Cabot Unveils New Golf Destination With Cabot Wilds In Nova Scotia

Cabot’s Partner

The project is being developed in partnership with Canadian businessman John Bragg and his family, the founders of the world’s largest wild blueberry farming operations, Oxford Frozen Foods.

Bragg was an initial investor in Cabot Cape Breton and last year expanded his ownership stake in the property that includes two World Top 100 courses. Cabot Wilds is located just outside Oxford on land long owned by the Bragg family, only minutes from the headquarters of the family business.

“This land has always been a treasured place for my family,” Bragg said in a press release. “It’s incredibly meaningful to now share this special part of Nova Scotia with the world.”

Cowan-Dewar has described Bragg as more than a valued business partner for years, even prior to the announcement of Cabot Wilds. It’s not unlike the connection he’s had with Mike Keiser, the founder of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort – the remote property on the rugged Oregon coast that’s often credited with ushering in the modern movement in destination golf experiences. Keiser was also a significant early investor in Cabot Cape Breton.

“I marveled at John and the business that he’s built,” said Cowan-Dewar. “As people who care deeply about rural Canada, and particularly rural Nova Scotia, we had that in common from the get-go. But he went from being an ardent cheerleader in the early days of Cabot Cape Breton — and talking about it and bringing people to celebrate it — to investing in it and being a homeowner and then ultimately buying the majority of it. That speaks to the evolution of a friendship and a business relationship.

“I was blessed in my life to have Mike Keiser be so much more than just a business partner, but really a mentor and an exemplar,” he added. “And I would say John has been the exact same.”

Cabot Wilds is a project that Cowan-Dewar says is “super near and dear” to Bragg’s heart but added that he hopes Bragg will be involved in other potential Cabot-related projects in the future. Cabot’s portfolio, in addition to the original in Nova Scotia, also includes Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida, Cabot Highlands in Scotland, Cabot Bordeaux in France, and Lofoten Links in Norway.

Another natural question, as with most national (or international) golf resorts, is whether there will eventually be more than the initial course from Mingay, a native Canadian who was an associate of Rod Whitman, the designer of Cabot Links.

“There’s the there’s trends that follow, but you’ve got to get the first one done, it’s got to be a success, and you’ve got to do a great job to get that opportunity,” Cowan-Dewar said. “But certainly, I hope we do get that opportunity to add.”