50.
The result also puts both Cabot Cape Breton courses in the ranking. Cabot Cliffs leads the Canadian resort’s representation at No. 9, 37 places ahead of Cabot Links.
What the X Factor ranking measures
Golf World created the global list to recognise courses for their dramatic locations, distinctive individual holes, course conditioning and tournament pedigree.
That approach places greater emphasis on the character of the complete round and the relationship between a course and its surroundings. Cabot’s five entries cover very different destinations, from the rugged coast of northern Norway to a Caribbean layout in Saint Lucia and established seaside golf in Scotland.
The five properties follow different models. Each uses its natural setting to shape how the course looks and plays.
Cabot co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar said the results reflected the work behind each property.
“It’s a great honour to see five of our courses recognised by Golf World, including three among the global top-10,” Cowan-Dewar said.
“Each is entirely distinct, yet all are shaped by an exceptional setting and create their own unique sense of charm. This recognition is a fitting tribute to the architects, teams and communities whose care and commitment have made these courses what they are today.”
A portfolio spanning Europe and North America
The five ranked courses form part of Cabot’s wider collection of golf and resort developments. Alongside its properties in Norway, Saint Lucia, Nova Scotia and Scotland, the company has destinations at Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida and Cabot Bordeaux in France.
Cabot combines destination golf with residential property and boutique resort accommodation across its portfolio. The new Golf World list focuses on the courses themselves, with Lofoten Links finishing two places short of the top position and Point Hardy one place behind it.
Cabot Cliffs gives the group its third top-10 entry, while Castle Stuart and Cabot Links extend its representation into the top-50.
Related: Cabot Bordeaux redefines the European golf escape in 2026
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.