GETAWAY
Hourihan Golf Offers Four of the Best Courses Maine Has To Offer
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our of Maine’s premier courses-Bridgton Highlands Golf and Tennis, Fox Ridge Golf Club, Sanford Country Club and Nonesuch River Golf Club--are being managed again this year by Hourihan Golf. Jared Hourihan owns HF Golf along with his father, Dan Hourihan. In addition to managing the daily operations of the course, the company makes recommendations to golfers for lodging in each market. The company also offers The Maine Golf Pass (www.MaineGolfPass.com), which includes a round at each course with cart for $139. In addition, membership at each of the four courses offers opportunities for reciprocal play at the company’s courses for just a cart fee Monday through Thursday, all day, and Friday through Sunday and holidays after noon. The goal is always to add value for members. Sanford Country Club in Sanford has been voted as one of “Maine’s Best Semi-Private Courses”, and chosen by the United States Golf Association to host two United States Amateur qualifiers. Whether you are a beginner, an avid amateur, or even an accomplished player, Sanford has something for everybody. With
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www.HFGolfManagement.com
Maine’s Golf Trifecta
y taking advantage this year of the Maine Trifecta, you can access three of Maine’s top courses and stay at the famed Poland Spring Resort. Spring Meadow Golf Club, the Links at Poland Spring, and Fox Ridge Golf Club are all part of the Trifecta. All three courses are within 20 minutes of one another. When you purchase the Maine Trifecta Golf Pass for just $129 you are entitled to an 18-hole round at all three courses with cart. The pass can be used Monday through Thursday anytime, and Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays after noon. Tee times are required. The Maine Trifecta Pass Only $129 Play all three courses with a cart! • Poland Spring - Fox Ridge - Spring Meadow • Valid for 2020 season, Valid Monday -Thursday, Valid Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays after 12 noon, Tee Times required, 34
fast, bentgrass greens, manicured fairways and bunkers, beautiful scenery, and a fun, friendly atmosphere, Sanford offers a great value. The course has several sets of tees, and its first nine opened for play in 1929 with a second nine added during the 1990’s. Nonesuch River Golf Club, in Scarborough, was designed by Tom Walker, who was a longtime course architect with Gary Player Design. The extremely scenic, par-70 Nonesuch River layout, while not long, asks for thoughtful shots off the tee and on shots to the greens. Proper club selection is important, as is the ability to chip and putt around and on the greens. There are four sets of tee at Nonesuch that provide for a variety of playing experiences and fun for all golfers depending upon which set of tees they choose to play.
Auburn’s Fox Ridge Golf Club, which Golf Digest has rated a top 10 course in Maine, public or private, plays to a par of 72. Again, the parfives are a strength here, and you will find as good a par-three as you will encounter; the fifth hole. Fox Ridge has undergone significant course projects to improve playability, such as tree work and cutting back of brush and tall grass. Fox Ridge has by far the least expensive greens fees of any top 10 course in Maine and is very accessible off Route 95 in Lewiston. Bridgton Highlands Golf and Tennis in Bridgton is an enjoyable and historic course with great mountain views located in the heart of Maine’s Lakes Region in southwestern Maine, only one hour from Portland and 20 miles from the New Hampshire border. The nine-hole course is the only original A.W. Tillinghast design in northern New England. The original nine was built in 1926 and the course was expanded to 18 holes in 1992. There are four sets of tees.
Must present card at time of play, Quantities limited. A $349 Deluxe Trifecta includes the above in addition to two-nights accommodations and four all-you-can-eat meals. The rates mentioned are per person, double occupancy, plus a seven percent Maine sales tax. Established in 1895 by Arthur Fenn and re-designed by Donald Ross in 1912, the Links at Poland Spring is believed to be the first golf course built at a resort in the United States. The Resort also features a 330-yard driving range with natural grass, artificial tees, and a spectacular view of the White Mountains. The Inn offers many options for dining, such as a home-cooked breakfast and evening meals that are served daily, buffet style, in a comfortable dining room. Spring Meadow Golf Club at Cole Farms in Gray is a interesting routing, with management taking pride in the conditioning of the layout. The course measures 6,656 yards
Golfing Magazine • New England Edition
from the tips and plays to a par of 71. The par-fives here are very sturdy, including the 600-yard third that tests your ability early in the round. Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn plays over 6,800 yards from the championship markers and has a par of 72. Again, the par-fives are a strength, with two, the fourth and hole number 11, approaching 600 yards from the tips. www.MaineTrifecta.com
