Peterborough

Generally regarded as the entrance to the Kawartha region of Ontario and a key stop along the Trent-Severn Waterway, Peterborough remains a notable, albeit quite small Canadian city.

Many Canadians also regard Peterborough as one of the primary cradles of junior hockey as its team, the Petes, has a glorious history. The Petes are generally are in action for a few weeks at the start of the golf season and at the end as winter approaches, and attending a game should be mandatory for a visiting golfer. If it is the dead of summer, a Lakers lacrosse game is not a bad idea -- Peterborough is also a hotbed for the box version of the sport.
Major junior hockey in Canada is roughly comparable to NCAA football in the U.S. and to that end, Peterborough was where many future Hall of Famers players played as teenagers, including Bob Gainey and Steve Yzerman, and more recently, Eric Staal. Though he didn't play for the Petes, Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry is a local product, as is the Nashville Predators' Mike Fisher, who many non-Canadians know as the husband of country music star Carrie Underwood.

The "Underwoods" often spend time in Peterborough to soak of the serene and understated summer atmosphere that the area's lakes and rivers provide in making it one of the prime areas for summer homes.

Another cool feature of Peterborough is local arts scene. The city has done a better job than most small centers in preserving and encouraging the local arts community dating back to the days of its founding by Irish immigrants and it's no small coincidence that fabled musician Neil Young grew up in the area. More recently the local liberal arts college, Trent University, adds an element of local artistic flair highlighted by the chock-full late-summer schedule of events and festivals.

Peterborough is twinned with Ann Arbour, Mich. but many visitors have remarked that it reminds them more of a northern version of Athens, Ga. because both university towns are equally supportive of local sports and the arts scene.

As for the golf, well, with plenty of water and trees and many affluent locals and tourists passing through, it didn't take long for developers to realize that the game could thrive here. And it has. Kawartha Golf and Country Club is where the Boston Bruins' Marc Savard has fine-tuned his game to make him the best hockey-playing golfer among active or recently retired NHLers (or is that golfing hockey player?). A little further away outside of town, Black Bear Ridge near Belleville, Timber Ridge in Brighton and Smuggler's Glen in Gananoque, are three outstanding golf courses.