Samoset GC
Rockport, ME
6550 yards, par 71
Golf has been played at the Samoset Resort since 1902, but has featured many differet iterations since then. Most recently, the resort decided the seaside course needed revamping and hired architect Brad Booth to spruce up the course. What results is probably the best the course can be on its property, hemmed in by woods, the resort condos, and the associated housing development. There are five "ocean" holes at Samoset, the par 3 3rd, the par 5 4th, the tee of the par 3 6th, the green of the par 5 14th, and the entire par 4 16th. The ocean is in view for the entire front nine, and latter half of the back nine.
After having written it, it makes the course sound very good, perhaps even living up to its "Pebble Beach of the East" moniker from several years back. However, there is something here that just isn't quite right. The greens are deceptively sloped, but decidedly 1950s-1970s in feel. The bunkering that starts with rough and fescue fringed edging at the second green, just doesn't deliver. The course even turns to Florida wetland design for #s 10 and 11, before diving into the woods for the excessively narrow Hole #12. I liked several holes, #2, the ocean par 5 #4, #15 along the bay, and #17 with its rock outcroppings in the fairway, but most of the others were not very memorable. The course is defended heavily by its fast, sloping greens and exposed nature, but you can't help wondering at the end...is that all?
Holes to note:
Hole #2: The hole that introduces you to the course on the elevated tee. The hole is a relatively bland 400 yard par 4, but it brings you out to the ocean.
My brother (Arnie??) off #2 tee...
The rough-fringed bunkers at the green...nice setting, not much to aim at.
Hole #3: The showcase par 3, playing over the rocky coast to an elevated double green it shares with hole #6 (??). While visually striking, the cart path separates the green from the cliff, and thus the view is dominated by wood pylons that keep carts away from the edge. The green is rock hard, and might be unplayable if the trees weren't there to temper the wind.
Hole #4: Probably the best hole on the course, the tee plays from the fringe of the previous hole downhill to a fairway bordered by the rocky beach to the left. After a good tee shot, the player can gamble, hitting the second over part of the beach to the green, or trying to draw the ball in over land. The green is in a breathtaking setting, in front of the long Rockport Breakwater, and is a tight target between the ocean left and several bunkers on the right (the last of the rough-fringed bunkers, they only lasted three holes?!). If one was to mention Pebble Beach here, it wouldn't be totally off base.
Hole #5: A nice par 3 uphill away from the water, where the green wraps around a deep central bunker just short of the green. Trying to hit a shot close to a pin just over the bunker is a tall order, especially in the wind on this part of the layout.
The view from the back tee of #5...
Hole #15: A flat, straightforward par 4 that plays along the coast, giving the last glimpse of the round. The highlight here is the sounds of the sea and the cottage built on the rocks to the left of the green. Not a bad place to spend a weekend (rentable!).
Hole #17: A long par 4 downhill to a crowned green in the oceanside meadow of the course. Several rock outcroppings dot the fairway, but do not really come into play in the wide expanse.
Hole #18: This hole was very strange to me, as it didn't fit the course. This final par 4 plays 478?! yards from the back markers, and the yardage book mentions that it usually plays into the prevailing wind! Complicating matters are the two ponds surrounding the green, short right and long left. While appropriate for a par 5, these hazards do not fit the hole as a par 4. Although par does not REALLY matter, as a par five, the hole might give a few guests a chance at a parting birdie.
Samoset will not really disappoint, as there are some great ocean views, good conditioning, and several decent holes. But as for the buildup, there are many other layouts in Maine where I would go again before returning here. They charge one of the highest fees in the state, and the course just doesn't deliver as its reputation says it should.
The Tour has come to an End...