The Pines (Digby Pines Resort)

The Pines at Digby Pines Resort sits atop a hill above the Annapolis Basin in Digby, Nova Scotia — one of the few surviving Stanley Thompson designs still in active play. Thompson laid out the course in 1931, and it remains an 18-hole, par-71 layout measuring 6,200 yards. The elevated setting offers sweeping views over the basin, with rolling terrain that rewards precise ball-striking and course management.

Thompson's routing threads through stands of mature pine trees and crosses a meandering brook that broadens into ponds at two points on the course — most notably at holes two and sixteen. The second hole, a par three, is regarded as the course's most picturesque moment, with water framing the approach. The combination of tree-lined corridors, water features, and contoured fairways reflects the naturalistic design philosophy Thompson applied across his celebrated portfolio.

At 6,200 yards from the tips, the course is playable for a wide range of golfers without sacrificing strategic interest. The terrain asks for thoughtful club selection and a confident short game around Thompson's characteristically firm, contoured greens. Greens fees run between CAD $75 and $105, making it one of the more accessible historic resort tracks in Atlantic Canada.

Digby itself is a compact harbour town known as the departure point for the Bay of Fundy ferry and for its locally harvested scallops. The resort setting makes The Pines a natural centrepiece for a broader Nova Scotia road trip, with the Annapolis Valley wine country and the tidal reaches of the Fundy shore both within easy reach.