TORONTO - One of the beauties of golf is its exotic locations. The game can be played high in the mountains or in the dunes of the desert, on the edge of the ocean, or the heart of the forest. There are now more than 32,000 courses sprinkled around the globe. Here are 10 terrific layouts that are worth a pilgrimage in 2017:

The Boulders, Carefree, Arizona

The first time I ever teed it up at The Boulders, it was nearly noon and the air was flickering from the heavy heat. I thought for a minute that I might be hallucinating. The two courses are lined with brown boulders the size of bungalows, each balanced on top of each other, as if some pre-historic giant had been tinkering with his Stone Age Lego set. The resort has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation and is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton.

http://www.theboulders.com

Left: Boulders in Arizona.

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Puakea Golf Course, Kauai, Hawaii

Even if they don’t know it, about half of the world’s population have caught a glimpse of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It’s been the backdrop for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters including Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean. It is also home to the stunning Puakea Golf Course that weaves through a series of lush ravines with views out to the Pacific. The course is co-owned by billionaire Steve Case, founder of AOL.

http://www.puakeagolf.com

Left: Puakea in Hawaii.

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Cape Wickham, King Island, Australia

King Island is a tiny speck of real estate that just rises above the curling white water of Wild Bass Strait. Tucked between Tasmania and the Australian mainland, the island is home to a population of about 1,000 people and a colony of Fairy Penguins. But about a year ago, tourism took a big uptick with the opening of Cape Wickham Golf Course, a spectacularly rugged layout that features views of the Great Southern Ocean, with eight holes running right along the coast.

http://www.capewickham.com.au

Left: Cape Wickham in Australia.

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Cabot Cliffs, Inverness, Nova Scotia

Canada is mostly a modest nation which is refreshing in this age of hype and hokum. However, I’ll gladly bang the pots and pans in praise of Cabot Cliffs in Cape Breton, which made its official debut in 2016. Clinging to the red stone high ground that towers above the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the village of Inverness, the course has already been ranked as one of the top 20 courses in the entire world. Make sure to also tee it up at the Cliff’s sister course, Cabot Links, which is nearly as good, making the duo the best one/two combination in all of golf.

http://www.cabotlinks.com

Le Golf National, Paris

Golf is going big time in the land of ooh-la-la. In 2018, L’Albatros course at Le Golf National will be hosting the Ryder Cup, one of the sporting world’s top events. The course is a links-style layout that is heavy on mounds and carries over water. What sets it apart is its location. Le Golf National is a wedge shot away from the Palace of Versailles and just 30kms from the Arc de Triomphe.

http://www.golf-national.com

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta

Running through the shadows of jagged mountain peaks, Jasper has attracted the world’s rich and famous, from Bing Crosby to Bill Gates (who liked to wrap up his golfing day with a spirited game of bridge). Located in the heart of a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the course is wrapped by six mountain ranges, hot springs, glaciers, waterfalls and a Noah’s Ark worth of critters.

http://www.fairmont.com/jasper

Left: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

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Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand

If you want to celebrate a great round of golf with an excellent adult beverage, make the trip to Cape Kidnappers Golf Course on New Zealand’s North Island. The course runs along a spectacular chunk of headland that juts out into the Pacific, with fairways that zig-zag across rolling ridges and greens that teeter on the cliffs. The local wines are equally as memorable. Hawke’s Bay features a Bordeaux-like climate and is the New Zealand capital for red wines, famous for its cabernet sauvignons and merlots.

http://www.capekidnappers.com

Leatherstocking, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Blue Jay fans will want to visit Cooperstown in Upstate New York for its terrific Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Just a six hour drive from Toronto, the village is also sprinkled with galleries, old inns and an architectural mix of Victorian gingerbread and Colonial red brick — it’s a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. The neighbouring Leatherstocking Golf Club at the Otesaga Resort is just as pastoral. Designed in 1909, the course rises through the hills and then finishes with a flourish by the lake. Keep an eye open for past icons who return to Cooperstown each summer for Hall of Fame festivities.

http://www.otesaga.com

Royal County Down, Northern Ireland

Ranked as one of the top layouts in the entire golfing kingdom, Royal County Down has been a place of pilgrimage since it was first laid out in 1888 by Old Tom Morris. (More recent visitors have ranged from Tom Watson to Tiger Woods.) Curling next to Dundrum Bay and the seaside town of Newcastle, the course is both a beauty and beast. In the spring, it’s ablaze in yellow gorse and in the fall, carpeted in purple heather. But don’t be lulled by the pretty picture. The wind can howl like a banshee and features five blind tee shots.

http://www.royalcountydown.org

Left: Royal Country Down in Ireland.

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Jian Lake Blue Bay, Hainan, China

It’s always a thrill to tee it up in the footsteps of the pros. In October, the best women in the world played the Jian Lake Blue Bay course for an LPGA tournament so you can compare your scores to Australian winner Minjee Lee or Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson. Opened in 2012, Jian Lake is a tough test, especially when the wind is blowing hard off the South China Sea.

http://www.bluebaygolf.cn