The Best Southern Maine Golf Courses
Southern Maine as well known as a destination for beaches, whale watching, fishing, and nature walks, but Maine also excels at greens, fairways and beautiful golf courses. Many of Maine’s golf courses are highly ranked in terms of quality and challenge. If you’re looking for a great golfing vacation this summer, you could hardly do better than the coastal courses of southern Maine.
To make planning your Maine golf vacation simple, we’ve outlined a few of our favorite nearby golf courses, along with what makes them so special.
1. Cape Neddick Country Club
A semi-private 18-hole course just a few miles from our hotel, Cape Neddick Country Club is a true treasure in the world of golf. The front nine was designed by famed golf course architect Donald Ross in 1919, giving the country club almost a hundred years of continual, quality service. In 1990, the course hired Brian Silva – named the Course Architect of the Year by Golf World Magazine in 1999 – to design a back nine in the style of the original Ross holes, earning renown for its mix of classic style and modern features.
Avid golfers can enjoy a round (or several) at Cape Neddick Country Club during their stay at The Dunes on the Waterfront — our guests assure us it’s worth the trip.
2. The Ledges Golf Club
Just outside of York, The Ledges Golf Club is one of the best public golf courses on the Eastern Seaboard. A par-72 course designed by award-winning architect William Bradley Booth, The Ledges awes golfers with its stunning scenery and sweeping design. Golf Magazine named it the best new course when it opened in 1999, and Golf Digest rates it at 4 ½ stars, one of the highest in the region. Challenging features like quick elevation changes, sharp doglegs and difficult water features make it a memorable course (and no doubt frustrating at times), and its remarkable views quickly recapture the golfer’s admiration.
3. Cape Arundel Golf Club
If you’re a fan of classic, links-style golf, we have the perfect Maine golf course suggestion for you. Cape Arundel, near Kennebunkport, is a shorter, par-69 resort course with an emphasis on shot-making and ball control. Originally designed in the early 1920s by U.S. and British Amateur Champion Walter Travis, Cape Arundel still offers the same kind of early-20th-century charm that it did nearly a hundred years ago. There are a number of hazards, mostly stemming from the Kennebunk River that runs alongside the course. Cape Arundel Golf Club is a perfect place to work on your short game and practice chips and fairway shots before taking a tougher championship courses.
4. Old Marsh Country Club
Of all the Maine golf courses we’ve featured here, Old Marsh Country Club might be the most challenging – and the most rewarding. Also designed by Brian Silva, the course features adaptations of holes designed by legendary golf architect Charles B. Macdonald. Though it opened in 2008, the course evokes classical designs and sensibility with modern touches and challenges. Every hole on this course requires strategy and foresight; reading the course descriptions before teeing off is highly encouraged. Old Marsh is well-regarded by the golfing community, and was ranked one of the Top 10 New Golf Courses in the U.S. by Golf Magazine in 2008. If you’re looking for a great combination of challenge and fun, Old Marsh is the course for you.
Regardless of which course you devote yourself to during the day, The Dunes on the Waterfront is the perfect place to rest up for your next round.