My father had worked at the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick, when he was in college, and I wanted to see the place where he had spent some of his younger years. There was also a famous golf course there that we wanted to play, so off we went.

We were a little worried about crossing the Canadian border with the camper, but it turned out to be a complete non-event. We breezed through customs, declaring a couple of bottles of wine and a bottle of Scotch. Honesty is important.

We camped at the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground. Check-in was easy. The sites were pretty close together, and the campground was basically an open field beside the ocean. But the views were incredible, the wind coming off the Atlantic was exhilarating, and best of all, they delivered lobster right to our camper, cooked, hot and cracked, ready for dinner.

That night we had lobster and potato salad.

As Wendy said the next day, some of the best meals we had eaten on the road were right there in our camper.

The day we arrived, we took our electric bikes and rode over to the Algonquin Hotel to look around. It was an amazing-looking resort, and I could easily picture my father there all those years ago. From the hotel, we biked through the town of St. Andrews, which was quaint, full of little shops and exactly the kind of place we enjoy wandering around.

Eventually, we found some bike trails that followed the coast, taking us through the trees and along the shoreline to some incredible views of the Atlantic. We had a wonderful day just exploring.

That evening, after dinner and with the tide out, we walked across the mudflats of the bay with the dog, poking around and looking for whatever treasures the receding water had left behind. It was one of those simple evenings that ends up being one of the things you remember most.

The next day, we were ready to play the Algonquin.

Before I get into the golf, I need to say something about golf courses.

One of the things that inspired me to write this blog was a book by Tom Coyne about finding the best golf courses in America. I read it because I love golf and because I like the idea of traveling around looking for great courses. Some of his adventures were entertaining enough, but I had a problem with his definition of a great golf course.

The courses he covered seemed to be almost exclusively the kind that were completely out of reach for working people. Courses with hundred-thousand-dollar initiation fees and annual dues that cost more than I make in a month. That’s not really useful information to me.

I don’t want to read about a golf course that I will never be able to play. I want to hear about the hidden gems. The courses that a regular guy can actually afford. Places worth spending my money on, and maybe just as importantly, places where I shouldn’t waste it.

Coyne’s book wasn’t really that book.

The Algonquin, however, was different.

It was probably at the upper end of what I would normally spend for a round of golf, but it was also the most spectacular golf course I have ever played.

The views of the Atlantic were breathtaking. The course was in excellent condition, challenging without being ridiculous, and the wind coming off the ocean was constantly moving the ball around. You could hit what looked like a perfect shot and watch the Atlantic wind decide it had other plans.

The greens were lightning fast and beautifully maintained. The whole place felt like a golf course should feel when you have traveled a long way to play it.

It cost us around two hundred Canadian dollars each to play, which is certainly more than we normally spend, but in this case, it was worth every penny.

Frankly, I would like to play it again. We even talked about doing a replay before we left. But after the round, we were tired, and we still had to get ourselves ready for the next leg of the journey.

St. Andrews by the Sea turned out to be everything we had hoped it would be. For me, there was the connection to my father and the Algonquin Hotel. For Wendy and me, there was the town, the ocean, the biking, the lobster and, of course, the golf.

St. Andrews by the Sea is a must-visit for RVers and golfers. And if you happen to have a father who once worked at the Algonquin, that’s just one more reason to go