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Family-Friendly Golf Vacationing in Maine
by Mitch Kaplan
A word association test: I say, "Maine"; what do you say?
A fine place to golf with your kids?
Probably not. Probably you’ll say, "lobster," "beaches," "sailing" "the mountains," or some such thing.
But, I’m telling you, there’s a bunch of fine golf to be played in Maine, and a surprising number of Maine’s golf destinations welcome your children on the course.
I recently sampled three.
Point Sebago Golf & RV Resort
Just the name tosses you a curve (or is it a hook?). I don’t know how many golf resorts bill themselves as an RV park—and Point Sebago is definitely more than a the typical RV/tent refuge—but this is one.
Yes, you can park an RV here, or pitch a tent, but you can also lodge in "park homes," which are tidy (albeit somewhat small) pre-manufactured homes, or in rather luxurious vacation homes.
And, yes, you can find the kinds of activities you’d expect at a large RV park: swimming and boating on the Sebago Lake, tennis, volleyball, organized children’s activities, etc.
Unexpected, however, is the superior golf course you’ll find. When I was asked to visit, I was thinking pitch-n-putt.
No way. How about a full 7,002 yards from the back tees, and a healthy 6474 yards from the blue, 5645 from the white and 4866 from the forward/reds?
But, here’s the thing about Point Sebago. They not only set out the typical four tees; they add "orange" tees that make the entire thing do-able for younger kids. Just 3,200 yards in total.
Can you make kids feel any more welcome?
Yes. And they do by offering reasonable greens fees ($55-$65 for resort guests), affordable packages (from $129-$169/pp in high season with a $79 learning center add-on), complimentary clinics on Mondays in high season, and junior clinics for a mere $15.
And, the practice facility? A driving range, of course. But, how about five practice greens that facilitate work on putting, chipping, pitching and bunker play?
And, you’re no doubt asking, what about the course itself? In a word—mighty fine.
Oh, okay, in two words, then.
Most holes are bordered by forest, but the fairways are wide and relatively forgiving. But, the challenge increases exponentially when played from the back tees, as it should. There’s a minimum water in play (thank goodness), and a reasonable number of wetland obstacles and bunkers. The greens are pretty large, as well. And, only on holes four through seven, where the layout opens onto a wide field, do you encounter any side-by-side holes. The rest are all isolated among the trees.
So, add it all up: kids welcome; excellent maintenance and practice facility; reasonable pricing; and, most important of all when you’ve got kids in tow, a ton of other activities ranging from swimming and fishing to pirate boat cruises, evening community campfires and free day care for the littlest ones.
Quite a find.
The Bethel Inn
They started playing golf at the Bethel Inn in 1913. That’s given them a long time to perfect the course. But, the day I arrived, rain was wrecking havoc. A Nor’easter had left several holes in a quagmire.
Not that wet feet stopped me, my friend Nancy, and her eleven year-old son Jamie from soaking up the good play.
The Bethel Inn is a rambling complex that fits the cliche image of the classic New England retreat.
And, it’s a treat.
The big yellow building and its accompanying condo complex holds a pervasive old-time charm. It’s gentile without begin stuffy. And, it’s all about families—including the golf set up, which includes this unique family golf school vacation offering:
two nights resort lodging for a family of four in deluxe accommodations
all meals including breakfast, lunch and a four-course dinner
three hours’ instruction per day, including on-course PGA instruction in real playing conditions
unlimited golf with carts
full use of resort activities including an outdoor pool, game rooms, lake house, tennis and more.
Come during July (the PGA's official Family Golf Month during which July 9-15 is the annual Take Your Daughter to the Golf Course Week), the resort tosses in a personalized golf bag tag and a DVD analyzing everyone’s golf swings.
Not enough? The Bethel area also offers activities like canoeing, kayaking, mini golf, laser tag, hiking, biking—you get the idea.
You can do this Sunday through Thursday nights through August; the kids must be eight years old to receive golf instruction.
And the cost for this family golf sharing plan? $1499 for all of you.
But, you ask, what about the course?
It’s mountain style—much up and down, with a healthy share of bunkers and only the occasional bit of water. Most fairways are pleasantly wide, but many greens are pretty small. Watch out for Number Three—it’s a 133-yarder (from the whites) that demands a tee shot over a wetland and a massive rock wall onto an uphill double green shared with Number Eight. Unique to say the least.
Total yardage: a healthy 6663 from the back tees and 5280 from the forwards.
Total fun.
Province Lake Golf Club
I think playing a round of golf in two states is a pretty cool thing. Like skiing in two states at Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly. That’s what you do at Province Lake Golf Club.
Set alongside Province Lake in both Parsonfield, Maine, and Effingham, New Hampshire, this course’s locale evokes a wonderful middle-of-nowhere feeling, even though it’s only an hour from Portland and 35 minutes from the busy Conway, NH, area.
Unfortunately, teeming rain prevented play the day I visited, but that it was a kid/family-friendly place was clear immediately upon arrival. The first building I passed walking from the parking lot to the clubhouse was a child care facility.
These folks will look after your kid, age 10 and under (including infants) while you play. "We’re fairly unique in offering this service," administrator Wayne Greiner told me. "In the United States there are only a handful of golf courses that offer it."
Other family-friendly indicators?
five tees on each hole, offering play as short as 2,000 yards for youngsters and beginners
instructional clinics specifically for children for a mere $10 fee that’s donated to the local community
junior rates as low as $19/round
kids golf free with a paying adult any day after 6 p.m.
changing tables in the restrooms (very cool!).
Golf for Women magazine was impressed by this family-friendliness (and, by implication women-friendliness). They ranked Province Lake Golf as No. 1 in New England and No. 39 in the United States in both 2005 and 2006.
The golf course offers fine dining, featuring a pair of new chefs, one of whom specializes in Caribbean fare, but also kids’ food and walk-up window serving the wildly popular Shain’s of Maine ice cream.
On-site lodging is limited, but Purity Spring Resort, one of New Hampshire’s best family resorts, is but a short drive away. Stay there and you add such activities as canoeing, cookouts, Friday evening entertainment, waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding climbing wall, basketball and teen programs.
So, if you’re stuck thinking that Maine is all about lobster and backwoods adventure, think again. This short tour probably just touches the tip of the iceberg, but golfers with kids are clearly most welcome.
Other Family-Friendly Maine Golf Sites
The Links at Outlook. Offers the Medalist Golf Academy & School Junior Golf School Program for half-days on Mondays and Wednesdays for $95. Junior golf rates: 9 holes walking, $17; 18 holes walking, $35.
Palmyra Golf Course. Offers free lessons for kids under 10 years old (plus$6 for a handbook) on Saturdays at a pre-arranged time, allowing children to be "certified." Certified players can play—accompanied by an adult—and use the range free until their 10th birthday. Players over 10 pay a reduced fee. And, the course is easy.
Natanis Golf Course. The home course for three high schools and one college, the course offers a golf program for local junior high students providing instruction and play for kids and their families. Junior clinics are also offered regularly, and kids have unrestricted playing rights.
Sebasco Harbor Resort. A challenging nine hole layout and a three-hole regulation length "Lake Course" make Sebasco ideal for practice and/or beginners. Well-behaved youths may play the Lake Course unaccompanied. Golf Play & Stay Packages include unlimited golf, dinner and breakfast from $148 pp per day, and make-your-own golf package available for $90/day with breakfast, dinner and unlimited golf—ideal for families with teen golfers.
The Maine Golf Academy Family Golf Camp. Uniquely offers a family golf camp for "children ages 1 to 91," in which parents and children go to activities together, take instruction from PGA Pros together and play together. Evenings include such traditional camping activities as campfires, song fests, trivia contests and game shows, plus midnight golf and lighted tennis, driving range and putting green.
Samoset Resort. On a seaside course featuring views of lighthouses, lobster boats and windjammers, children as young as six can start learning the game through the Target Zone Golf program, or parents and children can learn together at the golf school’s family program.
MORE on….
Maine Golf.
......Mitch Kaplan is the author of The Unofficial Guide to the Mid-Atlantic with Kids, The Cheapskate’s Guide to Myrtle Beach and The Golf Book of Lists. He is a contributor to The Unofficial Guide to New England & New York with Kids and to the annual guide Ski America & Canada.
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