On to Part two of our trip, the day we spent on Mt. Desert Island at Northeast Harbor GC and the Kebo Valley Club. What a beautiful day, as we watched the sun burn off the fog that had collected along the shore, played two rounds of golf in 65 degree weather, and watched the sun set over Cadillac Mountain and the Somes Sound, which all the guides say is the only fjord on the east coast.
Northeast Harbor GC
Northeast Harbor, ME
5550 yards, par 69
Northeast Harbor was by far the gem on our little trip, as I did not know much about the course going in. As Michael Moore's thread about Northeast Harbor said, 9 holes were designed by Donald Ross in the teens, and 9 more were contributed by Herbert Strong. In the ensuing decades, 9 holes were abandoned then refurbished, save for today's final three holes, which lay fallow until the late 80's when Geoffrey Cornish brought them back into the fold.
The club gives off the feeling of stepping back in time, the clubhouse is modest and utilitarian (and obviously lacks a heating system), and seems very low-key, ideal for the summer crowd that fills the membership roster. The course is extremely natural, heavily wooded, and there are several instances where you may forget the course and think you're on a hike through the coastal pines. The yardage is not long, but the penalty for entering the woods is harsh. Local knowledge is key here, as there are a number of blind and semi-blind shots to be negotiated. Because most of the course has grown into its surroundings for 75 years, the club is able to keep the fairways and greens in fantastic condition (astounding really for coastal Maine in October), and they look like they belong here in the woods. Tees are interspersed with low-lying woodland vegetation, and seem in perfect harmony with nature around them. The meat of the course is in the middle, where the holes twist and turn up and down the wooded area. The starting holes and ending holes play more flat and open, but they will steal shots just as easily.
The course is wonderful, and we were lucky to play it on one of the best days of the year.
Holes to note:
Hole 3: A short par 3 that introduces the player to the forest, the shot is uphill over a dip in the ground, over some shield rock and low-lying plants to a shallow, two tiered green.
Hole 4: A long par 4 of about 440 yards with an elevated tee. The tee shot over fescue-covered mounds is very classic-looking.
Hole 5: A great short par 4 of only 310 yards. The green is behind a shallow ravine, and the right side of the hole is blocked by a large piney bush. A shot to the right side of the fairway is safer, but will block the view of the green. A shot to the left risks a kick into the rough and under overhanging branches. Oh yeah, and the green slopes a good 5-6 feet from back to front, just to keep you honest....
Hole 6: A short pitch of 120 yard to an elevated green surrounded by dropoffs and large rocks that may be able to kick your ball back to the tee if you aren't careful.
Hole 7: A great short par 4 of about 285 that begs the tiger to go for the small plateau green from the tee. Woods surround however, and a shot slightly missed is a chip-out.
The tee is in line with the cartpath in the distance.
Hole #8: A semi-blind par 3 of about 150 yards, all you can see from the tee is a sea of fescue, trees, and the hint of a flag.
My brother keeping his head down on #8 at NE Harbor...
Over the crest...
Hole #11: A short par four of 320 yards with a blind tee shot, and an elevated green over a hillside of fescue. One of the few all-carry shots to this point in the round.
Hole #12: A GREAT 170-yard par 3 through a pair of fronting mounds. There appears to be no room for error here, but there is ample room around the deceptively sloping green. A low-running shot will kick forward and left towards the green.
Hole 13: A short par 4 of 350 yards, the tee shot is from a highly elevated tee to a fairway with a bunker right in the center of the landing area. There really is no advantage in going left or right of it, but under firm conditions, approach shots can be bounced downhill to the front-to-back sloping green.
The central bunker is right in front of the pin in the picture...
Hole #18: The third Strong/Cornish restored hole, the tee is elevated in the middle of an area of scrub pine, a pretty Northeast Harbor sendoff to the last hole, a downhill 295-yard par four. The green is surrounded by bunkers and sloped hard left to right, but gives one last chance to make an eagle or birdie!
I would recommend checking this course out if visiting Acadia National Park, especially in the fall when they have a more relaxed public play policy....and the all-day rate of $45 might cause you to make a couple loops!
KV next...I wrote it all out...and then it got deleted...