Golfers are spoiled for choice when playing golf in Maine. With over 150 courses available, including traditional, links, resort, and public and private clubs, we recommend you take the opportunity to play as many of the best golf courses in Maine as possible to learn what you like the most.
We put together this ultimate list of the top 10 Maine golf courses.
This task has been done by consulting golf review sites and apps like TheGrint. They have collected golf course reviews from millions of real golf rounds from real golfers.
Contents
Ranking in order 1 to 10
- Belgrade Lakes Golf Club | Belgrade Lakes
- Samoset Resort Golf Course
- Fox Ridge Golf Club
- Ledges Golf Club
- The Links at Outlook
- Sunday River Golf Club
- Point Sebago Golf Resort
- Val Halla Golf Course
- Spring Meadows Golf Club| Spring Meadows
- Nonesuch River Golf Club
1. Belgrade Lakes Golf Club| Belgrade Lakes
- Site Link
- Location: Belgrade Lakes, Maine
- Par: 71
- Length: 6,145 meters off the Tips and 5,305 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
4 tees options available.
Signature Hole – The 159-meter par 3 5th is my choice and is a picturesque setting surrounded by majestic pine trees.
It plays across the water to a bunker-protected green that is surrounded by tall pines.
The shadows can make it difficult to get the distance to the pin correct, but with its 18 unique holes, golfers labeled this one as “a gem in the wilderness.” That’s what makes this one of the best Maine golf courses.
Elevation changes flow through the layout but the clever design only offers 1 uphill tee shot.
The main hazards are not water, but boulders and rocky outcrops that line the fairways.
The tricky, contoured greens can be approached via the aerial route or a bump-and-run shot. This is also one of the best golf courses in Maine that is a public course, making it more affordable to the public.
The only downside of this one is that the course par tends to be exceptionally lenient, but it still remains one of the best public golf courses in Maine.
2. Samoset Resort Golf Course
- Site Link
- Location: Rockport, Maine
- Par: 70
- Length: 5,985 meters off the Tips and 5,138 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The course thrives with signature holes, but my choice is the 4th and 14th holes that play down towards the ocean.
These par 5s will test your strategy and the views are immaculate.
The course overlooks Penobscot Bay and a few upgrades and complete hole changes have increased the challenge and difficulty.
The scenic beauty makes up for the lack of variety through the layout, but the tree-lined fairways demand accuracy from the tee.
What makes this one of the top golf courses comes from the fact that players of all skill levels can play it. You will play through 7 oceanside holes. When you swing the club here, 14 of the holes give you spectacular views of the Atlantic ocean.
Golf Digest nicknamed this course, “Pebble Beach of the East.”
3. Fox Ridge Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Auburn, Maine
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,229 meters off the Tips and 5,331 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 185-meter par 3 5th hole is the signature hole. It plays downhill to a peninsula green that is positioned into a lake.
Fox Ridge blends a mixture of challenging and not so challenging holes which makes it a fun and entertaining golf course in Maine for a round with friends and family.
Water hazards come into play throughout the round with some woodland-lined fairways requiring accuracy.
Good shot placement is rewarded and required to score well. This is one of the best public golf courses in southern Maine.
This golf course ranks well in terms of overall playability. The course uses environmentally-friendly practices and sits on what was once a 200-year-old dairy farm.
4. Ledges Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: York, Maine
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,381 meters off the Tips and 5,448 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 201-meter par 3 8th is the signature hole, but many holes rival it. Played from an elevated tee downhill to a multi-tiered green, water surrounds the green but for the right side where bunkers come into play.
Tall pine trees flank the holes which have been carved out of the rugged terrain to offer an outstanding layout that will test all the clubs in your bag.
Good strategy off the tee will set up some attacking opportunities on fantastic par 4s but beware of the water which comes into play frequently.
A thinking-golfers’ track, the Ledges Golf Club gives you one of the higher-end public golf courses, and the price reflects it. This golf course in Maine sits along rolling terrain that sits along the seacoast. It ranks as one of the most beautiful courses in the state.
5. The Links at Outlook
- Site Link
- Location: South Berwick, Maine
- Par: 71
- Length: 5,870 meters off the Tips and 5,020 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The final par 4 18th is the signature hole, with a wide-open fairway to let the “big dog out”.
Playing at 324-meters it is a short iron approach that opens up birdie opportunities.
The links at Outlook are two golf courses in one, offering the first 10 holes as links-style, and the last 8 holes a New England-style.
The rough, bunkers and marshes are ever-present and the last few holes require some stamina to take on the hills and undulations, not to mention the trees.
Blind shots will keep your concentration levels up, but get the distance correct to score well and enjoy this track.
You’re surrounded by rolling dunes and sand bunkers that enter into the golf game over 140 acres.
This was once a farm that they converted into a links course. They built it in the old Scottish tradition, which is where links courses originated. Check out some tips here on how to play links courses in Scotland and Ireland. It may even translate well to links courses in the US.
Also Read: How Many Golf Courses are in the US?
6. Sunday River Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Newry, Maine
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,517 meters off the Tips and 4,576 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee
PLAYER RATING
4 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 195-meter par 3 14th is the signature hole and has a forced carry over a sandy waste area.
The sloping, angled green will test the skill level with the putter and a 2 putt can be considered good.
A real mountain course set beneath the peaks of the Mahoosuc Range, the layout runs in the Sunday River Valley, surrounded by hardwood forest.
The fairways have been built-up to negate some of the slopes, but are fairly wide and present a good target.
Solid golf is rewarded and accuracy off the tee will set the tone of the round.
7. Point Sebago Golf Resort
- Site Link
- Location: Casco, Maine
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,400 meters off the Tips and 5,160 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 185-meter par 3 17th is the signature hole and plays uphill to a green embedded in a grassy hollow.
Pot bunkers guard the left side, with another bunker in the front.
Get the distance right!
Point Sebago golf course runs through a white birch forest and can be extremely challenging off the back tees, but very playable off the front.
A good variety of holes will keep the interest and not too many water hazards to complicate the round.
8. Val Halla Golf Course
- Site Link
- Location: Cumberland, Maine
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,892 meters off the Tips and 5,590 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
5 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 140-meter par 3 2nd hole is the signature hole and plays over water to a small sloping green.
Distance control is the key to making birdie or par.
A traditional-style course with tree-lined fairways that reward accuracy throughout the round.
Strategically placed greenside and fairway bunkers lurk for the stray shot.
Some holes have wide fairways, but the narrow fairway holes are the score wreckers.
Hit it straight or your score will suffer the consequences!
Val Halla Golf Course runs one of the biggest Junior Golf programs in Maine, which makes it a great place to bring a kid from ages 5 to 14.
You get some incredible views and challenging play that works for players of all skill levels.
9. Spring Meadows Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Gray, Maine
- Par: 71
- Length: 6,067 meters off the Tips and 4,990 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 395-meter par 4 8th hole is my choice of signature hole. Water flanks the fairway up to the green, which is guarded by bunkers on the right. Trees surround the left and back of the green.
A target golf course that requires accuracy and placement to score well.
The fairways are defined by bunkers, ponds, streams, and picturesque treelines.
Doglegs both ways will encourage the proficient golfer to attack the course but beware of the hazards.
This has become a popular spot for golfing in Maine because it stands out as one of the best-conditioned and most well-maintained courses in the state.
10. Nonesuch River Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Scarborough, Maine
- Par: 70
- Length: 5,781 meters off the Tips and 5,129 meters off the Front
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 158-meter par 3 6th is my choice of signature hole and plays slightly downhill over water.
Bunkers protect the green, but the distance control from the tee will set up a par.
A well-designed challenge for all skill levels and is a truly natural environment layout.
The Nonesuch River runs through the property and provides wetlands and wildlife in abundance, which is what makes it one of the top Maine golf courses.
Some of the holes are cut back into the woods and are enjoyable.
If you hit the ball straight, you might walk away with much better score since this course rewards straight shots.
Also Read: Which States Has the Most Golf Courses?
Other courses outside the top 10
1. Dunegrass Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Old Orchard Beach, Maine
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
This is one of the courses in Maine where you have narrow tree-lined fairways, and the course weaves through a housing development.
The course sits on over 300 acres in southern Maine, but playing here feels no less of premium quality than some of the other ones mentioned above.
Don’t expect too much for ease on this golf course because, while it’s an enjoyable course, it offers up its share of challenge. Some of the holes are long, but others will have some other type of challenge.
It’s a well-kept course with the greens being the highlight of the play.
2. Kebo Valley Club
- Site Link
- Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
The oldest golf course in Maine and the eighth oldest golf course in the United States, the Kebo Valley Club offers you a course rich in tradition and full of fun surprises.
They situated this course on Mount Desert Island, which they founded in 1888 making it over 100 years old.
When you swing a club at Kebo, you find it to be a quirky and fun course with many rolling hills. This golf club consistently ranks among the best public golf courses in America.
The sand on the 17th hole offers a huge challenge, and some say they even reduced the size of it since they first opened it. This hole has some presidential history on it.
In 1911, President William Howard Taft carded a 27 on what they referred to as the “elbow” hole. Today, that’s the 17th hole, and they commonly call it the Taft hole. President Taft had to take 20 strokes to get up the imposing wall of sand. It’s just as challenging today.
For those who want to play on a course where a president once did, the Kebo Valley Club is well worth the visit.
3. Old Marsh Country Club
- Site Link
- Location: Wells, Maine
- Book a Tee Time
PLAYER RATING
This is a championship golf course with an 18-hole layout that is fun but challenging.
The sloped greens, marshes, sands, and water hazards will test everyone’s merit as a golfer. Some of the things that you can expect here include a bunch of fairway bunkers and hilly lies.
This course has some fun and interesting holes to play, but watch out when wet.
The residential development blends in well with the naturescape of the location, and Brian Silva designed the course in 2008. Within the first year of its operation, they ranked it in the top 10 best golf courses in America.
With those kind of course rankings, you can see why this 450-acre semi-private course belongs in the honorable mentions. This course is situated close to the beaches of Ogunquit and Wells. Overall, it gives you a good value as a golf course.
If you enjoyed these courses, check out this secret bonus course in Maine.
How Good is Maine for Golfing?
Maine has over 150 golf courses to choose from, and you especially have a lot of good public courses around Portland. The state hosts the Maine Open, which is the state open golf tournament. This tournament is open to everyone from amateurs to seasoned pros. Maine has hosted this tournament annually since 1918.
If you’d like to learn more about the current tournaments in the state, check with the Maine State Golf Association, which hosts golf tournaments meant to name the state champions. The organization has done this since 1917, and they help to promote junior golf in the state.
Final Thoughts
Golfing in Maine offers you many varied courses to test the skill of any golfer. The best golf in Maine is a subjective experience, but you do have some that most golfers enjoyed, and we mentioned a couple of them on this list.
The biggest problem will be the choice because when you have over 150 golf courses to choose from, figuring out the best golf courses in Maine will pose some challenge. You might choose one closer to you as well since Maine is the biggest state in New England, and you may have to drive far otherwise.
Traditional, links, resort courses are in abundance here, so take your pick of what you like the most.
If you enjoyed this article, check out this one that wrote about the most expensive golf courses in the world by green fees.
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Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
