Thousands of people visit the northern United States and Canada during the spectacular "fall" season, when the leaves change to dramatic colours. Golds, reds, yellows and oranges all mix to form the most amazing backdrop, and golf courses, with their myriad trees, are a great place to be in early October. So it was during my visit to Prince Edward Island, Canada's top golf destination with almost half a million visitors a year - or rather a season, for the golf "year" lasts only from early May to late October. The other months bring snow, freezing temperatures as low as -20°C and a wind from the Arctic to stun you.

Prince Edward Island is crescent-shaped and lies just north of Nova Scotia in the Gulf of St Lawrence. First discovered by French settlers in 1534 it was originally named Isle de St Jean, a name it kept until 1799 when it was renamed in honour of Edward, Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria. The British had gained possession in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris. Its economy is based mainly on agriculture and fishing, now heavily supported by tourism. Its capital, Charlottetown, named after Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, was the venue for a conference in 1864 which led to the creation of the Confederation of Canada, so the island is still hailed as the birthplace of Canada. It's a tiny town, the sort of place where six cars is a traffic jam, and very relaxed. Locals don't even bother locking their cars, or their houses. It's inexpensive, friendly and what it lacks in night-life, it more than makes up for in hospitality.

Golfers are spoilt for choice. Just across the bridge from the centre of Charlottetown is Fox Meadows, a lovely 18-hole layout with service that makes most UK golf clubs look positively down-at-heel. Excellent food is served so you can grab a late breakfast or early lunch before your round. The practice facilities are good and it certainly helps to loosen up before taking on what is a fine and testing course. Almost every hole gently dog-legs left or right with some good bunkering to make it interesting. Tall fescue grass separates the fairways so although you are unlikely to lose a ball you will face a penalty for straying from the fairways. Several holes also have marshy areas to cover before reaching the fairway and decent tee-shots are required to reach safety, none more so than on the 13th, a sharp dog-leg left which requires a carry of about 180 yards to reach the fairway, but even that will leave you a testing shot over the corner of the lake to reach the green.

In the far west of the island, about a 90-minute drive from Charlottetown, is the Mill River Resort, a lovely hotel with excellent leisure facilities and a very good golf course first built in 1971 by Robbie Robinson and tweaked a little in 1994 by Graham Cooke, both Canadians. Tree-lined for most of its length with fairways that gently curve, this is another fine test of your skill and patience. The secret lies in hitting long, straight tee-shots. The 7th in particular is spectacular, with a series of ponds running right down the centre of the fairway. You have about 12 yards of fairway either side and then a mid-iron to a green about 70 feet above you tucked into the trees. A gem of a hole. A charming halfway house - and it really is a house! - is an almost obligatory five-minute stop with sandwiches, burgers, and hot or cold drinks to keep you going on the back nine. The 13th is one of the most testing holes requiring a long drive straight over bunkers at 220 yards. The hotel has a very good indoor pool with sauna and spa and a great restaurant for evening dining. A lovely experience.

Close to the famous Green Gables house immortalised by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canada's most famous author, who wrote the "Anne of Green Gables" series between 1908 and 1917, is Glasgow Hills. Just outside the village of Old Glasgow, this is a fairly open course that is quite gentle on the front nine but very hard on the back. Most of PEI is fairly flat - this is the exception. The second is a great hole - 525 yards long and a mile wide, playing straight downhill and down-wind. Grip it and rip it is the key here and then enjoy pacing out a 300-yard drive, or more. Reality grabs you on the fourth, however, when you have to come back up the hill and into the wind. Most of the rest of the front half is through tree-lined fairways but it opens up at the tenth. From then on you are hitting long and straight and can't ease up for a moment. Get close to your handicap on this course and you can go home happy. The north side of the island has a cluster of golf courses that make an ideal circuit - though it would be a shame to miss out on those already mentioned. The Rodd hotel chain has properties on two of them, as well as at Mill River. Crowbush is a venue for pro tournaments on the island and is a good test. Running through trees, over lakes and along the beach, this course has everything. The wind always blows hard on this course and you'll do well to keep the ball low. When it really blows the only sensible option is to play defensive golf. The hotel is excellent with good food, a good pool, sauna and outdoor hot-tub. Seafood is obviously a good option on an island but everything else is good and wholesome. A meal can be had for around C$45 per person (£22) and a decent bottle of wine varies from about C$35 to C$45. Apart from golf there is plenty of sightseeing on the island, with fine beaches on the north, some cute little seaside villages and the impressive Woodleigh Gardens, where you'll find mini replicas of world famous buildings. Beach lovers, walkers, cyclists and those in search of wildlife are in for a treat.

The Rodd group also runs the Brudenell River Resort with two courses, the Brudenell River and the Dundarave Links. They are like chalk and cheese and you'll like one or the other. I preferred the Brudenell River course, which runs through trees and close to the sea, a couple of holes playing over inlets. Picturesque, narrow in places and requiring a full range of shots I found this a good challenge but one on which you can score well if your game is on form. The Dundarave course is different, long, full of bunkers and with some very long treks between green and tee. This is one course where you definitely should take a buggy. You need to be a long hitter to score well and for most people it's just too long at 7,284 yards off the back tees. One other course well worth playing - in fact it's a must - is Avondale. It opens like a Jack Nicklaus course - rolling fairways with huge mounds either side - but by the third you're into the trees and shaping shots to take advantage of the gentle curvature. Every hole is a challenge with some strong par-3s (always a good test of a golf course), including the fourth which plays 180 yards over a pond. A really fine golf course this is one not to miss at any costs. And with prices this low for a round of golf a week on PEI will not break the bank. True, getting there is a bit circuitous - I flew from London to Halifax (Nova Scotia) on Zoom, the best airline across the ocean, and then a 20 minute hop over to Charlottetown. But it was worth it and although PEI might not necessarily be at the top of your list, it is for half a million American and Canadian golfers who visit during the short season. And that says a lot.

The east side of the island has a cluster of golf courses that make an ideal circuit - though it would be a shame to miss out on those already mentioned. The Rodd hotel chain has properties on two of them, as well as at Mill River. Crowbush is a venue for pro tournaments on the island and is a good test. Running through trees, over lakes and along the beach, this course has everything. The fifth is a teasing par-5 where you can get a very good drive away and then face a problem of either laying-up or going for the tiny green across a lake. To be honest, a lay-up a long way right is the only safe option because you need a very short iron to be able to hold the green with your approach. Eight and sixteen are similar in that they both play across the sea, the former 219 yards to the green, the latter a carry of 180 yards to a very narrow fairway. Both are testing. The wind always blows hard on this course and you'll do well to keep the ball low. When it really blows the only sensible option is to play defensive golf. The hotel is excellent with good food, a good pool, sauna and outdoor hot-tub. Seafood is obviously a good option on an island but everything else is good and wholesome. A meal can be had for around C$45 per person (£14) and a decent bottle of wine varies from about C$25 for Canadian wine to C$45 for imports. Apart from golf there is plenty of sightseeing on the island, with fine beaches on the north, some cute little seaside villages and the impressive Woodleigh Gardens, where you'll find mini replicas of world famous buildings. Beach lovers, walkers, cyclists and those in search of wildlife are in for a treat.