High in the mountains
Sunday River worth the trip
NEWRY, Maine -- The breathtaking backdrop is provided by the Mahoosuc Mountains, the layout and design is brought to you by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the initial push came from the
It is Sunday River Golf Club, the newest addition to the New England golf scene, and to say it is a job well done is an understatement. More accurate to call it spectacular.
This is a project that has been several years in the making, one that was originally hatched in the late 1990s to give the ASC a natural complement to its ski resort at Sunday River.
But a financial downturn stalled the project, which sits upon 350 acres in the Jordan Bowl area of this eight-peak resort, and it wasn't until a Maine golf icon, Dick Harris -- the principal behind Falmouth Country Club -- and his sons Jeff and Jason, came on board in 2003 that the project got reborn.
''We got quick financial approval and began construction within 30 days," said Jeff Harris, whose company will manage the golf course in partnership with Sunday River. ''Trent Jones was already in place [as architect] and we assumed his contract. Unfortunately, we had challenging weather problems."
The front nine was opened last fall, but torrential rain in August of 2004 pushed back the opening of the back nine.
Much reseeding was done this spring and into the first of June, but the long, painstaking wait has surely been worth it because the inward nine, which just opened a few weeks ago, completes this outstanding layout.
''We want people to have fun when they play here," said Jeff Harris, whose family operates terrific 18-hole seaside layouts in Boothbay and Bath, plus a nine-hole facility in Freeport, as well as Harris Golf Shops in Freeport and South Portland. ''It's important to us that golfers leave here having enjoyed the entire experience."
Gradually over the last decade or so, golfers have come to love the ski areas of New England for their golf courses, too, and it was Sugarloaf in Maine that used to earn high praise. That, too, was designed by Jones, but he brought a different look to Sunday River. Whereas Sugarloaf can be a demanding layout that is even more difficult if you're not hitting it straight, Sunday River affords you ample comfort off the tees. If you get claustrophobic on some mountain courses with so many tree-lined fairways, rest assured that Jones has taken great care to alleviate that problem at Sunday River.
Not that it's a pushover. There are a number of doglegs that will test your course-management skills and the green complexes, while subtle at first glance, are demanding.
It's just that Jones has pulled off the trick that is a hallmark of a great designer -- he's made a golf course eminently playable for mid-to-high handicappers, while certainly challenging for the better players.
From the tips, Sunday River stretches to 7,130 yards. It is a 6,558-yard challenge from the blue tees, while the white tee markers offer a friendly 5,828 and the greens a gentle 5,006. But one must factor in the elevation changes -- Jones sends you downhill and allows you to hit shots on which you can follow the flight of your ball, but just as effectively challenges you uphill -- and doglegs that bend both left and right.
From a par-5 opening hole that eases you into your round, to a downhill, dogleg-left robust finish, Sunday River is the great experience that the Harris family envisioned. There isn't a weak hole to be found, though from an initial visit some favorites were the par-4 fifth, with its gentle right-to-left movement, the par-3 16th with its tribute to the 12th at Augusta National, and the par-4 17th that requires one terrific shot after another.
The experience is enhanced by a visit to the clubhouse. Rustic in appearance, but comfortable in style, it offers majestic views that should only grow even more special as we approach prime foliage season.
For years, skiers have known that the ride up Routes 95 and 26 to Sunday River have been worth it. Golfers will soon agree.
