Waumbek Golf Club, billed as the oldest course in NH, having opened in 1895, closed in 2022. For a number of years before its closing it was operated with rudimentary maintenance, and its primary attraction for me was the spectacular panorama of the surrounding White Mountains.
The course was purchased by two local families, who hired Ross Forbes to renovate the course. The course has been reopened for a couple of weeks, and this past weekend it held its formal reopening.
I had the chance to play the course a week ago. The routing has not changed, aside from the shortening of #17 to a par three and the lengthening of #18 to a par five. The greens have been expanded, and they were all in excellent condition. Fairways were adequately generous for someone who tends to hit to all fields, although a ball crossing the line of rough could easily be lost in the knee-high meadow grass. Bunkers have been renewed but remain modest in design. The club plans to add an alternative #9, which will enable nine-hole players to finish near the new clubhouse.
The course is still short at just over 6000 yards. For those visiting the northern reaches of the White Mountains it is worth a visit for a pleasant holiday round.