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:

WHEELING, WV - From my mountain-top vantage point outside the charming Oglebay Resort and Conference Centre, I watch the smoky morning mist slowly rise from the belly of the lush valley below. Off in the distance, I see deer grazing in the sweeping pastures that drift off into a forest thick with giant pines. Above my head a hawk soars — it’s honed in on the small prey rustling in the tall grass nearby and oblivious to my presence. I suck in the dewy air and watch in awe as the sun pops up fro...

PANAMA CITY - When a country is shaped like the 13th hole at Augusta National, and its most famous landmark is a “water hole,” chances are it has some pretty good golf courses.

TORONTO - With Christmas fast approaching, you’re probably wondering what to put under the tree for that golfer in your life, who probably already has every gadget and club imaginable in their bag. Does he or she really need another driver that takes them 40 yards deeper into the woods or fescue?

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC - Sea Pines Resort is no longer just another pretty face.

KEMBLE, ON - The road that winds along lovely Georgian Bay and past the rolling countryside known as Georgian Bluffs, reminds me of the seaside Massachusetts highways I normally travel on vacation -— before the Canadian dollar became a Third World currency, that is.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - The man with the devilish grin who welcomes me to America’s golf mecca says he’s taking me to see a Wizard and a Witch and later we’ll tackle a Man-O-War. Now he’s got me wondering: Is this the golf vacation I signed up for or the Harry Potter tour.

KAUA‘i, HAWAII - I finally lost my tolerance for cold and snow this past winter, during which I seemingly spent more hours shovelling than sleeping. Once spring sprung, I broke out my golf clubs from their long winter’s nap and booked a golf vacation to Hawaii — specifically Kaua‘i, the northernmost of the state’s six main islands.

CORONADO ISLAND, CA. - It’s early morning — the sun is just beginning to show itself on the horizon — but already the parking lot at Coronado’s Municipal Golf Course is packed with cars. The starter, a small, elderly man with lots of tattoos painted on his muscular arms — “souvenirs of my Navy days” — is expecting another busy day.

CAPE BRETON ISLAND, N.S. - This magical island that juts out of the Atlantic east of Nova Scotia, is a Canadian treasure, offering one the most awe-inspiring looped drives in the world. It’s no wonder Cape Breton is often singled out by respected publications like National Geographic as one of the world’s must-see places.