Looking for a great public course, reasonably priced, with friendly people? Welcome to The Ledges Golf Club in York, ME. Just a short drive from the New Hampshire border and the Kittery Outlets, this course is tucked away in a residential which I thought I wouldn't find with my GPS. After playing it, I'm thrilled I did.
(Sign at the entrance to The Ledges Golf Club)
The Ledges Golf Club: The Course
The best way for me to sum this course up is through a conversation I had with my playing partner on the course. It was around the 7th & 8th holes when it started....
Me: "I'm impressed with this place. It's in great condition and it's pretty tough. Ya know what it reminds me of?"
RM: "When we played Lake of Isles at Foxwoods?"
Me: "Yea, that's exactly it."
RM: "That's what I thought of too."
As you can tell from that simple dialogue, I like this place. We decided to walk this course and while it is walkable, there are some hills to tackle and distance between a few greens and tees, it was manageable. We played from the Blue Tees which play 6,357 yards and have a rating/slope of 71.3/133. We also purchased a yardage book from the proshop for $3 which came in handy on a few of the holes but it's probably not necessary.
The course is in excellent condition. We played this in mid May and even after punching the greens, the ball still rolled very well on the greens. You could find yourself with a sidehill lie in the fairway but when you play woods courses, it's bound to happen.
(A view from the fairway on the 7th hole, a 493 yard par 5)
The fairways are pretty narrow and you will find OB on several holes. On others you'll find the fairways tree lined which can pose a problem. I don't recall many of the holes requiring a forced carry shot off the tee but placement in the fairway (or rough) is important on most if you want to have a shot at the green.
The Par 3's
Anyone who has played here before knows which par 3 I'm going to talk about first. The 8th hole is probably one of the more challenging par 3's you can face. I might be bias because I was +2 going into the hole before I put my shot in the water but it takes all the guess work you can manage. It's a 196 yard par 3 with a forced water carry, water along the left side and maybe 2 less clubs downhill, depending on the wind.
(A reverse view of the 8th hole. The 196 yard par 3)
The other par 3's offer some challenges but nothing like this. The 5th hole is a 137 yard par 3 which is all carry over a marsh, The 11th hole is a 167 yard par 3 with a pond short and right, and the 14th hole is a straight forward 123 yard par 3, the easiest of the bunch.
What Else
The course does use elevation changes to make it more challenging. On most tee boxes (and you'll see this on the first tee) you're hitting down to the fairway so you can get away with less club. I managed to hit 10 fairways during this round and used driver most of the time (I'm not a long hitter). Some holes, like the 15th, require a well placed iron or hybrid to be safe followed by a forced carry into a well protected green.
(The pond protecting the 15th green or 16th fairway. Thanks RM for hitting your ball here so I could take this picture! He writes for the blog Overhead Baggage)
What WAM Thinks
I can't tell if they want you coming back or not by making the 18th hole the #1 handicap but I plan on returning. The course is in excellent condition, it's reasonably priced and the people are friendly. If you're in the Southern Maine or Portsmouth, NH area, this is worth the short ride. The people I spoke to (at this course and in the area) said this is the best around. I haven't played them all but from what I have seen, they're probably right. Put this course on your short list and you won't be disappointed.
(A view from the 18th tee box. It shares the lake on the right with the 8th hole, my dreaded par 3)
Location: York, ME
Cost: I paid $60 to walk
Slope/Rating: 71.3/133 (blue tees)
Proshop: Small but had golf balls on sale
Range: Grass range with and putting green near the first tee/clubhouse.
My Score: 89 (42-47)
Play Again: Absolutely. You will not be disappointed.
Website: http://www.ledgesgolf.com/
Notes: We didn't run into any traffic on the course so it was pretty smooth. If you're teeing off early expect it to be wet from dew. The guys we were paired with had a cart but it was cart path only. They did have a cart coming around with beverages and snacks. It's not from from the outlets in Kittery, ME. The clubhouse looks new. Lastly, choose your club wisely on the 8th hole... I'm still having nightmares about it.. enjoy!
(Driving range is near the first tee and clubhouse)
THis is my home course and I love playing here..
Oh BTW guess where our Superintendant came from.....
Pine Valley!
Posted by: T | 05/06/2011 at 11:31 AM
It's a great home course to have! Having a superintendant from PV can't hurt is certainly a great advantage. I hope to play Ledges again when I get up that way.
Thanks for commenting!
Posted by: WAMGolf.com | 05/06/2011 at 08:33 PM