Laurentides & Lanaudière: A Golfer's Guide to Quebec's North

North of Montréal, where the Laurentian highlands roll into a landscape of lakes and boreal forest, the Laurentides & Lanaudière Golf Trail gathers some of Quebec's most scenic and historically significant courses — none more storied than Club de golf Lachute, a Stanley Thompson design dating to 1923, or more expansive than Golf Griffon des Sources, one of Canada's longest championship parkland courses at over 7,500 yards.

• Club de golf Lachute: A 36-hole semi-private facility shaped by Stanley Thompson and Howard Watson in 1923 — one of the oldest and most respected clubs in the region.
• Golf Carling Lake: A resort course in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge with a dramatic Laurentian setting; the par-4 2nd and 7th holes share adjacent greens beside an encroaching lake.
• Golf Griffon des Sources: At 7,536 yards from the tips, this Mirabel parkland layout ranks among the longest championship courses in Canada.
• Falcon Golf Course: A Graham Cooke design in Hudson that blends natural scenery with technical challenge across a full 7,106 yards.
• Club de Golf Nominingue: A resort course embedded in the lakes-and-pines landscape of Lac-Nominingue — the trail's most northerly destination.

The trail's logical starting point for golfers arriving from Montréal is Golf Griffon des Sources in Mirabel. Opened in 1970, this par-72 parkland layout stretches to a formidable 7,536 yards, making it one of the longest courses anywhere in Canada — a genuine test of ball-striking before the more varied terrain of the Laurentians takes hold. From Mirabel, the highway swings west toward Hudson, where Falcon Golf Course offers a contrasting experience: designed by Graham Cooke and opened in 2001, the 7,106-yard layout is built to work with the land rather than against it, routing fairways through natural corridors that reward course management as much as raw distance.

Heading east along the Ottawa River corridor brings golfers to two courses with deep roots. Club de golf Lachute is the region's crown jewel — a 36-hole semi-private facility whose championship course was laid out by Stanley Thompson and later refined by Howard Watson. Founded in 1923, it carries the quiet authority of a club that has hosted serious competitive golf for a century. Not far away, Club de Golf Rivière Rouge in Coteau-du-Lac provides a more accessible public alternative: a Maurice Berthiaume design from 1972, playing to a par 71 over 6,430 yards of parkland.

North into the Laurentian foothills, Golf Carling Lake in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge delivers the trail's most postcard-worthy setting. Another Stanley Thompson and Howard Watson collaboration, this 6,720-yard resort course dates to 1945 and is best remembered for its signature 2nd and 7th holes, where adjacent greens sit hard against an encroaching lake — demanding precision approach play with genuine scenic drama as a backdrop. Golfers based in the Saint-Sauveur valley will want to add Club de Golf Piedmont, a public parkland course founded in 1923 that has served the ski-country community for generations. The trail concludes at its most remote destination: Club de Golf Nominingue, a 6,325-yard resort course in Lac-Nominingue built in 1970 and surrounded by the lakes and conifer forests that define the upper Laurentians. Closer to the city, Club De Golf Lorraine rounds out the collection with a mature, tree-lined Arnold McLean Sr. design that has been shaping the game in the north Montréal suburbs since 1960.

Day 1 — Montréal Gateway: Begin within easy reach of the city at Golf Griffon des Sources in Mirabel for a full-length championship warm-up. That evening, make the short drive to Club De Golf Lorraine territory and settle into the north Montréal suburbs before dinner at BBQ Mirabel, where the kitchen is known for London steak and butterfly shrimp.

Day 2 — Hudson to Lachute: Head west to Hudson for a morning round at Falcon Golf Course, a Graham Cooke design that trades Mirabel's open championship scale for something more naturalistic and strategic. In the afternoon, continue east to Lachute and check in at Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lachute or splurge on the four-star comfort of Auberge des Gallant in nearby Rigaud. Dinner options in Lachute itself are strong: Le Bouillon16 suits those craving fondue and grilled meats, Brasserie Sir John Brewing Co. pours house-brewed craft beers alongside elevated pub fare, and the long-running Resto-Bar Le Caucus covers grillades, burgers, and live terrace music.

Day 3 — Lachute & Carling Lake: Devote the morning to Club de golf Lachute, where a century of Stanley Thompson parkland golf awaits across 36 holes. In the afternoon, make the short drive to Grenville-sur-la-Rouge for a look at Golf Carling Lake's famous lakeside greens on the 2nd and 7th holes. Check into Hôtel Lac Carling Spa & Golf for a sleep-and-play night, or wind down with a Nordic spa session at nearby Éco Spa Highland.

Day 4 — Piedmont & the Upper Laurentians: Loop south through the ski village of Piedmont for a round at Club de Golf Piedmont, one of the oldest public courses in the region, before deciding how far north the schedule allows. Committed Laurentian explorers can continue to Club de Golf Nominingue in Lac-Nominingue for a resort round set deep in cottage country — a fitting final chapter to any journey through these highlands.

Sleep-and-play convenience is best served at Hôtel Lac Carling Spa & Golf in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, which sits directly beside Carling Lake Golf and removes any need to move a bag between tee time and dinner. A short distance away, Éco Spa Highland offers a Nordic spa inn that places guests within 13 kilometres of both the Carling Lake courses — a natural fit for travellers who want to balance fairway time with a thermal circuit. Golfers focusing on the Lachute area have two solid options: Auberge des Gallant is a four-star country inn on Rigaud Mountain with spa services, gourmet dining, and a pool, while the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lachute keeps things practical — it sits under two kilometres from Club de golf Lachute and includes free breakfast and parking. Golfers based in the Saint-Sauveur corridor will find Hôtel & Suites Les Laurentides a comfortable base, with full kitchens and jacuzzis just minutes from Club de Golf Piedmont.

With courses ranging from century-old Stanley Thompson parkland to one of Canada's longest championship layouts, the Laurentides & Lanaudière Golf Trail rewards both the history-minded golfer and the one simply chasing a great day in a beautiful landscape — reason enough to start planning the drive north from Montréal.