When is the last time a really good golf course was built in Maine? Perhaps Robert Trent Jones II's Sugarloaf, which was built some 16 years ago? I must confess that while I have not played in Maine before, it seems that golf in Maine has not lived up to its promising start.
Though its rocky coastline is far from perfect linksland, it has a certain undeniable charm. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Northerners from the cities of Phila., Boston and New York made Maine a prominent summer destination. They also built a number of good golf courses on the hills and plains surrounding Maine's well-known harbors. Ross was especially prolific, and other courses were built by the likes of Park, Leeds and Travis.
You'd think that with it's scenic coastline, and scores of Northeastern vacationers, Maine would have come a lot further with its golf than it has over the last 80 years.