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MCM 2013 - It's Not Just About Golf

It's also about good food and drink!

Please note the following schedule for "group" dinners, which we encourage everyone to attend:

- Wednesday, June 26th at 8pm - Cabot Links (the "Panorama" dining room). See http://cabotlinks.com/dining.

- Saturday, June 29th at 6:30pm - The Inn at Glenora Distillery. See http://www.glenoradistillery.com/dining.htm. This will be our closing dinner, and will also involve a short tour of Canada's only single malt distillery.

We will have set menus for these dinners. Attire is casual - jeans and sneakers allowed.

Note that Cabot Links also has two pubs - see http://cabotlinks.com/dining.

See you in 5 days!

Santo

Cabot Links – Meet the Press

Written by Santo Manna
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
The 16th at Cabot Links Cabot Links Golf Resort in Inverness, Nova Scotia, our host for the 2013 instalment of the Myrtle Cup Matches, has been a hot topic of late. Golf industry moguls, architects, journalists and other from all over the world have made their way over there to savour this new delight of the golf world. Here is a sampling of their experiences, for your reading pleasure: forbes.com - The Hottest Island In Golf linksmagazine.com - How good is Cabot Links? by Thomas Dunne canadiangolfer.com - How good is Cabot Links? by Robert Thompson online.wsj.com - When Building a Course Makes Sense scoregolf.com - Cabot comes full circle departures.com - Exceptional Golfing in Nova Scotia travel.nytimes.com - In Cape Breton, a Rugged Golf Getaway golfworldmonday.com - The (easy) case for visiting Cabot Links nytimes.com - The Increasing Allure of Faraway Fairways golf.com - Top 100 Courses: The Class of '13 golfdigest.com - Podcast: Nova Scotia's Cabot Links--a remote destination worth the trip scoregolf.com - My take on Cabot scoregolf.com - Cabot Comes True

MCM 2013, Deal concluded.

Written by Santo Manna

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Hi everyone,

First of all, please accept my apologies for having taken so long to issue this announcement, it's been a hectic beginning to 2013, not much other explanation.

I'm pleased to announce that we have concluded a deal to hold the MCM 2013 event at the Cabot Links golf resort (see http://cabotlinks.com/), a spectacular venue on the shores of the Northumberland Strait in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, on the gorgeous "Ceilidh Trail" (pronounced "Kaylee"). The financing behind this golf course and the 2nd one currently under construction (which we have been invited to tour upon arrival) came from Mike Keiser, the owner of the famed Bandon Dunes resort - when you see the course and location, you'll know immediately why a guy who could have gone anywhere to build another "Bandon Dunes", chose this place - it is a true "links" course, with the ocean visible on all 18 holes. It has attracted attention globally, and has received many rave reviews from lots of different sources, including Golf Digest and the Golf Channel . The owners have every intention that this resort will become Bandon Dunes East, and I am virtually certain that we will see a Presidents' Cup played at this venue within 10 years.

We managed to get another very good deal, a total of $1100 per person all taxes in for the basic package, and it's closer to $1000 if you choose not to play the 1st practice round on Wednesday (which will be an option most people take due to the travel logistics, see below). This is compared to about an average of $1200 that we have been paying over the years.

The dates are as announced previously, starting Wednesday June 26th and ending Sunday June 30th - for this year, however, the Wednesday practice round will be optional. Of course everyone will have the option to stay Sunday night and enjoy a great relaxing close-out to the trip, returning home Monday.

I will provide more details in the coming weeks, including information regarding deposits, hotel, etc., but for now what you need to do is confirm your participation in this great event so that we can start to nail down flights and other logistics. Please reply by Friday, March 29th, to Marc and me. Do not book flights yet, even though we have given you some options below, rather indicate your preferred arrival/departure times and we'll advise you on the best flight to book as a group taking into account travel/car rental logistics.

On that note...

I know that the location we have chosen caused some controversy this year, and as a result some of you have chosen to skip this year (and some are leaning that way). I respect your decisions, those already made and those to come, and I appreciate the reasons for them. That said, I felt strongly that we should go forward with this venue, and I am confident that those of you who come will have a fantastic time. For those who are still on the fence, consider the following:

- The travel logistics, while more difficult than other years, are far from insurmountable. The golf course is a 2-hour flight from NYC into Halifax, and then a 3-hour drive - to put that into context, the trip to Arizona in 2008 involved a 5+ hour flight and a 45-minute drive. And more food for thought, most Canadians have at least a 5-hour + travel time each year, often with connecting flights involved.

- We have figured out very solid flight options from/to NY and Montreal. See details below.

- We have made the 1st practice round entirely optional, to help with logistics. On the Sunday, we are completing all rounds by 12:30pm to eliminate rushing and ensure everyone makes flights with time to spare.

- As a result of the above, no one will have to take any more time off than in other years - you will be able to arrive at Cabot Links on a late afternoon or evening flight from NYC on the Wednesday, and you will be back in NYC late Sunday night (if you so choose).

Think of this as a "unique" trip, like "going to Ireland" without actually going overseas, because that's the experience we will have when we play this course. I know that sounds like hyperbole, and you can judge me (harshly, if need be) when you actually see the course and location, but to me this is going to be like playing Doonbeg or Lahinch, and even better, with far less travel involved. And keep in mind that next year, we'll likely go to a much closer location (possibly back to Myrtle Beach), to make up for the extra travel time this year.

Let us know if you have any questions, and look forward to seeing you at Cabot Links.

Cheers!
Santo

Caddyshack clips

MCM 2013 - It's Not Just About Golf